Rolando Dy Says He Is the Face of Bareknuckle Boxing [Exclusive]

Dy Makes Bold Claim After Stopping Paulie Malignaggi

Rolando Dy was a man on a mission when he won the BKB Super welterwieght from Liam Rees in 2025 | BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing

Dy made good on his vow to knock out former boxing world champion Paulie Malignaggi at BKB 54: Manchester Mayhem this weekend on a fight card filled with tributes to Manchester boxing legend and former world champion Ricky Hatton.

“How can he stop me if he doesn’t understand the science of clinching?” Roland said,” All these boxers thought they could just push me away…if you don’t understand wrestling, you will get demolished in the clinch, and I knocked him out after that…What I did to Paulie shows I understand this sport more than anyone.”

Dy’s father is Rolando Navarrete, who won the WBC junior-lightweight champion by beating Cornelius “Boza” Edwards in Italy in 1981. His later life spiraled out of control with addictions to marijuana, other drugs, and criminal trouble.

ROLANDO DY HAS DEFENDED HIS TITLE! 🏆🚨

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Edwards was also in Lovemore Ndou’s corner when Paulie Malignaggi won the IBF junior welterweight championship in 2007.

Dy Another Day: What’s Next For The BKB Champion?

Dy’s mother, wife and two daughters joined him in Manchester for the fight. The morning of the fight, the champion ate a simple breakfast including pineapple and bananas while joking with his team that he would be open to facing Manny Pacquiao under the right conditions.

One of Manny Pacquiao’s most brutal knockout wins was, of course, over Manchester’s Ricky Hatton.

Rolando Dy After He Won The Title in BKB Super welterwieght title 2025 | BKB

Malignaggi paid tribute to Ricky Hatton by partnering with his foundation and by welcoming Hatton’s son into his corner.

In one of the biggest fights of his career, Hatton was knocked out by Manny Pacquiao in the second round. Hatton proclaimed he was more than ready to deal with Pacquiao.

"Right hook, roll under... it's the same thing every time,” Hatton said in a highly publicized moment from the HBO 24/7 documentary leading up to the May 2, 2009 fight.

Much like Pacquiao throughout his career, Dy is affable outside the ring, but once the fight begins, the killer instincts switch on.

paulie malignaggi | IMAGO / MediaPunch

Malignaggi, who came close to securing a fight with Manny Pacquiao at various points in his career, suffered his own difficult night against a Filipino with his second-round stoppage loss to Rolando Dy in bare-knuckle competition.

His win marked the first defense of his BKB super welterweight boxing title. He says he wants to fight again in the UK or Asia to avoid the jetlag problems of fighting in the U.S.

“I have two kids,” Dy said, “I should be paid like Paulie... I am young, I am world champion, and I am the face of bareknuckle boxing.”