Retired boxer Paulie Malignaggi has been angling for a fight with Conor McGregor for years. While the verdict is still out on whether Malignaggi will ever get the chance to settle his score with McGregor, he may soon get the chance to fight the Irishman’s close friend and training partner Artem Lobov.
According to a report from Helen Yee, Paulie Malignaggi is closing in on a deal with bare knuckle boxing promotion Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC).
If he indeed signs with the promotion, Malignaggi is expected to be matched up with Artem Lobov in the near future — if Lobov defeats his upcoming opponent Jason Knight.
“Sources have told me Paulie Malignaggi is about to sign with [BKFC] and is expected to fight Artem Lobov if he wins his fight April 6.” – Helen Yee on Twitter.
Paulie Malignaggi has not boxed since 2017, when he was knocked out by Sam Eggington. Prior to that, he was enjoying a three-fight streak composed of victories over Laszlo Fazekas, Antonio Moscatiello and Gabriel Bracero. He’s 36-8 as a professional boxer.
Artem Lobov last fought in November, when he gave up a decision to Michael Johnson in his final UFC bout. This loss was preceded by back-to-back decision losses to Andre Fili and Cub Swanson, and a pair of wins over Chris Avila and Teruto Ishihara. Lobov is 14-15-1 in MMA.
Stay tuned for updates on this surprising Paulie Malignaggi news as details emerge.
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 3/7/2019.