Ben Rothwell is hoping to secure a fight with Anthony Joshua after his BKFC knockout went viral.
The 43-year-old secured the BKFC heavyweight title in brutal fashion at Knuckle Mania 5 on Saturday night.
Rothwell extended his bareknuckle boxing record to 4-0 with a 36-second knockout victory against Mick Terrill and earned $150,000.
However, ‘Big Ben’ has now revealed he is a free agent after his contract with the promotion came to an end.
Following four bareknuckle bouts, the former UFC fighter is now targeting a move to boxing with Joshua on his list of dream match-ups.
Asked about facing fellow ex-UFC heavyweight Francis Ngannou, Rothwell told The Ariel Helwani Show: “Right now I’m a free agent, I very much love the BKFC, I love David Feldman and I would like to continue, even finish my career here.
“How much time have I got? Maybe a year or so, it really depends. But Francis Ngannou, Anthony Joshua, guys who beat them guys.
“To put the gloves on and prove how good at boxing I am would very much be a bucket list.
“I just don’t feel like I’ve ever gotten to show the boxing world how good of a boxer I am.”
The switch is understandable given Ngannou is said to have made $20m for fighting Joshua – a considerable increase on anything he made in his mixed martial arts career.
“Right now the BKFC and UFC fans just say I’m a brawler,” he added. “They don’t understand my precision, they don’t understand how capable I truly am but if I got to fight one of them that would be a huge opportunity for me to show the world how good I really am.
“Before I am done fighting, I want to bring as much respect to this belt as possible.
Rothwell won the heavyweight title with a 36-second KO in his final BKFC fight“If I have to step away for a fight I think the BKFC would back me. I believe we’re going to get something figured out and I will defend this belt.”
Prior to his run in BKFC, Rothwell amassed a 39-14 record in professional mixed martial arts.
Those bouts included 17 in the UFC over a 12-year period between 2009 and 2021.
He would not be the first MMA star to come up against two-time unified heavyweight world champion Joshua.
The Brit knocked out Ngannou in a devastating performance in Saudi Arabia in 2024, dropping the Cameroonian three times inside two rounds.
However, he missed out on becoming a world champion for the third time in his last fight.
Joshua was stopped by compatriot Daniel Dubois in their IBF title bout at Wembley Stadium in Septembr.
The 35-year-old has yet to announce when he will next enter the ring, with his professional record now standing at 28-4.
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