American bare-knuckle boxer Paulie Malignaggi has strongly criticised the quality of healthcare he received from the NHS following his most recent fight, claiming that the treatment led to serious health complications.
The 45-year-old former lightweight contender secured his first victory in nearly a decade when he defeated Tyler Goodjohn at a bare-knuckle event in Leeds in October 2025. The bout, which Malignaggi won by split decision, resulted in the veteran being hospitalised with broken ribs, broken hands, and facial cuts.
It is the treatment he received for those cuts at Leeds General Hospital that has sparked his complaints. Malignaggi described the staff as 'inept' and claimed they 'wouldn't be allowed to work on farm animals' in the United States.
'The cuts [I suffered] would have been just a regular stitch job in a regular hospital in the United States,' Malignaggi said on The Ariel Helwani Show. 'But they have people in the UK that work in the NHS that in America, probably wouldn't even be allowed to work on farm animals. They let them work on human beings in these hospitals. I was in that hospital all night.'
He elaborated on the complications: 'Basically, what I'm getting at is the complications from one of the cuts [on my left eyebrow] has been constantly infected and pussing out up until a few weeks ago. It is closed at the moment — I expect it to open up in the fight, but I expect cuts to open up in a bare-knuckle fight.'
Malignaggi also criticised the waiting time and lack of attention: 'Absolute inept [staff], who were keeping me in the waiting room, not cleaning the blood dripping down my face. I'm hearing them gossiping in the other room — the hospital is almost completely empty.'
A spokesperson for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust responded: 'We're sorry Mr Malignaggi had to wait in our Emergency Department to be treated following his bare-knuckle fight. We do prioritise patients based on clinical need, to ensure that the most critically ill patients are treated first. If Mr Malignaggi would like to contact us, we would be happy to discuss his complaint further.'
Shortly after his win, Malignaggi had already complained about the lengthy wait time in a social media update. He stated: 'I'm fine. I'm 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 10:00. Still have not been stitched up, guys.'
He added: 'They X-rayed me, didn't give me the results on my hands. They gave me a CAT scan [and] I've got broken ribs in the back from all the kidney punches. The kid broke my ribs, my lower rib on the left side. And my eyes are too foggy still. When they put the really bright light, it's too foggy for them to tell the extent of the damage.'
Malignaggi also revealed that he suffered temporary vision loss due to an eyepoke during the fight, but claims his eyesight is 'pretty close' to returning to 100 per cent health.
