Former boxing champion Paulie Malignaggi talked about becoming a two-sport champion to cement his legacy.
On 16 May, he’ll get his wish.
BKB Bare Knuckle announced Malignaggi will challenge Rolando Dy for the BKB Junior Middleweight Title on 16 May in Manchester. The venue for the bare knuckle world title fight is to be confirmed.
“One of my big goals is to win a championship in BKB. It would be my second sport that I become a world champion in and it’ll be my third weight class,” Malignaggi said in a video posted by BKB Bare Knuckle on X.
Paulie Malignaggi returns on May 16 in a Super Welterweight Title Bout against reigning champion, Rolando Dy 👊
Venue and ticketing information coming soon.#BKB #BareKnuckle #Boxing pic.twitter.com/v4lKqOAsCC
— BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing (@bkbbareknuckle) February 1, 2026
The Dy-Malignaggi fight was close to being finalised a couple of weeks ago.
It’s now over the line, setting up a fantastic main event for BKB Bare Knuckle’s first-ever event in Manchester. Malignaggi is known to UK fight fans. He boxed professionally in the UK in both London and Manchester and battled the late and great Ricky Hatton in Vegas way back in 2008. Paulie has also commentated on UK boxing events over the years.
The Dy-Malignaggi fight is a unique contrast of styles. Paulie is a quick and slick boxer who peppers foes with clean shots and is not known as a puncher. He’s a two-time world boxing champion who faced nearly a dozen fighters who held world titles at some point in their careers.
While Malignaggi is a 44-fight pro boxing veteran, Dy has nearly 30 pro MMA fights and has fought for the UFC and Brave FC. The Filipino warrior has won 5 of 6 bare knuckle fights, four ending inside the distance. He’s hits hard and is strong in the clinch but also has boxing skills, as shown in his win over Liam Rees in December.
It’s a great matchup between a slick boxer and hard-hitting MMA veteran. BKB will announce more matchups in the coming weeks and BKH will keep you updated.
