Former Two-Time Champ Paulie Malignaggi Calls Out Conor Benn

Former champion turned bareknuckle boxing title challenger Paulie Malignaggi (36–8, 7 KOs) has called out British star Conor Benn for an unlikely fight.

The Italian-American star was unimpressed by 29-year-old Benn’s victory. The fight took place on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London and was broadcast on Netflix.

Benn scored a wide unanimous decision victory over a faded Regis Prograis, who was clearly injured. Prograis had been rocked before at the lower weights, but weathered the storm in this 150 lb catchweight fight.

Malignaggi calls out Conor Benn

"I would beat him right now.. watch my fight next month," Malignaggi told talkSPORT, during a video call interview, “Conor Benn is invited too if he wants a piece afterward.. I'll beat him right now.”

Malignaggi, 42, is coming out of retirement to try his hand at bare-knuckle boxing for the BKB, challenging Filipino fighter Rolando Dy for the Super Welterweight title at BKB 54: Mayhem in Manchester on May 16th.

However, Benn, for his part, seems on a collision course with Ryan Garcia for Garcia’s WBC welterweight title. Garcia’s team is keeping his options open so far, with rumors in boxing swirling that WBA welterweight champion Rolando Romero is another possible opponent for Garcia. Garcia was dropped and ultimately lost their first fight on May 3, 2025, in Times Square, New York City.

If Malignaggi wins the BKB title, calculations might change. A Malignaggi-Benn fight (with or without gloves) might be a good “money fight” for both men to cash out, especially if Benn loses his next fight and is looking for a sellable opponent.

Malignaggi is one of the most insightful commentators in boxing, often seen on the ProBox TV cards. However, he was also a decent two-time world champion.

Zab Judah (red trunks) and Paulie Malignaggi (black trunks) | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Arguably, Malignaggi’s best performances were losses. After breaking his orbital bone against Miguel Cotto in their 2006 fight, Malignaggi had a gutsy performance, winning several rounds down the stretch before the fight was stopped in the 11th. He lost a decision to Adrien Broner on the cards in 2013, a decision widely seen as a robbery. Though Malignaggi might get a chance to avenge this one, as Broner has been rumored to be considering bare-knuckle as well.

Malignaggi’s record in bare-knuckle boxing thus far has been mixed. He lost his bare-knuckle debut to Artem Lobov and has since gone 1–1 in the sport. He won a split decision against Tyler Goodjohn, setting up his world title challenge in May.

Now, years after his boxing prime, Malignaggi is betting that his skills—and his reputation—can still put him in the spotlight, as he targets one more attention-grabbing fight against Conor Benn in the near future.

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