Artem Lobov may be booked to face Jason Knight on April 6th, but the new Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) signee is already fantasizing about being able to violate another man, Paulie Malignaggi, inside of a ring and finally close Malignaggi’s mouth in the process. And getting paid handsomely to do so? Well, that’s just a bonus: (interview transcript view BJPenn.com)
“It’s a big pay day, like you said, but more importantly I get to silence this motherf***er because he’s been running his mouth for way, way, way too long,” Lobov told BJ Penn Radio. “When he is not eating, he is f***ing talking s**t. And it’s time to shut this guy up for once and for all.”
But is it realistic to believe that Artem Lobov would defeat Paulie Malignaggi in a boxing match, bare knuckle or otherwise? Lobov believes that the facts point a resounding yes.
“This particular fight, it suits me so much,” Lobov said. “People talk about, ‘Oh Paulie was in boxing this and that.’ Have a look at his boxing record. Have actually a close look at what he has done. His real boxing record is five wins and eight loses. He didn’t really fight that many great guys. His first 22 wins were to absolute nobodies. And look at the manner in which he defeated guys. He never put guys away. He was a volume puncher. He had very fragile hands. He had problems with his hands many, many times.
“What is he gonna do in bare knuckle boxing when he can’t even cover his hands with those pillows like he used to? He needs to have bare knuckles. And there’s clinch work. I’m allowed to grab him. I’m allowed to control him. He is fat and lazy and 38. That’s another fact. This is a scientific fact. With age… This is actually scientific fact. Your brain gets smaller so as a result there is more space for your brain to move inside your head. As a result you get knocked out a lot easier.
“What does that mean for a guy like Paulie that’s facing a guy like me, ‘The Russian Hammer’ with two hammers for fists? He’s gonna get knocked out very quickly.”
Do you believe Artem Lobov makes a good case for him matching up favorably against Paulie Malignaggi in a 2019 bare knuckle fist fight?
