Artem Lobov Beats Paulie Malignaggi via Unanimous Decision at Bare Knuckle FC 6
June 23, 2019
Artem Lobov defeated Paulie Malignaggi via unanimous decision (48-47 on all three judges' cards) at Bare Knuckle FC 6 on Saturday at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa Bay.
Lobov, a mixed martial artist who has competed at three different weight classes, has now won both of his bare-knuckle boxing fights. He defeated Jason Knight at Bare Knuckle FC 5 in April.
Malignaggi, a former professional boxer who compiled a 36-8 record and won the WBA welterweight title, made his bare-knuckle debut.
Lobov gave much credit to his opponent post-match:
He also said that his next goal is to become a bare-knuckle boxing champion, per MMA Fighting.
As for Malignaggi, he felt as though he won the close fight and has no plans to participate in bare-knuckle boxing again:
There's no love lost between the two fighters, as evidenced by when Malignaggi slapped Lobov at a Bare Knuckle FC 5 media day in April:
The two have a past revolving around MMA fighter Conor McGregor. Malignaggi was McGregor's former sparring partner prior to the McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. boxing match, and the two had a falling-out after photos of McGregor having the upper hand in their sessions leaked.
Malignaggi was reportedly unpleased, per Brian Campbell of CBSSports.com, and left the training camp in August 2017.
As for Lobov, he's close friends and Straight Blast Gym teammates with McGregor, from whom he received help before his latest bare-knuckle bout:
That guidance apparently worked, as Lobov moved to 2-0 in his bare-knuckle career.