Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi is getting ready one more time. The 44-year-old former two-division boxing champion has inked a three-fight contract with BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing and will make his return on September 6 at Bristol’s Ice Arena, squaring off against British brawler Tyler Goodjohn. The bout will unfold inside BKB’s triangular “Trigon” ring and stream globally on pay-per-view.
Malignaggi (36-8, 7 KOs in gloved boxing) hasn’t fought since a 2019 bare-knuckle points loss to MMA veteran Artem Lobov, but he’s remained ringside as BKB’s lead commentator since 2021. Explaining the comeback on his YouTube channel, the Brooklyn native pointed to the format’s brevity: “Five rounds is the key. Older fighters feel the grind in championship rounds; bare-knuckle keeps it explosive without dragging into deep water.”
Goodjohn, 34, arrives with a 5-3 bare-knuckle ledger and a reputation for trench-warfare firefights. The Ely native snapped a two-year hiatus in April by decisioning Joe Smith and has history with Malignaggi - Tyler’s 2024 gloved-boxing KO loss to Weljon Mindoro happened on a ProBox card called from Paulie’s commentary perch. “When I asked BKB for a reputable name, he fit perfectly,” Malignaggi said at Friday’s UK presser. “We can market this right and bring the sport to another level.”
The matchup continues BKB’s trend of luring decorated boxers, following ex-pros like Dat Nguyen and Austin Trout. Whether Malignaggi’s slick boxing IQ translates to the bare-knuckle sprint - or Goodjohn’s grit drags the Magic Man into a phone-booth brawl - fans will find out on September 6, when gloves come off and reputations go on the line.
Image Credit: Sky Sports