On Saturday evening, at Planet Ice in Leeds, England, ‘Magic Man’ Paulie Malignaggi overturned the results of his first and last BKB bout of 2019. After five three-minute rounds that turned into a brutal, back-and-forth war, the 44-year-old improved his record to 1-1 in bareknuckle. But first, he had to survive a partial vision. 

In his first bout in six years, Malignaggi started strong with his trademark technical boxing. But midway through, Goodjohn connected with heavy shots that rocked him and opened deep cuts. Both men were left bloodied — Goodjohn from facial lacerations and Malignaggi from a severe gash above his eye that eventually swelled shut, temporarily blinding him on that side. 

Soon after the fight, the former junior welterweight champion was forced to undergo some hospital treatment. It was only right, given Malignaggi’s description of the extent of his eye injury. 

“After that eye poke, when I went down, I still can’t see,” he said during the post-fight interview. “Hopefully, I’ll go to the back and get it taken care of. I wouldn’t say I am completely… but actually, I am blind in this eye right now. Yeah, it’s very foggy. I finished the fight with one eye essentially because, right now, I can’t see out of this eye. I just see shadows.”

If anyone, Malignaggi knows how to fight through some serious injuries. 

Back in 2019, when he made his debut under the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) banner, Malignaggi broke both his hands. In the BKFC 6 that had seen UFC veteran and Conor McGregor’s longtime training partner, Artem Lobov, take home the win, the then 38-year-old had broken his hand by Round 2, but still kept up the fight. 

It was a crazy decision to begin with for someone who had had four surgeries on his right hand. But he said, “Life is sometimes about being adventurous and trying new things.” Unsurprisingly, despite admitting he was 38 and too old to continue six years ago, Malignaggi showed up once again. This time, though, he and his team ensured his hands were as protected as they could be: focus on punching and close them correctly. 

If not the eye, he successfully managed to evade the injury concern.

But despite the damage, Malignaggi dug deep in the later rounds, relying on slick defence and sharp counters to edge ahead in a vintage display of grit and experience. In the end, he earned a split-decision victory, with scores reading 48-47, 48-47 for Malignaggi and 47-48 for Goodjohn. 

Entering the patented triangular ring, Goodjohn had been considerably more active than his opponent, going 5-4 in bareknuckle competition. But Malignaggi has returned with the hopes of targeting more glory in the ring. He even chose Goodjohn because he wasn’t looking for an easy fight. “I wanted a good scrap,” he had said, and he got it.