Bare Knuckle Boxing (BKB) super welterweight world champion Rolando Gabriel Dy has resumed full training, marking his return to high-intensity sparring after nearly four months on the sidelines due to injury.
Dy recently completed his first hard sparring session at Elorde South Side Gym in Las Piñas, signaling readiness as he builds toward a potential clash with former world boxing champion Paulie Malignaggi.
The Filipino fighter is working closely with long-time friend and decorated boxer Arnel “The Silencer” Baconaje, who will serve as his primary sparring partner during camp. Baconaje currently holds the WBC Asia Silver title, along with championships sanctioned by the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) and the Philippine Boxing Federation (PBF).
“They have the same style,” Dy said, referring to Baconaje’s role in preparing him for Malignaggi.
Malignaggi, an Italian-American former professional boxer, is a two-division world champion, having held the International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior welterweight title from 2007 to 2008 and the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight crown from 2012 to 2013.
Dy brings a diverse combat sports pedigree into the matchup. He previously captured a world title in UAE Warriors in 2019, was named Brave Combat Federation Fighter of the Year in 2020, and competed in the UFC from 2017 to 2018.
Now fully recovered, Dy appears poised to reassert his presence in bare-knuckle boxing.
