Gustavo Trujillo once again demonstrated why no one has been able to survive a full assault against him. The Cuban boxer, known as "The Cuban Assassin," retained his heavyweight world title from Bare Knuckle Boxing (BKB) by knocking out the British fighter Mick Terrill with a devastating liver shot in the first round of the event BKB 58, held at the James L. Knight Center in Miami.
The fight was surrounded by uncertainty even before it began. The original opponent, Mark "The Veteran" O'Neil, was out due to visa issues, and the second candidate, Jarome "The Hatchet" Hatch—former BKB cruiserweight world champion—also failed to secure the bout. In the end, Terrill accepted the challenge with only three days' notice, having fought at BKB 57 just 72 hours earlier.
Despite the circumstances, Trujillo left no room for speculation. True to his overwhelming style, he resolved the dispute in the first round with surgical precision, leaving the British challenger crouching, unable to continue before the referee's count.
With this victory, the Cuban from Morón, Ciego de Ávila, extended his undefeated record in BKB to 9-0, with the remarkable distinction that none of his nine opponents have managed to survive the first round.
That winning streak takes on even greater significance when considering its history in traditional professional boxing: 12 victories, zero losses, and 11 knockouts, a record that places him at 13th in the World Boxing Organization (WBO) ranking in the heavyweight division.
Days before the match, Trujillo himself had shared his mindset: "As the reigning champion, I have to prepare as if I were the challenger every time."
The night of Saturday turned into a historic day for Cuban boxing in the clean-knuckle category. Yunieski González claimed the vacant cruiserweight title by knocking out Ethan George in just 1:19 of the first round. Alberto Blas retained his super featherweight belt with a technical knockout over Brandon Birr at 1:57 of the first round.
These victories were complemented by the successful debut of Yuriorkis Gamboa in professional boxing, the Olympic gold medalist and former world champion, who won by unanimous decision—50-44 on all three scorecards—against the Nicaraguan Yesner "Cuajadita" Talavera.
The lineup also featured the debut of former UFC fighter Aspen Ladd, who lost by unanimous decision to Bianca Daimoni, and the first-round knockout victory of Robert Durán Jr., son of the Panamanian legend Roberto "Manos de Piedra" Durán, over Ryan Spivey.
Trujillo won the unified BKB heavyweight title in December 2024 by defeating the British Richie “The Viking” Leak in Pembroke Pines, Florida, and he retained it in November 2025 by stopping former WBA world champion Lucas Browne in just 106 seconds. With Saturday's knockout of Terrill, the “Cuban Assassin” reaffirmed that the first round remains, as noted by Jorge Ebro for El Nuevo Herald, “his private territory.”
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