Bare Knuckle Bad Boy

Rolando Dy was right on the money.

Making the first defense of his World Bare Knuckle super-welterweight title on Saturday night (early Sunday morning in Manila), Dy knocked out two-time world boxing champion Paulie Malignaggi of the United States in the second round in Manchester, England.

Dy, the son of former world super-featherweight champion Rolando Navarrete, scored two knockdowns, both courtesy of his sledgehammer right hand.

Malignaggi had bragged before the fight that Dy would be in for a rude awakening as the American vowed to teach the Filipino a neat lesson in “world-class boxing.”

But since the rules in bare knuckle fighting are quite different from traditional boxing, with the ring shaped like a triangle called “trigon,”  Malignaggi’s prediction went down the drain.

The trigon ensured constant action between the protagonists.

Unable to utilize his ring generalship and head movement, Malignaggi found himself locked in a tight embrace in the entirety of the bout.

Dy applied semi-grappling tactics and even used his head to bully Malignaggi and not to cause wounds by butting.

With Dy’s head positioned right under Malignaggi’s nose, he just could not extricate himself from his rugged foe’s holding tactic and bruising techniques.

What made it even worse for Malignaggi was the lack of crack in his punches as he was known more for his ring savvy and not stopping power.

Likewise, Dy being 10 years younger at 34, proved to be the game changer.

Malignaggi was sent crashing after eating a right to the jaw from Dy just seconds into the second round.

The second knockdown came when Dy landed a similar blow to the head that knocked Malignaggi down anew.

The referee counted until four and just opted to call a mercy halt as Malignaggi wasn’t showing any signs that he was going to get up as Dy’s obvious advantages came to the fore.

The victory was Dy’s sixth in bare knuckle fighting while the loss may have finally put an end to Malignaggi’s career in combat sports.

Following his smashing win, Dy tipped his hat to his fallen foe, saying he knows him personally.

“Paul Malignaggi is a good person. I know him personally. I wish that we don’t become too mean. Let’s celebrate our win, but let’s not kick someone while he is down. I love Paulie, he is a good person. At the end of the day, it’s just a sport,” Dy said.