Paulie Malignaggi reveals he broke his hand during Artem Lobov bare-knuckle boxing loss as he shows off severe swelling
PAULIE MALIGNAGGI has revealed he broke his hand during his bare-knuckle boxing defeat to Artem Lobov.
And the fighter has since been banned indefinitely by the Florida State Boxing Commission on medical grounds after showing off his swollen hands in the aftermath.
Malignaggi went all the way with Lobov in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 6 on Saturday.
But he suffered a heartbreaking defeat after five rounds thanks to a unanimous points decision.
Malignaggi, 38, shocked fans when he uploaded pictures showing his hands swollen beyond belief.
And the former boxer has now claimed he broke one of his hands in the second round of the fight, forcing him to continue with just one working arm.
But there will be no more fights for Malignaggi until he makes a fully recovery after being hit with a medical ban.
The ace said: “Life is sometimes about being adventurous and trying new things.
“Many thought I was crazy for trying my hand at bare knuckle combat and while unfortunately I may not have been born with very durable hands, it is still an experience I get to look back on and say I lived it.
NO SHORTCUTS
“People have always had very little expectations of me in my life but I can proudly say I’ve always fought my way to a better life.
“In life we all have obstacles and I’ve always been driven most when faced with adversity.
“In the end, despite my brittle hands, I have been able to accomplish more as mainly a one-handed fighter than most fighters accomplish with two hands.
“And I did it with no shortcuts and having fought some amazing fighters, travelled to some amazing places and met some amazing people along the way.
“You always wonder as you get older if you still have the ability to dig down when things get tough.
“After two rounds I sat in my corner now knowing I would be a one-handed fighter for the remainder of this fight and I am proud I continued on and showed myself I still had a willingness to dig deep when faced with adversity.
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“I found myself once again in a familiar predicament of having a damaged hand with a determined opponent across the ring coming to rip my head off yet now I was competing in a new form of combat.
“Respect to Lobov who always shows up to fight and gives his best no matter what day or place or at what weight and respect to him for the fight on Saturday.
“Obviously I feel like I won the fight but that is in no way meant as a disrespect to him.
“I hope he can take the momentum he gained from this result and make plenty of money for himself and his family in his career.”
