Paulie Malignaggi announces bare-knuckle opponent for comeback bout

Paulie Malignaggi is set to make a stunning comeback to the squared-circle this month - but without gloves.

The former IBF super lightweight and WBA 'regular' welterweight champion will take on ex-BKB featherweight champion Tyler Goodjohn in a bare-knuckle boxing showdown at the First Direct Arena. The Leeds dust-up - which will take place on October 18 - will serve as the main event at BKB 47.

Malignaggi was expected to make his return against Goodjohn last month, but was forced to delay his comeback due to a minor training injury. The 44-year-old retired from professional boxing in 2017 after suffering a knockout defeat to Sam Eggington in London for the WBC International welterweight title.

Just two years later, though, the American made his bare-knuckle boxing debut against former UFC star Artem Lobov, but would go on to lose on points. Speaking of the upcoming contest, Malignaggi said: “I’ve been out for a while.

"Tyler is a former world champion. At one time, Tyler was the premier name in the bare knuckle sport. His name resonates, grips, and sells in this sport. This is going to be one hell of a fight.” As for his upcoming opponent, Goodjohn said: “This fight is massive.

"Paulie is a very good boxer - you can’t take that away from him. He has a very good jab. In bareknuckle you can win the fight on the jab - you can split someone’s face on the jab. To be able to take that jab away from him is what wins me this fight. I want to cement my legacy and that means fighting big names like Paulie.”

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Malignaggi enjoyed a glittering career in boxing, sharing the ring with the likes of Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Amir Khanand Adrien Broner. Six years on from his fight with Lobov - a former training partner of Conor McGregor - the 44-year-old has penned a three-fight deal with BKB and is hoping to claim the the Police Gazette Diamond Belt.

Goodjohn, on the other hand, has great experience in the world of bare-knuckle boxing - boasting a 5-3 record. The former BKB champion returned in April after a brief hiatus, defeating Joe Smith in Cardiff. In the co-main of the upcoming event, BKB cruiserweight champion Marko Martinjak will take on Dan Podmore for the vacant BKB Bridgerweight title.

When is the next boxing event?

Dave Allen is set to return to the ring on Saturday night when he takes on Arslanbek Makhmudov in Sheffield. Coverage is expected to get underway at around 6pm UK time (1pm ET / 10am PT / 12pm CT). In the main event, Makhmudov will make the walk to the ring first at around 10pm UK time (5pm ET / 2pm PT / 4pm CT) with Allen set to follow immediately after.

The timings of all fights are subject to change and will depend on how long the undercard takes to complete. All of the action is set to be shown live on DAZN. The popular streaming platform can be found as an additional subscription on TVs. It can also be streamed live on the official website or the downloadable app. A DAZN subscription is £119.99 or £14.99 per month, or £24.99 on a flexible commitment that can be cancelled at any point.