Exclusive Interview: Franco Tenaglia on Championship Win
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Franco Tenaglia defeated James Lilley by way of a majority decision to win the BKFC lightweight title at BKFC 60 on April 6th.
Tenaglia described this as the best feeling he ever had in his life despite the physical sensations of swelling and the blood painted across his face.
 
The Argentiniana born fighter notched quite the empathic first round knockdown in this main event clash. But Lilley rallied back to ultimately go the distance at Planet Ice in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom.
When discussing that early moment in the bout to Bare Knuckle News ,Tenaglia said, “I thought I won the fight in the first round. You know, I was sure like he was not going to stand back [up] again. But I think the bell saved him a little bit because if the fight carried on like that, I could knock him out again. But he’s a tough guy. I respect him a lot.”
“I like him a lot as a person. He fought Luis Palomino, you know, and he gave him a very good fight. He has a great record, eight and one and a few knockouts. So I knew it’s going to be tough, but I am tougher than everyone.”
The newly minted champ described how he fought the whole fight with one eye after the dramatic swelling affected his vision early on. Tenaglia overcame the injury he now has three straight BKFC wins and also now has some gold to boot.
This was his first BKFC fight to go the distance and Franco Tenaglia appreciated the tough test he faced because good things cost effort and sacrifice in his estimation.
Tenaglia told us he comes from poverty in his aforementioned birthplace of Argentina and just wants to provide for his family at the end of the day. Tenaglia’s broader goal seems to be making a better life for his mom, sister, and grandma. Also, he feels his humble background gives him a competitive edge and a mental advantage over all of his contemporaries in the bare knuckle field.
Tenaglia came up the hard way on the underground fight circuit as a teenager and used to throw down in strip clubs. He would sometimes fight for no money in the early days and Tenaglia described his current place in the fight game as being like a movie.
As for that next scene in this proverbial film, Tenaglia wants to compete in America and vie for the lightweight world title in BKFC as a next step.