By John-Paul Wolfe
Welterweight champion, Paulie ‘the magic man’ Malignaggi will defend his WBA title against twenty three year old, undefeated Adrian Broner, on June 22nd at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn NY. The experienced boxer, Malignaggi, will have his hands full with the speed and power possessed by the young challenger, and although Broner is moving up two weight classes, neither combatant will have a significant size or reach advantage.
Since Malignaggi’s defeat to Miguel Cotto, seven years ago, he has been the unofficial gate keeper to the upper echelon of the 140 and 147lbs weight classes. A loss for Malignaggi, which most observers expect, would solidify his current status as a notch below boxings very best. For Broner, a win places him amongst the elite of the talent rich welter and jr. welterweight divisions.
In order for the soft punching Malignaggi to defy the odds and come out victorious in front of his home town crowd, he is going to have to stifle Broner’s explosive offense by utilizing his jab and foot work in order to keep Broner on the defensive. A knockout, although not impossible, is highly unlikely for Paulie and winning a 12 round decision against a superior athlete when you likely do not have the power to seriously hurt your opponent is improbable.
Broner will be able to show off his full offensive arsenal against Malignaggi due to the lack of power in his opponent’s punches. However, this fight will test the ability of Broner against a decidedly more skilled boxer than he has faced up to this point of his career. Broner has made short work of power punchers and brawlers, but has not yet faced a slick boxer the likes of Malignaggi.
Another aspect that factors into most Malignaggi bouts is his heart. Paulie has never shown an ounce of quit in the ring and fans can expect him to show up and give everything he has on fight night.
June 22nd could be another fight on the way to boxing superstardom for Broner, or a resurgence of the brash, highly entertaining boxer with a true champion’s heart from Brooklyn. Either way, this is a must watch for boxing fans with significant stakes on the line.
