Paulie Malignaggi tells crazy Prince Naseem Hamed story that changed his life forever

EXCLUSIVE: Paulie Malignaggi is a 2x boxing world champion, who’s on the cusp of taking over a second sport in BKB.

However, the combat sports world may never have even heard his name if it weren’t for Prince Naseem Hamed.

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Paulie Malignaggi found a way to attend Prince Naseem Hamed vs Kevin Kelley

In 1997, Prince Naseem Hamed fever took over New York City, with fans from far and wide making sure they secured their spot in Madison Square Garden to watch one of the most electrifying talents in boxing history showcase his skills in the flesh.

Determined to watch the fight with ‘The Flushing Flash’ unfold, Paulie Malignaggi went above and beyond to experience the atmosphere in person.

However, when things went astray, he needed the help of a generous stranger, who unknowingly changed ‘The Magic Man’s’ life forever.

In an exclusive interview with Sporf, the legend reminisced: “That’s a story that I like telling. It’s funny how the most subtle things impact you. I started boxing in June, 1997, and that December, Prince Naseem Hamed fought Kevin Kelley. The one thing I noticed is that the promotion was so different from anything else, even by nineties standards, where boxing might have been a little bigger.

“Hamed was everywhere in New York City. He was on the trains, he was in Times Square on a billboard, he was above the Holland Tunnel on a billboard — this was massive. Kelley used to train in Gleason’s Gym, where I was working out, so I’d met Kevin. Me, as an impressionable teenager, he was so nice to me, I ended up rooting for him going into the fight. I knew it was a massive event. Back then, everything was promoted in newspapers; there was no internet, and I saw that the cheapest ticket was $25. So, I scrounged up my last $25, I asked some friends if they wanted to go with me, nobody was interested, so I took the train all by myself, two tokens because at the time you needed them, one to get there and one to get back. I had exactly $25, that’s all I had, just enough to get into the arena. I didn’t care about snacks or anything, I hadn’t had a single amateur fight yet, I’d only been boxing for six months. When I got there, there was a $2 surcharge, and I didn’t have it.

“Luckily, there was a really nice woman who was behind the ticket counter, and she saw the genuine disappointment in my face. I remember, she looked to the right, checked if her supervisor was watching, and she slid me the ticket. It was life-changing. I stayed from the deep undercard; I was in the nosebleed seats. I sat in my seat and didn’t even move because I didn’t want to risk getting kicked out, I was just so happy that she had been nice enough to let me in. What’s funny, is that Ricky Hatton was in a four-round fight, little did I know, my future was staring right in front of me. Nobody knew him yet, and I’d never had an amateur fight. 11 years later, we fought each other at the MGM Grand. It was an impactful night. Hamed was an incredible showman, and Kelley put in a great fight. On the way home, I just kept replaying what I’d seen, and I was absolutely amazed by what the Hamed aura had brought to Madison Square Garden. I kept repeating to myself on the train ride home, ‘I have to do that, I need to feel that’. I never let go of that dream. It kept me moving forward all these years.”

Paulie Malignaggi is ready to become a BKB world champion

Malignaggi has dazzled fans around the globe, defeating Lovemore N’dou and Vyacheslav Senchenko, to conquer the light welterweight and welterweight boxing divisions.

However, despite having already achieved so much, the legend wants one last shot at the big time.

On May 16, the 45-year-old will challenge Rolando Dy for the BKB super welterweight championship in Manchester, UK.

Having showcased his bare-knuckle skills in a spectacular debut performance, in which he showcased remarkable heart to battle through a brutal face injury against Tyler Goodjohn, the warrior is extremely excited at the prospect of winning another belt.

He said: “I proved I can still perform at this level, even through injury. Bare knuckle is raw and real, and I love it. Becoming a two-sport world champion would mean everything – it’s about legacy, not just another fight. Dy is tough, with that fighter’s bloodline and MMA background, but I’m ready to take the belt and make history.”

Featured Image Credit: Giant/BKB