Paulie Malignaggi out for bare-knuckle vengeance at BKFC6

Former boxing champion Paulie Malignaggi competes for the first time in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship against Artem Lobov.

What happens when a former two-time boxing world champion and a mediocre MMA fighter meet in a circular ring for a bare-knuckle boxing match? We’ll find out on Saturday, June 22 at BKFC 6 when Paulie Malignaggi fights Artem Lobov.

The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship is a newer combat fighting league with bare-knuckle boxing as its foundation. Bare-knuckle bouts have been banned in many states dating back to the late 1800s, but certain athletic commissions are allowing it today.

Malignaggi’s boxing career spanned from 2001 to 2017. In that time, he compiled a record of 36-8, 7 KOs and captured two world titles. He was never known for his punching power but was always an elite tactician in the ring. He’s 38 years old but feels comfortable taking part in BKFC 6.

“It’s a situation where it gives me a cool spotlight,” Malignaggi told FanSided. “I think at my point of my career I wasn’t going to be able to really achieve my old heights in professional boxing, or at least not work my way back up to them. I’m aware that fighting long fights at my age is more difficult. But this was a situation where the pieces fell into place.”

Malignaggi has no concerns regarding his fitness or age. He has worked hard to prepare for his upcoming bout against Lobov.

“I feel good. I’m not somebody who drinks,” said Malignaggi. “I drink very rarely. I like to eat, so I had to get my weight down, but as far as anything else, I’m not a guy that leads a bad life. It wasn’t that difficult to get myself back on track.”

Malignaggi enjoys combat, and surely the money for this fight helps, but neither of these elements is his primary motivation. Simply put, he wants revenge.

“The motivation is that I don’t like the SBG guys,” said a focused Malignaggi. “Any chance I get to throw any of them a beating is alright by me.”

In 2017, Floyd Mayweather Jr. fought Conor McGregor in a boxing megafight. It pitted the best boxer against the best MMA fighter. McGregor never competed in a professional boxing match and retained Malignaggi as a sparring partner to prepare for Mayweather. That’s where everything went wrong.

McGregor and his training team leaked edited footage and images of Malignaggi’s and McGregor’s sparring session. It painted Malignaggi in a bad light, and McGregor claimed he dominated him in the process. It’s a charge Malignaggi vehemently denies.

"The whole SBG team crossed the line two years ago. Lying, deceiving, and trying to ransack my reputation on a lie. I don’t ever have a problem if what happens is true. Sometimes you get yourself into some s**t at what happens is true. The only truth about any of the stuff they put out was that me and Conor [McGregor] sparred. That was it. There was no knockdown. There was no beating. There was no concussion. There was nothing. As a matter of fact, if I was in better shape, it wouldn’t have even lasted 12 rounds. That’s how pitiful McGregor’s boxing skills were."

Malignaggi holds McGregor and his entire training team responsible for spreading lies about their sparring session. BKFC 6 is his chance to exact revenge for having his reputation as a boxer called into question.

“Somebody has to pay for it. I’m from Brooklyn, bro,” emphasized Malignaggi. “I’m Sicilian, and I’m from Brooklyn. I don’t play like that. I don’t get down with posers, and If you cross that line with me, you got to pay for it. Lobov will pay for it.”

Promotions like to hype their fights by staging contempt between fighters. There’s nothing fake about Malignaggi’s disdain for Lobov and all of the SBG team. It’s the main reason Malignaggi’s taking part in BKFC 6.

Lobov is a good friend of McGregor’s, but he’s not gifted with his MMA skills. His MMA record is pedestrian at 13 wins and 15 losses. He earned the majority of his wins via decision. Lobov defeated Jason Knight at BKFC 5. Malignaggi wasn’t impressed.

“It was a pitiful fight. It really was,” declared Malignaggi. “It was exciting and fun to watch because it was two tough man contest guys going at it, but it was a pitiful performance by both of them. But respect to the toughness and respect to the entertainment value.”

Lobov’s unimpressive record and background as an MMA fighter have Malignaggi feeling extremely confident heading into BKFC 6.

“I’m looking at him being inferior to me in every way, not just as a fighter, but as a man and as character [sic] in general,” said Malignaggi. “This man’s a liar. This man is a defeated person. This man has no character, and obviously, this man can’t fight.”

On the pressures of representing boxing versus and MMA Malignaggi said, “If this was a ‘risk’ fight I would feel pressure. I do not feel pressure because this is an easy fight. Any time a boxer and an MMA fighter go at it, and in a boxing match, it will always be an easy fight for the boxer.

Malignaggi fairly added, “I don’t think there’s ever any pressure on an MMA guy if he’s fighting a boxer in an MMA fight because the MMA guy has all the advantages.”

Lobov isn’t McGregor, but he’s symbolic of the injustice Malignaggi perceives has been done to him. There’s legitimate bad blood in this matchup which makes it an intriguing fight to watch. BKFC 6 goes down on Saturday, June 22, at 9 p.m. ET. It’s available through pay-per-view on Fight.tv or at Bareknuckle.tv.