Victor Ortiz vs. Paulie Malignaggi Set to Headline BKB 62 on Dec. 5

Former boxing world champions Victor Ortiz and Paulie Malignaggi are scheduled to collide under the BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing banner. The promotion announced Saturday that the two veterans will headline BKB 62 on Dec. 5 at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles inside its signature Trigon ring.

Tickets for the event go on sale Oct. 12.

Ortiz (33-7-3, 25 KOs in traditional boxing), a former WBC welterweight champion who shared the ring with the likes of Floyd Mayweather Jr., Andre Berto, and Marcos Maidana, made a successful bare-knuckle debut at BKB 56 with a unanimous decision victory over Dominic Salcido. "I’ve been in some of the biggest fights of my career, and now I’m ready for a completely different challenge in the Trigon," Ortiz said. "Paulie is a former world champion with a lot of experience, but this is bare-knuckle boxing and I’m coming in prepared to fight."

Malignaggi (36-8, 7 KOs), a former two-division world champion, returns to action looking to rebound from a second-round stoppage loss against BKB super welterweight champion Rolando Dy. The Brooklyn native issued a warning to Ortiz ahead of their clash: "December 5th, I’m coming to your hometown, and I’m taking you out."

BKB CEO David Tetreault characterized the matchup as a bout that should have taken place years ago in traditional boxing. The organization noted that additional matchups for the BKB 62 card will be announced at a later date.