PAULIE MALIGNAGGI firmly believes that, if not for the hellacious rounds of sparring he endured throughout each training camp, he may have never become a world champion, or even competed at such a level.
It is, of course, an almost impossible balancing act where, on the one hand, a fighter must prioritise their health – above all else – but then, equally, there is no form of training that prepares them for a fight, both mentally and physically, quite like sparring.
For Malignaggi, it was not just sparring, but an intense, brutal form of the practice – which, typically, is designed to keep fighters sharp, without burning them out or, worse yet, increasing the chances of them developing a later brain injury – that swiftly became a staple of his professional boxing career.
Indeed, that desire to put himself through the wringer, more so behind closed doors, seemed to bring the ‘Magic Man’ plenty of success. But at what cost?
More than likely, Malignaggi, who appears sharp as a tack whenever he jumps on the microphone – as a pundit or commentator, that is – will not know the full extent of his damage unless it creeps up on him down the line.
But even so, the 44-year-old seemingly has no regrets about the way he trained. In fact, he rather feels that the intensity of his sparring only elevated each performance come fight night.
“I used to be reliant on a lot of heavy, violent sparring, various times a week throughout an entire training camp,” Malignaggi told Boxing News ahead of his bare-knuckle fight with Tyler Goodjohn this Saturday.
“That’s the way I liked to do it. Some people have mixed opinions about it, but I do not – it got me results, and I’m fine for it.
“I think medical advice in combat sports should differ, depending on the individual. Some people are susceptible to certain things but, in my experience, it worked.
“That’s what I lived with – a lot of violent sparring – but I’ve not been able to do that in this camp, nor in the last few camps of my [professional] boxing career.
“As you get older, your body can’t take that amount of sparring – you won’t make it to the fight.”
When considering his history of ‘violent sparring’, and indeed his age, it is perhaps impossible not to look at Malignaggi’s return to combat sports with a critical eye.
That said, the Brooklyn man seems to think that, even with the miles on his clock, a willingness to look after his body over the years has left him in a far stronger position than what a lot of people might think.
“I think you have to take care of yourself, even post-career – you can’t just completely let yourself go,” he continued.
“People talk about traumatic brain injuries, but no one talks about the dieting, and the poison in certain foods.
“I think that stuff affects your brain more than the punches. If you’re not poisoning your brain with sugar, and all this other stuff, then I think you’re going to be fine.
“A bad diet can enhance symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer’s. My grandmother just passed away with Alzheimer’s, and a lot of things I learned about the disease, during her time having it, are diet-based – things like chemicals in the foods, or even sugars.
“So I think that having a good diet, post-career, can help you a lot, and even rehabilitate your brain a little bit.
“I’m not a medical expert, but I’ll tell you what I’ve learned in my life: A lot of medical experts don’t know s*** about the medical field themselves.”
Malignaggi has been honest enough to admit that his return to Bare Knuckle Boxing is multi-faceted.
Partly, it can be explained by his desire to scrape together a decent lump of money, while hoping to eventually move to Italy, but also, there is a clear sense of not wishing to let go of his identity as a fighter.
“In some ways, it’s almost a relief [to retire from boxing], but then there’s an emptiness that you don’t replace,” he admits.
“Sometimes I’ll be ringside, watching a violent fight, and think to myself, ‘Man, thank God I’m not doing this anymore.’
“But then I’ll see the adulation and the adrenaline, the energy in the arena, the feeling of accomplishment by the winner, and I’ll be like, ‘Wow, God, I miss this.’
“Honestly, I don’t know the recipe to come to terms with [retirement]. I don’t know if anybody does come to terms with it.
“So I want to feel one last rush, and the emotions of being in a [fight]. Nothing tests you like combat sports.
“The preparation, the mental concentration, the dieting, the strictness – it all takes you to an elevated place, and only combat can really take you there.
“I also have a goal to eventually move back to Europe, where I lived as a kid, and I don’t want to give up the things I own here [in the US] – I want to pay them off – so part of [his comeback] is financial.”
