As previously reported on BoxingScene.com, former two-division world champion Paulie Malignaggi nearly brawled with former UFC fighter Artem Lobov during a media day for Bare-Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC).
Lobov and Malignaggi are both signed up to BKFC - and they could certainly collide in a bare knuckle boxing match in the coming months. While Lobov makes hi bare knuckle debut this weekend, Malignaggi's debut date is unknown.
During the media event, the two fighters traded words and fists started flying when Malignaggi slapped Lobov across the face.
Lobov is teammate and training partner of UFC superstar Conor McGregor.
McGregor and Malignaggi have been feuding since 2017 - when Malignaggi was hired by the UFC star as a sparring partner for an August 2017 cross-sport boxing match with Floyd Mayweather.
McGregor released video clips and photos of their sparring sessions - which made it appear as if Malignaggi had taken a one-sided beating.
Malignaggi's overall plan is to move forward with the fight against Lobov, beat Lobov, and used that victory to further bait McGregor to face him in a boxing match.
“The only guy that doesn’t want to make Malignaggi-McGregor is McGregor and anybody directly involved with him because they understand the game is over once that fight happens,” Malignaggi said on The MMA Hour.
“The show, the game, the flaunting, everything’s over. Because once I beat the sh*t out of you after all the past we’ve had and all the lies you’ve told, you’re done, you’re history. Nobody will ever want to remember you again. So you can’t have that. Not even his Proper whiskey would sell anymore.
“Conor knows. Conor sparred me. I don’t just beat the sh*t out of you, now I’m going to talk sh*t. I’m gonna embarrass you. I’m gonna emasculate you while I’m doing it. And you’re not gonna like it. It’s not just gonna be a loss, it’s gonna be an embarrassment.
“People will not forgive you for the loss, not just because of the embarrassment of it, but because you lied to them. Your fans will forgive you if they’re true fans, for losing. They will not forgive you for lying to them. And because of the lie, they would never forgive him. So no matter for all the money in the world, Conor cannot fight me.”
