Ben Bonner KOs Austin Trout after 'Rocky 4' Apollo Creed tribute entrance at BKFC Liberty Brawl
Austin Trout made waves with an iconic entrance for his lightweight championship fight that headlined BKFC Liberty Brawl. "No Doubt" subsequently faced a tough battle against Ben Bonner.
Austin Trout set the combat sports community abuzz before his latest bare-knuckle boxing match, making waves with his entrance that seemingly paid tribute to the fictional character Apollo Creed from the "Rocky" movie franchise.
Unfortunately, Trout ended up on the wrong end of the gruesome fight that followed, getting knocked out by Ben Bonner in their BKFC lightweight championship match that headlined BKFC Liberty Brawl on Saturday, July 3.
Austin Trout captivates fight fans with Apollo Creed entrance from Rocky 4 going into the BKFC Liberty Brawl headliner
Austin Trout's entrance, to be specific, was inspired by a scene from the Hollywood movie, "Rocky 4," wherein the fictitious former professional boxing heavyweight champion Apollo Creed makes an entrance to a live musical act for an exhibition boxing match against the film's antagonist, Soviet Russia's Ivan Drago.
The song utilized in the movie is James Brown's rendition of "Living in America." With the franchise's protagonist, Rocky, in rival-turned-friend Creed's corner, the latter goes on to box against Drago in the exhibition match.
While Creed initially expects that the fight would be relatively straightforward as exhibition matches generally are for an experienced pugilist, the significantly bigger Drago aggressively attacks him. The Russian character ultimately ends up hurting America's Creed to the extent that Creed passes away from his injuries.
The aforementioned movie scene from "Rocky 4" is one that's well known to many fight fans, as a notable cinematic representation of the dangers entailed in boxing and the broader combat sports realm.
As such, although a number of fight fans seemed captivated by Austin Trout's entrance at BKFC Liberty Brawl, some pointed out that he surely wouldn't want to end up in real life as Apollo Creed did in reel life after making the grand entrance.
Watch Austin Trout's fighter walkout/entrance at BKFC Liberty Brawl below:
Former WBA champion Austin Trout recreated Apollo Creed’s walkout from Rocky IV and was BRUTALLY knocked out tonight in the main event of the BKFC Liberty Brawl 😳 pic.twitter.com/sonftXSfQX
— FULL SEND MMA (@full_send_mma) July 4, 2026
America's Austin Trout suffered his first defeat in the BKFC ring, losing to England's Ben Bonner in their BKFC lightweight title fight
Austin Trout has earned widespread laudation for his pugilistic prowess over the years, boasting an impressive amateur boxing career. "No Doubt" later had an impactful run in the sport of professional boxing, where he previously reigned as the WBA (Regular) light middleweight champion.
The 40-year-old had notably faced the legendary Miguel Cotto, whom he beat. He also fought other boxing greats such as Saul Canelo Alvarez and Erislandy Lara inside the squared circle. Additionally, Trout took on fighters like the Charlo brothers (Jermall Charlo and Jermell Charlo) as well as Jarrett Hurd in the pro boxing sphere.
Furthermore, Trout made his bare-knuckle boxing debut under the BKFC (Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship) banner in 2023, beating UFC veteran Diego Sanchez. The American fighter later beat Luis Palomino to win the vacant BKFC welterweight title, which he defended twice before vacating it.
His most recent bare-knuckle boxing match witnessed him clash against England's Ben Bonner for the vacant BKFC lightweight title in the main event of BKFC Liberty Brawl. The event -- which transpired at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 3 -- marked the BKFC's celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence from the British Empire's colonial rule.
Trout, representing his nation, the U.S.A., attempted to extend his BKFC win streak to six and stay unbeaten in bare-knuckle boxing. Per the statistics revealed by the BKFC's official website, Trout landed 15 punches overall, whereas Bonner landed 13.
Round two saw England's Bonner land the only punch, knocking his American foe down with a thunderous right hand to score a KO victory at the 0:30-minute mark of the round and win the BKFC lightweight title.
Watch Ben Bonner's knockout ot Austin Trout below:
NASTY RIGHT HAND GETS IT DONE FOR BEN BONNER 😳#LIBERTYBRAWL | DAZN▪️ pic.twitter.com/RJuH80ARfZ
— DAZN Combat Sports (@DAZNCombat) July 4, 2026
