Bally’s Corporation is expanding its list of partnerships through a “fully integrated 360 partnership” with the BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing organisation.
Through the deal, Bally’s will host a series of Bally’s Fightnight by BKB at its casinos across the US, beginning on 9 January 2026 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Biloxi.
During fight nights, Bally’s proprietary sensor technology will be embedded into the wraps of the fighters to provide data such as punch volume and impact. The fights will also be broadcast across Bally’s digital platforms, including the Bally Sports Live apps and Stadium channel.
Data-backed combat sport
According to Bally’s, the use of sensors seeks to leverage bare knuckle boxing’s glove-free format, which allows for “the cleanest and most measurable striking discipline in combat sports”.
Jon Lin, SVP and GM of Bally’s Media, explained: “For the first time ever, fans in our venues and watching at home will share the exact same live data feed; punch speed, force, volume, everything. It’s like having a second screen built into the fight itself. This is the most immersive combat sports broadcast we’ve ever produced.”
Bally’s and the CEO of BKB Bare Knuckle, David Tetreault, first tested the concept in 2021 through a pilot with KO Entertainment, the promotion led by former World Champion Oscar De La Hoya.
At the time, Bally’s used the data to display a power bar, akin to those displayed in video games, next to each fighter to signal the amount of damage they had absorbed.
This newest integration seeks to include the data within the broadcasts to “deliver a gamified experience to fans both inside the arena and across Bally’s digital platforms”.
Tetreault added: “Four years ago, [Bally’s Chair] Soo Kim and I dreamed of building the most data-backed combat sport on earth. Today, with Bally’s, that dream becomes Bally’s Fightnight by BKB. Bare knuckles give us the cleanest data possible; Bally’s gives us the platform to make that data entertaining, interactive, and profitable for fans everywhere.”
Building on a growing phenomenon
Bally’s is no stranger to combat sports, regularly hosting live boxing shows and GLORY Kickboxing on its Bally SportsLive streaming platform.
Originally known as BYB Extreme, BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing rebranded in February 2025 following the 2024 acquisition of the UK-based BKB promotion, and builds on the growing popularity of bare knuckle boxing within combat sports circles.
The organisation’s fight cards are broadcast in over 60 countries worldwide, and it has inked recent broadcast deals with VICE TV and Telemundo Deportes in the US, as well as talkSPORT in the UK.
