TLDR
- Victor Ortiz and Paulie Malignaggi will fight bare-knuckle on December 5 at BKB 62 in Los Angeles
- Both fighters are former boxing world champions who were discussed as potential opponents 15-20 years ago
- Ortiz made his bare-knuckle debut in July with a unanimous decision win over Dominick Salcido
- Malignaggi’s most recent fight was a second-round knockout loss to Rolando Dy in May
- The bout will take place inside BKB’s Trigon ring at the Orpheum Theatre with tickets already on sale
Sources: sherdog.com | fightmag.com
Former boxing world champions Victor Ortiz and Paulie Malignaggi will face each other in a bare-knuckle boxing match on December 5. The bout will headline BKB 62 at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles.
The fight will take place inside BKB’s Trigon ring. Tickets went on sale October 12.
Vicious Victor Ortiz upsets undefeated Andre Berto by unanimous decision to capture the WBC Welterweight title.#Boxing pic.twitter.com/TulwJYBelz
— Mr Vince🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@daniels_bukola) August 4, 2026
Ortiz is a former WBC welterweight champion with a boxing record of 33-7-3 with 25 knockouts. The 39-year-old southpaw from Garden City, Kansas, made his bare-knuckle debut in July at BKB 56.
He defeated Dominick Salcido by unanimous decision in that fight. It was his first fight in four years.
Boxing Backgrounds
During his boxing career, Ortiz faced some of the sport’s biggest names. He fought Floyd Mayweather Jr., Andre Berto, and Marcos Maidana in traditional boxing matches.
In his previous boxing bout in mid-2022, Ortiz won by unanimous decision over Todd Manuel. He also competed in an exhibition match against Rodrigo Damian Coria in August 2024 on the Mayweather vs Gotti undercard.
Malignaggi is a 45-year-old Brooklyn native who held world titles in two weight classes. His boxing record stands at 36-8 with 7 knockouts.
He held the IBF super lightweight title and the WBA welterweight title during his professional boxing career. His opponents included Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter, and Adrien Broner.
Recent Bare Knuckle Results
Malignaggi’s bare-knuckle record currently stands at 1-2. His most recent fight came in May when he challenged for the BKB super welterweight title.
Rolando Dy stopped Malignaggi in the second round of that championship bout. The loss marked his second knockout in bare-knuckle boxing.
Malignaggi said the matchup is a fight that was talked about 15 to 20 years ago. Both fighters were world champions around the same time and were among the big names in professional boxing.
“It almost happened a couple of times, it didn’t happen, and sure enough, life comes full circle,” Malignaggi said. “Be ready, Vic. December 5th, I’m coming to your hometown, and I’m taking you out.”
Ortiz responded to the challenge by saying he’s ready for a completely different challenge in the Trigon. “Paulie is a former world champion with a lot of experience, but this is bare-knuckle boxing and I’m coming in prepared to fight,” Ortiz said.
BKB CEO David Tetreault described the matchup as a fight that should have happened years ago in traditional boxing. The promotion said it will announce additional bouts for BKB 62 later.
