There were ugly scenes at a Bareknuckle Fighting Championship press conference this evening as bitter foes Artem Lobov and Paulie Malignaggi came face to face.
The pair are set to fight on June 22 and Malignaggi has now taken the rivalry a step further by spitting in the face of Conor McGregor's teammate.
As the two came head to head, Lobov poses as normal as they exchange words - but the American then appears to spit towards the Russian's face forcing the pair to be pulled apart.
Lobov will finally be able to get his hands on long-time rival Paulie Malignaggi in a Bare Knuckle boxing match when they face in New Hampshire on June 22nd to settle the score between the Italian boxer and Conor McGregor 's team.
The rivalry began with Malignaggi joining Conor McGregor's sparring team ahead of his record-breaking boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather in 2017, before sensationally quitting and slamming hte former UFC champion.
The fight was confirmed in April by controversial Bare Knuckle FC president David Feldman, who told MMA Fighting that the June 22nd bout will take place in the American state of New Hampshire, with an exact venue still to be determined.
The pair have been on a collision course since the sour sparring session, with Malignaggi dismissing Lobov as a poor training partner for McGregor back in 2017, and since engaging in a war of words with the Irish-based Russian.
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And things got physical at a media event ahead of Lobov's unanimous decision victory over Jason Knight earlier this month.
Following a heated exchange at a pre-fight press conference, Malignaggi slapped the ex-UFC star before the pair were separated by organisers.
Malignaggi said at the event: “If I get somebody from Conor’s team into the ring, the goal is not just to win, because of course I’m going to win,”
“It’s a foregone conclusion, me winning a fight like this against any mixed martial arts fighter. So the goal would be I have to really excel at something more.
"The goal is to put him in the hospital and make sure he spends most of the summer in the hospital.”
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