TLDR
- Victor Ortiz and Paulie Malignaggi will fight at BKB 62 on December 5, 2026, at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles
- The matchup was discussed many times during their boxing careers but never happened in traditional boxing
- Ortiz is 1-0 in bare-knuckle fighting after beating Dominick Salcido at BKB 56 earlier this year
- Malignaggi has a 1-2 bare-knuckle record and recently challenged for the BKB Super Welterweight World Championship
- Tickets go on sale October 12 through BKBBareKnuckle.com/BKB62
Sources: fightbookmma.com | mymmanews.com
LOS ANGELES — Former boxing world champions Victor Ortiz and Paulie Malignaggi will finally face each other on Saturday, December 5, 2026, at BKB 62. The fight takes place at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles.
The two fighters were both world champions at the same time during their boxing careers. A fight between them was discussed many times but never happened in traditional boxing.
BKB is coming back to LA this December! 👊
Headlined by Victor Ortiz and Paulie Malignaggi, an absolute showdown awaits.. 👀#BKB #BareKnuckle #BKB62 pic.twitter.com/ocsGcNwSLi
— BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing (@bkbbareknuckle) October 10, 2026
Now they will meet inside the BKB Trigon without gloves. Tickets go on sale Monday, October 12, through BKBBareKnuckle.com/BKB62.
Ortiz Brings Undefeated Bare-Knuckle Record
Victor “Vicious” Ortiz is 1-0 in bare-knuckle fighting. He won his BKB debut at BKB 56 in Los Angeles earlier this year, defeating Dominick Salcido by unanimous decision.
Ortiz finished his boxing career with a record of 33-7-3 and 25 knockouts. He is a former WBC Welterweight World Champion who fought big names including Floyd Mayweather Jr., Andre Berto, Marcos Maidana, and Robert Guerrero.
“I’ve been in some of the biggest fights of my career, and now I’m ready for a completely different challenge in the Trigon,” Ortiz said. “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 added that he is excited to give fans a great show in Los Angeles. The California native will be fighting in front of a hometown crowd.
Malignaggi Returns After Title Challenge
Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi brings a 1-2 bare-knuckle record into the fight. He is a former two-division boxing world champion with a professional record of 38-8 and seven knockouts.
Malignaggi faced top competition throughout his boxing career. His opponents included Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter, Zab Judah, Adrien Broner, Amir Khan, and Ricky Hatton.
In his most recent bare-knuckle appearance, Malignaggi challenged Rolando Dy for the BKB Super Welterweight World Championship but lost. He now has another chance to beat a former world champion.
“Myself and Victor was a fight that was constantly talked about, about 20 years ago, 15 years ago,” Malignaggi said. “We were both world champions around the same time, we were among the big names in professional boxing.”
The New York fighter warned Ortiz that he is coming to Los Angeles to win. “Be ready, Vic. December 5th, I’m coming to your hometown, and I’m taking you out,” Malignaggi said.
BKB CEO David Tetreault is excited about bringing the fight to the historic venue. “We’re going to the Orpheum. It’s a 100-year old theater in downtown LA,” Tetreault said.
He called it “one hell of a fight” that should have happened years ago in traditional boxing. The CEO said BKB is bringing it to Los Angeles fans in a big way.
BKB 62 will be the second-to-last event of BKB’s 2026 schedule. The Orpheum Theatre has hosted entertainment and live performances for generations in downtown Los Angeles.
More fights and broadcast details will be announced as the December 5 date approaches. The event marks BKB’s return to Los Angeles this year.
