Former boxers Paulie Malignaggi and Tyler Goodjohn are set to do battle in a bareknuckle bout on October 18 at Planet Ice in Leeds, England. The contest was originally slated for September, until a hand injury ruled out the 44-year-old Malignaggi.
It will mark Malignaggi’s second foray into BKB. In 2019, after retiring from boxing two years previously, the New Yorker – now one of the most respected analysts in the sport – was defeated on points by MMA veteran Artem Lobov. The former two-weight titlist, who held IBF and WBA straps at junior welter and welterweight respectively, signed a three-fight deal with BKB in June this year.
Goodjohn, 34, is more experienced in the bareknuckle code. He’s won five of eight BKB bouts, winning a world championship along the way, since he retired from boxing in 2017. Though he did briefly return to the gloved arena in 2024, to be knocked out in two rounds by Weijon Mindoro on a ProBox TV bill in July, he outpointed Joe Smith in his BKB comeback six months ago.
According to the press release, Malignaggi said: “I’ve been out for a while. Tyler is a former world champion. At one time, Tyler was the premier name in the bare-knuckle sport. His name resonates, grips, and sells in this sport. This is going to be one hell of a fight.”
Goodjohn, a former English junior welterweight boxing champion, added: “This fight is massive. Paulie is a very good boxer - you can’t take that away from him. He has a very good jab. In bareknuckle you can win the fight on the jab - you can split someone’s face on the jab. To be able to take that jab away from him is what wins me this fight. I want to cement my legacy and that means fighting big names like Paulie.”
Fighters migrating to bareknuckle boxing in retirement is becoming increasingly common. Two weeks ago, James DeGale won his BKB debut only to announce he wouldn't return to the code in the aftermath while Frankie Gavin and Hannah Rankin this year suffered one-round KO losses in bids to make the switch. In response to DeGale's showing, his former rival George Groves said bluntly, "Fighters should be told not to come back".
