McHugh next for Dy
By Joaquin Henson
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 27 May 2026
Rolando Dy.
While Bare Knuckle Boxing (BKB) world superwelterweight champion Rolando Gabriel Dy is open to follow in his father Rolando Navarrete’s footsteps and try his luck in traditional professional boxing, he’s not wasting time mulling options as the table is set for his next defense against Scott McHugh in Leeds, UK, in August or September.
Dy, 34, said promoters were ready to arrange the McHugh fight in July. “Kilala si Scott sa heart niya at cardio pero sa tingin ko, lamang ako sa skillset,” said Dy. “I’m hoping to finish him off inside three rounds. Veteran din kasi siya sa bare knuckle so paghahandaan ko if ever may date na.” Dy asked to postpone the match to August or September so he has more time to get ready for a tough challenge in McHugh’s hometown.
McHugh, 33, started bare knuckle boxing in 2018 and has racked up a record of 16-5, with six KOs, compared to Dy’s slate of 6-1, with five KOs. A common opponent is Liam Rees who stopped McHugh in three rounds in 2024 and whom Dy defeated on a unanimous seven-round decision to win the BKB title last year.
Asked if he’d consider converting to traditional boxing, Dy said “oo naman if there’s a good opportunity.” His father, now 69, reigned as WBC superfeatherweight champion in 1981-82, wresting the crown from Uganda’s Cornelius Boza-Edwards via a fifth round knockout in Viareggio, Italy and losing it on his second defense to Mexico’s Rafael (Bazooka) Limon by a 12th round stoppage in Las Vegas.
Dy took his mother Jennifer’s surname and not his father’s. “No disrespect to my father but my mother raised me,” said Dy. “My father left when I was 10 months old. I owe my father my boxing genes, that’s all. My mother provided for my education and I finished college. My first dream was to become a lawyer but deep inside me was a drive to fight.” Dy went to MMA in 2011 and compiled a record of 15-13 with four KOs up to 2025. He suffered four straight losses before ending his MMA journey with a split decision win over Eduard Demenko in Malaysia in February last year. Dy jumped from the octagon to the trigon in 2022 but continued to do MMA until finally deciding to focus on bare knuckle boxing in May last year.
“My mother’s a survivor,” he said. “She was a victim of domestic abuse but it didn’t stop her from taking care of her children. She’s the biggest influence in my life. She now lives in Linea de la Concepcion in Cadiz, Spain. She has lived in Spain for nearly 20 years and works as a caretaker in a home owned by a wealthy family. My stepfather Tito Jojo is a chef in Gibraltar.”
Dy said after retiring from MMA, he considered offers to work in Bahrain and UAE. “Malaki mag-bigay sa mga martial arts at fitness coaches at mag-work sana ako doon as a coach,” he said. “Pero dumating ang BKB at di na ako tumuloy.” When Dy halted Paulie Malignaggi to retain his BKB strap in Manchester a week ago, his wife Stephanie was in his corner. “She’s a karate fighter and I trust her with my life,” he said. “We took our two kids to Manchester and my mom joined us from Spain. I want our family to enjoy seeing the world. I’m lucky to give our kids a chance to experience traveling.”
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