Unbeaten bare knuckle boxing sensation Tyler Goodjohn was vowed to “school” BKB rivals Artem Lobov and Paulie Malignaggi, and says he would happily volunteer himself to face Conor McGregor for the Irishman’s potential BKB debut.
Englishman Goodjohn says he is out to “change the face of bare knuckle boxing” with a brand of fighting that digresses from typical brute force. Those on Goodjohn’s list to feel the force next, are ex-UFC featherweight Artem Lobov and former two-weight boxing world champion Paulie Malignaggi, who both recently made the crossover to bare knuckle.
But it doesn't end there. Goodjohn brazenly volunteered himself to face the newly-un-retired combat sports superstar Conor McGregor, should the former two-weight UFC 'Champ Champ' decide to try his bare hand at the craft.
Lobov and Malignaggi have become involved in a very public spat on social media, stemming from the latter’s infamous sparring session footage row with McGregor from 2017, and look set to square off in the bare knuckle arena on June 22.
Rugged and tattooed, and sporting thick eyebrows filled with scar tissue acquired over hundreds of rounds of combat, Goodjohn has racked up two dominant wins from two fights since his bare knuckle bow in 2018, with his last victory racking up nearly 700,000 views on YouTube, and insists he is now the “biggest guy in bare knuckle boxing”.
RT Sport caught up with ‘El Tornado’ to discuss his career so far, Lobov, Malignaggi, the burgeoning bare knuckle scene, and a prospective fight with the Irish motormouth Conor McGregor himself.
Tyler, your last fight was a dominant unanimous decision win against Marc Navarro. Do you think it was mission accomplished? What impact did it make do you think?
The last fight against Navarro was definitely mission completed. He called me out on Instagram and made a big thing of it on social media. I accepted the challenge. There was a lot of backwards and forwards going on social media in the months leading up to the fight and I basically went in there and did what I had to do. He said he was gonna rough me up and basically street fight me. I said I was going to box his head off and that’s how it went and I didn't really get hit with anything. In terms of how it went, it went spot on. I think the fans really enjoyed it as well.
I think I also proved a lot more about my style as well. In my first fight I proved that I can fight and I can stand there and trade and throw bombs and things like that. In the last fight I showed I can box and move and showed different levels that I’ve got in this game and used my experience as a boxer and showed a different style that night. Hopefully I can do that in the next fight as well.
Conor McGregor’s teammate and former UFC fighter Artem Lobov also had a big, and bloody, recent win in BKB. He’s been touted to fight former two-time world champion Paulie Malignaggi. You've made it clear already that you want perhaps the winner of that fight.
Obviously I want the fight with Artem Lobov or Paulie Malignaggi all day long. That's the fight for me. At the end of the day, they’re coming into my sport now. I’m 2-0 and I’ve proved myself already I’ve been in with two fighters, two wins, two fights of the night. You can’t even say anything against that. Literally two fights of the night. I’m probably the most entertaining one in [bare knuckle boxing] now.
READ MORE: 'Malignaggi was too easy for McGregor, he won't be a problem for me': Artem Lobov (VIDEO)
They don’t scare me in the slightest. Paulie Malignaggi I know that I could absolutely walk through that guy. Lobov he would definitely be a harder fight. He’s a tough guy you know evidently a tough guy from the fight he had versus Jason Knight but again - I could school that guy. And I would have no problems with schooling that guy at all. And then anyone else that wants to come in. If McGregor is thinking about it honestly in his head, in his heart he thinks he’s ready for bare knuckle boxing - I’ll be that guy.
At the end of the day [McGregor] has got to fight someone. People are going to me all this shit about ‘oh why would he fight you he’d want a bigger fight' and everything else. I’m the biggest guy in [bare knuckle boxing] at the minute. I’ve brought a whole knew style to the game. I’m showing that bare knuckle boxing is not literally getting in there and having a back street brawl. It’s style and countering, rolling, slipping. So yeah, come and prove it against he best and like I say if it means going over to America to do it, I’m more than happy to do that.
Don’t get me wrong, that Lobov fight with Jason Knight was an entertaining fight but in terms of boxing quality I don’t think they really showed a lot. They showed that they’re both tough guys and they can both fight. When you see me in there and I’m slipping I’m rolling I’m countering. Basically I’m bringing a whole new level to bare knuckle boxing now.
You have a background in amateur and professional boxing. How did it come about you got involved in bare knuckle boxing?
I basically fell out of love with professional boxing. I was a pro boxer for about 7 years, and there were a lot of fights that weren’t getting made. There was a lot of emphasis on who not to fight rather than who to fight. And I wasn't about that. I always wanted the hardest fights. There was a lot of emphasis on having an unbeaten record, where, right from day one I wasn't bothered about having an unbeaten record I was just bothered about going in there with the top guys and proving myself against the best.
At the age of 26 I retired. It came about after I went on a radio station and talking about what I had to put myself through to make weight. I wasn’t glamorizing it at all but just detailing the lengths I had to go through to get to 10 stone. A week later I had a letter through the post saying the British Boxing Board of Control had taken my professional boxing license away and if I wanted to get it back, I had to go in front of the board with a solicitor. I just rang up and said - you know I’ve done enough in this game, they’ve just shown me zero respect and that I’ve retired. A few months later on I see the whole BKB thing and how big the sport was getting and next thing you know I was fighting in June last year. It happened really quick and I’m glad. I’m part of the whole BKB family know which is great.
One thing that drew me to bare knuckle boxing was the rawness of it. I think everyone will agree, you go to a professional boxing show and maybe there's be 2 maybe 3 fights that are genuine 50/50 fights. The rest are ticket sellers fighting Eastern Europeans and trying to add another win to their record to make it look really glamorous and everything else so I just got bored of that. It bores the life out of me.
Regarding the sports itself, do you think bare knuckle boxing can become the next big combat sport?
I definitely think bare knuckle boxing can be the next biggest thing in combat sports 100%. Bare knuckle fights are selling out about four weeks before the show and there’s a reason for that - because every single fight is a 50/50 fight. Everyone is there to win everyone is there to lay it all on the line and give it 110%. That’s entertainment at the end of the day. If you want to see someone go and outpoint an Eastern European, go along to a professional boxing show, but that’s not a bit of me and I think people are seeing through that now. They’re starting to see the whole entertainment value. You buy one ticket and you’ll see one of the fights of the year. You’re gonna see some serious fights happen.
Do you have a message for your rivals in BKB?
Lobov and Malignaggi - let's do this. In American or UK let’s do it. Lobov, I said how f*cked up your face was Saturday night. It’s nothing compared to how f*cked up it would be if you fought me. Malignaggi, I don’t really know why the f*ck you’re doing bare knuckle boxing because you’re gonna get walked through. But I haven’t got a problem with being that guy that will do it.
And anyone else that wants to test themselves. Let’s face it, why are we in this sport, we’re here to challenge ourselves and fight the best. So anyone who’s ready to put themselves up to it - I’m here. I’m ready. I’m good looking as f*ck, I can fight like f*ck, and I dress like f*ck as well. I’m the triple threat. So come wipe the smile off my face because I’m loving it right now. Let’s do it.
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