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Former world boxing champion Paulie Malignaggi is set to step back into the brutal world of bare knuckle fighting at the age of 44 when he headlines BKB 47 in Leeds later this month.
The former IBF super lightweight and WBA 'regular' welterweight title holder will face ex-BKB World Featherweight Champion Tyler 'El Tornado' Goodjohn in the main event at the First Direct Arena on October 18.
The clash had originally been scheduled for September, but was pushed back after Malignaggi picked up a minor training injury.
Malignaggi, nicknamed 'The Magic Man', enjoyed a glittering boxing career in the 2000s and 2010s, sharing the ring with legends including Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Amir Khan and Adrien Broner.
Known for his fast hands and slick defence, he retired with a 36-8 record before dabbling in bare knuckle in 2019 - where he lost on points to Artem Lobov in a fight fuelled by his bitter feud with Conor McGregor.
Now, six years on, he has signed a three-fight deal with BKB and is targeting the Police Gazette Diamond Belt - hoping to become a two-sport champion.
'Tyler is a former world champion and at one time the premier name in bare knuckle,' Malignaggi said. 'This is going to be one hell of a fight.'
Goodjohn, 33, is regarded as one of the UK's pioneers in the sport and boasts a reputation for toughness and crowd-pleasing wars.
The former English super lightweight boxing champion has a 5-3 record in BKB and returned in April with a win over Joe Smith in Cardiff.
'This fight is massive,' Goodjohn said. 'Paulie's jab is world class, but in bare knuckle you can cut someone open with a jab. If I can take that away from him, I win this fight. I want to cement my legacy and that means fighting big names like Paulie.'
The undercard is stacked with title fights and local favourites. Croatia's Marko Martinjak, the BKB super cruiserweight champion, will move up in weight to challenge Birmingham's Dan Podmore for the vacant Bridgerweight crown.
If successful, Martinjak will become only the second fighter in the organisation's history to hold two belts at once.
Meanwhile, Leeds' own Scott McHugh returns to his hometown against Belfast's Joe Fitzpatrick, the 2014 Commonwealth Games silver medallist, desperate to bounce back after losing his last outing in the city.
'Leeds roars like no other,' McHugh said. 'I'm fuelled to deliver for my city.'
The card also features a busy line-up of local and national talent, including Aaron McCallum vs Liam Howell, Jack Dugdale vs Reece Murray and Furqan Cheema vs Patryk Fornalski.
