Paulie Malignaggi is “tempted” by the prospect of a return to professional boxing and ultimately by a fight with Mario Barrios for the welterweight title of the WBC.
On Saturday evening at Planet Ice in Leeds, England, the former junior welterweight and welterweight world champion enters a bare-knuckle fight for the first time against Tyler Goodjohn and does so with more than a future in bare-knuckle boxing in mind.
In his absence from the ring the 44-year-old has established himself as one of the world’s most honest and astute pundits and commentators, ensuring that in the eight years since he last fought – a defeat in 2017 by Sam Eggington – his profile has been preserved.
That he continues to observe his former profession with such consistency has contributed to him witnessing his final weight division’s decline, and perhaps even the reality that at 46 years old Manny Pacquiao fought and drew with the 30-year-old Barrios after a four-year absence from the ring.
Aged 34 Goodjohn has been considerably more active than Malignaggi – the Englishman is both established with the BKB and last fought as a boxer in July 2024 – but ahead of a date that could yet threaten his hard-earned reputation, Malignaggi is targeting bigger and wealthier glories in the ring.
“The 147lbs division is freaking terrible,” he told BoxingScene. “Mario Barrios is horrible as a champion. So when I look at that and I look at the weight cut that I had for this camp I could probably make 147lbs if I needed to. It’s a big opportunity presenting itself.
“I may be tempted, or even for a Misfits opportunity I may be tempted, but I think I could beat Mario Barrios right now. I’m not kidding – I think I could beat Barrios right now. I really could, and especially coming off the camp I just had, I feel good. Obviously bare-knuckle is a different sport in some ways, but I’d consider it for sure.
“We’ve had some preliminary discussions with Misfits – [there’s] possibly some interest there. It’s so close to the fight on Saturday that I’m mostly focusing on that, but Misfits is certainly an option, and there’s been some other preliminary discussions and conversations [about boxing professionally].
“Nothing’s really been that difficult [in preparation for Goodjohn]. I just had to change some things, but once we made some changes to the way we used to train to the way we train now, things flowed smoothly. It’s been a good camp. I can’t tell you it’s been difficult. It’s just been the daily grind; the daily battle with yourself. Honestly, it’s been kind of pleasurable to get back into that kind of thing, ‘cause I feel good about it.
“I used to spar a lot; I used to spar quite heavily; constantly; every two days for the entire training camp. I can’t do that anymore. I’d love to, but I can’t. We made some adjustments and substitutions; more pad work; more and more sharp work.
“We also focused on a lot of strength and conditioning. Keeping my body centred around keeping both conditioned and strength, but strength that’s based on movement. It’s not just stupid, basic weightlifting – everything is based off of motion, and the motion complements the boxing.
“I can’t tell you it’s been that difficult. Maybe, initially, being out of shape and getting back into shape [was]. The hard work has been something I’ve welcomed, so it’s not been difficult when you enjoy it. It’s been a daily grind. Maybe in the beginning when I was out of shape; the initial getting back into shape; the initial conditioning… After that it’s been a daily routine and a daily habit – part of my discipline and something I enjoyed.”
If Malignaggi’s inactivity was responsible for the lack of conditioning he referenced, his ongoing commitments as an observer of his former profession mean that unlike at the peak of his career as a cultured boxer he is not yet focusing only on his next fight. In retirement fighters often detail how commentary nurtures their boxing IQs, and Malignaggi, similarly, believes that at the very least it will help him in the struggle against inactivity and rust.
“It definitely keeps your mind sharp, and seeing patterns and picking up things that are useful,” he said. “It’s basically watching film – you’re watching fights all the time, right? You’re definitely picking up patterns quicker and things quicker, so I’d say that it’s possibly something that’s helped.
“Thankfully the schedule at ProBox [TV] was that I was able to train enough for the fight. I was able to make time for everything I needed to make time for. I got adequate time training.
“I don’t really focus a lot on Goodjohn – it’s been mostly about me. I initially picked him because he’s got a big name in the [bare-knuckle] business and done a lot in the business. We needed somebody who was a pioneer for the bare-knuckle sport so that the fight would get some traction. I didn’t want an easy fight. I wanted a good scrap. I wanted to respect the sport. I wanted to respect the fans and the fighters in it by not trying to jump the line with an easy fight. Goodjohn’s a scrapper; he’s a tough guy; he’s a durable guy, and he comes to fight every single time out.
“I haven’t focused a lot on him, but he’s aggressive; he doesn’t quit; he’s hard to break mentally; he’s never been stopped in this sport. I expect a night’s work. But what’s a night’s work in bare-knuckle? Twenty minutes.
“He’s very hittable. He’s a bit on the front foot, which makes guys hittable. He’s susceptible to some things, and I also think my speed will offset him. I think he’s stubborn – will try to come through – in a lot of ways, so it’s probably going to take a minute to calm him down. But we’ll have a little bit of a tear-up for ourselves.”
Malignaggi was then asked about the risks posed to the hands that were so often injured by the new discipline in which he was competing, and also about whether the bare-knuckle nature of his next fight had contributed to any nerves.
“[The hands are] always a concern, whether it’s bare-knuckle or pro boxing,” he responded. “I’ve had enough surgery. One of the main things I’ve been focused on in this camp is closing our hands properly. It’s funny, because it’s bare-knuckle boxing, but boxing isn’t the main thing I’ve been focused on. I did my boxing obviously. But I’ve been boxing for so long that it wasn’t something that I focused fully on like I did in the past. One of the things we tried to focus on was taking care of my hands, and one of the main things we tried to do was focusing on the way we were punching and closing our hands correctly so that they can be as protected as possible when they’re closed.
“It’s the pre-fight jitters that you always feel. I wouldn’t say it’s nerves. We’ll see in the locker room on Saturday night. I’m actually more excited than nervous. There’s a little bit of nerves, but I’m excited because it’s been a good camp – the preparation’s been good. It’s been different, but it’s been good. I wished I’d understood to do things differently in my boxing career – maybe I would have been able to extend it. I was still training the same way I was when I was young at the end of my boxing career. I was constantly getting injuries – you can’t train the same way. You have to be smarter. Maybe it took this break to force the adjustments in the way I’m going to train and prepare. The preparation’s been really good. Maybe we’ll see what the result brings. I’m excited to see for myself how things come out on Saturday night.”
