Paul Malignaggi has been doing this a long time, so much so that when I asked him how many stitches he took from a Saturday rumble in Leeds, England, he admitted he didn’t know for sure.
“I always forget to ask lol,” said the 44-year-old Brooklyn native, who calls Florida home.
Malignaggi got the “W” atop the BKB 47 show in the UK, taking a split decision win over Tyler Goodjohn over five rounds in the Trigon ring, which encourages action. There was that in the rumble, which resulted in a bunch of stitches, fractured ribs, and a state of contemplation.
“So getting a win over a guy like that is both something that I have to give myself credit for, but also it gives me a little bit of a place on this perch in this sport,” Malignaggi told TalkSport Monday. “There was an accidental poke of the eye, so I couldn’t see anything out of my right eye. But little by little, the sight in my right eye is coming back.”
I posted a couple of TikToks off the Malignaggi scrap, his first since 2019. To say there is interest is an understatement.
@mikewoodsboxing Malignaggi beats 34 yr old Tyler Goodjohn in Leeds, England on @BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing card. Split decision should have been unanimous. Paulie was cut and hand is hurting but he will fight on.
Of course, there will be strong opinionating in the comment section. Plenty of people wondered aloud, why? Why do it, put yourself through rigors such as this. If you are not broke, why bother? Short answer? I am better able to answer this the older I get. Because 1) he wants to and 2) he is built differently than you or me.
Malignaggi said he might consider gloves in boxing, with Misfits. And yeah, no, he is not destitute and scraping for income. ProBox pays bills for the Florida-based boxer/analyst, and BKB, an ascending organization, also well compensates him for his mind and time.
BKB CEO David Tetreault told FightsATW his thoughts on the Malignaggi triumph, and possible plans in the near future for the fighting pride of Bensonhurst.
“As he said from the very beginning, and reiterated after his win, he’s in this to cement his legacy as a two-sport world champion,” Tetreault stated. “It’s about pride and accomplishment for him. He’s said that money can only motivate so much. There needs to be a goal, and he has one. He could have taken an easy fight, but he wanted a contender and to earn a title shot out of respect for the guys who have cut their teeth in this sport.
“We couldn’t have asked for more in the fight. It was two technical boxers putting on a beautiful, artistic performance, and they left it all in the Trigon – showing off speed, swagger, footwork, and, above all, toughness.”
The executive continued: “Paulie has been a long-standing member of our broadcast team and will be back in that role on November 22 at BKB 48 doing color beside Mike Goldberg on a card featuring four title fights. Paulie is looking to get back in the ring in 6-8 months. He’ll be looking at the winner of super welterweight champion Liam Rees and Rolando Dy, who fight in December in Wales,” Tetreault said, noting 147 is maybe in play too. “He’s recovering very well, despite sensational reports, and is in great spirits and looking forward to getting back in action.”
Malignaggi turns 45 on Nov 23. By that time, I think we will know if he is still crazy after all these years—-forgive the Gen X-centered reference!—and will do another Trigon battle, or, like the Who, acknowledge the passage of time’s inescapability. Malignaggi, 36-8 as a gloved boxer from 2001-2017, now heads to Italy to see family, decompress, heal, and mull his fighting future? “Yes,” he said. “Yes, too soon to decide right away.”
PS: In my collection of vintage periodicals/magazines, I have the November 11, 1982 issue of Rolling Stone, then THE textual cultural pound-for-pound champ in that arena.
The Who, Roger Daltrey, Pete Townsend, etc. were on the cover off their farewell tour. Their first one. Roger, Pete, and the Who just finished up their latest and last farewell tour on October 1 (2025) in California.
Boredom is dangerous to rock n rollers and fighters, factor that in the next time you see an out-of-prime vet test their capacity on a stage or ring. Comment section: dragons of critique, I say: Don’t hate —wait. Wait until your living arc puts you in a place where you empathize.
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