Paulie Malignaggi, the former two-weight world boxing champion, spent hours in Leeds General Hospital with broken ribs, swollen hands, and severe eye trauma after his bare-knuckle battle against Tyler Goodjohn in BKB.
The 44-year-old Magic Man emerged victorious, but the brutal contest took a serious toll. He suffered lacerations to his face, swelling to his hands, broken ribs, and severe eye trauma.
Nine Hours Waiting: The Hospital Ordeal
In an update from the hospital, Malignaggi shared his frustration:
“What’s up everybody? I just want to give everybody a big thanks for all your well wishes, I’m fine. I am still in Leeds General Hospital. This is crazy by the way. I don’t know how it works in the UK. I still have not been stitched up. It’s 4.30 in the morning. I got here at 10pm. Still have not been stitched up, guys.”
Broken Ribs and Severe Eye Trauma
Initial scans left him in limbo regarding the extent of his injuries:
“They x-rayed me, and didn’t give me the results of my hands. They gave me a CAT scan. I have got broken ribs in the back from all the kidney punches—the kid broke my ribs with the kidney punches. My lower rib on my left side.”
His eye injuries were particularly concerning:
“My eyes are too foggy still, when they use the light it is too foggy for them to tell the extent of the damage. They are hoping that it’s just poked and that’s it, but it’s too foggy, which means there is bleeding back there. They have to check for a retina tear. Until that clears up, they can’t really make a judgment on whether I have a torn retina or not.
“I pray to God that I don’t have a torn retina. But my eyesight is getting better in that eye, that’s positive—it’s not back one hundred percent, but it’s at least foggy.”
Fought Blind From Round Two
Malignaggi revealed the staggering reality of fighting while partially blind:
“After the fight I couldn’t see anything. I actually finished the fight from round two on not being able to see out of this eye. But I didn’t realize I wasn’t seeing out of this eye, and I put my hand over my other eye and I could not see anything. It was all white. So from round two on, from that bad eye poke, I was fighting with one eye the whole fight.”
Respect for His Opponent
Despite the injuries, Malignaggi praised his opponent:
“Good fight by Tyler, I hope everybody was entertained. I really appreciate everybody’s well wishes and caring. I think all in all, if you eliminate the fouls, it wouldn’t be a lot of damage. The big cut is from the headbutt, the eye issue is from an eye poke, and the broken ribs in my back are from dirty kidney punches. So if we eliminate those things, I think the fight becomes less competitive, but nonetheless, a good entertaining scrap.
“I thought me and Tyler put on a good show and I wish him the best.”
Questions About UK Hospital Care
Malignaggi’s frustration with post-fight treatment was clear:
“Will somebody let me know why Leeds General? Is this all the hospitals in the UK? Do you just come here and never get stitched up? This is a record. I have never seen this in my life. They actually gave me a CAT scan before they stitched me up. Do they have people that stitch people in hospitals in the UK? How does it work? I don’t know, I’m still here.”
Malignaggi’s ordeal highlights the physical cost of bare-knuckle competition, even for seasoned professionals, and raises questions about post-fight care in non-traditional boxing environments. Fans are left to debate whether the high-risk spectacle was worth the toll on the Italian-American’s body.
It wasn’t only Malignaggi—Goodjohn also suffered serious injuries in the five-round BKB trigon bout.
About the Author
Phil Jay is a veteran boxing journalist with over 15 years of experience covering the global fight scene. As Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN) since 2010, Jay has interviewed dozens of world champions and reported ringside on boxing’s biggest nights.
[View all articles by Phil Jay] and learn more about his work in combat sports journalism.