Leo Bercier, age 43, was happy to accept a short-notice fight against Leonardo Perdomo on Friday at BKFC 62. Bercier, a natural cruiserweight, is moving up in weight for the evening to battle the heavy-handed heavyweight Perdomo. As a traditional boxer, Bercier campaigned from 2005 through 2016, compiling a pedestrian 8-20 record, although he had notable wins over former cruiserweight champion Kelvin Davis and also Andres Taylor. Since 2021, Bercier has fought in bare knuckles contests, compiling a 4-1 record. “They were looking for a replacement fighter to step up and fight, so I said, ‘Sure, why not?’ That’s what fighters do – we fight when we’re asked to fight, so that’s what I did,” Bercier says in advance of Friday’s action at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, to be streamed live on The BKFC App.

 

Perdomo is a very difficult assignment, as the Cuban is 3-0 with 3 first-round knockouts.

 

Bercier has finished his last three opponents in the cruiserweight division, so he’s rapidly working his way to a title shot at 205 pounds. A loss to Perdomo could potentially derail his title hopes. Perdomo is arguably the top heavyweight prospect in BKFC; his 3-0 record is comprised entirely of first-round knockouts. “Throughout my fighting career I’ve always tried to inspire younger fighters and be a good role model for fighters coming up. A lot of young fighters forget about the value of experience, and competing as much as possible to get that experience,” he says. “I still want to be a role model, so when the call comes in, you answer the call, you step up, and you do everything you can to overcome the obstacle that’s in front of you.”

 

Bercier stops short of predicting a fourth-straight stoppage victory against Perdomo; he’s just going to do everything he can to represent his values in the squared circle. “Perdomo is a beast to be reckoned with; he’s really a scary fighter, but I’m pretty tough and I love to fight, so we’ll see how it plays out,” he says. The hope is always a knockout, but he’ll be ready for whatever I throw at him, and I’ll be ready for whatever he has for me.”