Artem Lobov is interested in fighting Paulie Malignaggi again but this time doing it in boxing.

Lobov and Malignaggi fought last summer at BKFC 6 where it was a highly-anticipated bout. But, it was “The Russian Hammer” who edged out a decision win. Following the fight, many thought a rematch would make sense but Dave Feldman told BJPENN.com, Malignaggi was unlikely to fight in BKFC again.

Now, however, Artem Lobov says before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the sports world, there were talks of rematching Malignaggi in boxing.

“Certainly [I’d rematch Paulie]. I have had some inquires about that as I had a boxing promoter reach out to me and ask if I’d be interested in a pro boxing match against Paulie,” Lobov said to BJPENN.com. “With the coronavirus, all of that was put on hold but certainly I’d do it. Pro boxing has been something I’ve thought about for a long time. I think it would be a good first opponent for it.”

Artem Lobov is interested in doing boxing, BKFC, and MMA and said he was close to signing with KSW before the pandemic happened. Although he is open to a rematch with Malignaggi, he isn’t sure if the boxer wants to make it happen. So, instead, he says his next fight could very well be the Jason Knight trilogy or taking on Johnny Bedford in BKFC.

“That is probably one of the fights. They spoke to me about Johnny Bedford as well. He is the champion at 135 and is 5-0 in BKFC at the moment,” Lobov explained. “He has some noise behind him but he needs some more exposure. He’s a solid fighter. So I think it would make sense as he needs some push and a fight with me would do that for him. There are many fights for me.”

Regardless, Artem Lobov has options for his next fight but hopes he can fight Paulie Malignaggi again soon.

Would you be interested in seeing Artem Lobov vs. Paulie Malignaggi 2 in boxing?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 3/31/2020.