There is a documentary coming out about that August 2017 fight between Mayweather and McGregor so we’ll see the full Malignaggi sparring footage.
Two years ago, as Conor McGregor told the world he would bounce Floyd Mayweather’s head like a basketball, Paulie Malignaggi insisted he was next in line.
The former welterweight world champion had been called in to spar with ‘The Notorious’ ahead of his professional boxing debut and, when he spoke out of class, was horrified to see footage of the sessions leaked. McGregor looked to have got the better of the American, who insisted the footage was cut and edited together to make him look bad.
That was the start of a long-running beef and one that drew Artem Lobov into its orbit.
With McGregor focused again on the UFC, Lobov, who left the promotion, signed up to take on Malignaggi in bare-knuckle boxing. On Saturday, the pair headlined BKFC 6 with ‘The Russian Hammer’ winning a unanimous points decision to get the upset.
The fight world kept their eyes peeled on McGregor’s timeline but there was no mocking or gloating. Ignoring the result, on social media at least, may have stung Malignaggi more than any of Lobov’s lusty blows.
The Dubliner was watching the bout, however. In an interview on The MMA Hour, Lobov told Luke Thomas that McGregor was in touch soon after the fight.
“I spoke to Conor, he said that was a good performance. I dominated the fight. I pressed the action all the time and he said it was a very good performance and a great win for me.”
Remarkably measured from the usually bombastic and cutting McGregor.
Lobov says he has also moved on from the Malignaggi spat after sharing the ring with him and spilling blood on the same canvas.
“When you fight someone, it’s different,” he noted. It’s a lot of conflict that you can have.
“Once you fought somebody, that’s it. There’s not much to it anymore. You went in there, you settled it like men, one on one, and that’s it.
“After that, I don’t think there’s really a point to kind of carry it with you, any of that negativity. You just go on with your life, be positive, and just enjoy your life and be a happy person. That’s how it is for me.”
Malignaggi says he is finished in the bare-knuckle fight world while Lobov is contracted up for more BKFC sights.
