By Nick Bellafatto
It seems the Brooklyn for a variety of reasons has come out of native son and defending WBA welterweight champion Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi (32-4, 7 KO’s) like never before, to such a degree in fact that he’s achieved a new personal best in trash talking.
And that talk, forceful and candid, has been directed of course at rising star and undefeated WBC lightweight champion Adrien “The Problem” Broner (26-0, 22 KO’s) of Cincinnati, Ohio, against whom the hometown Malignaggi will defend his title come Saturday night at the Barclays Center.
To be specific, the sentiments spewed from the mouth of Malinaggi have ranged from Broner getting undeserved attention, to being put in soft [with Gavin Rees], to Adrien on his best day not able to handle the Brooklynte, while in conclusion Paulie would allude to potentially knocking out the challenger’s teeth. With this the “Magic Man” in my book has won the war of words outside the ring.
However, it’s what happens inside the ring that counts, so that it seems Paulie’s rhetoric has been calculated to motivate and or psyche himself up in the face of what appears an ominous challenge. This strategy has worked for many a fighter in the past, however I don’t see it amounting to much here. Simply put, the fragile handed Malignaggi cannot afford to be as aggressive inside the ring as he’s been out of it.
That said, it’s uncharacteristic for Paulie to go on a endless tirade so that it’s fitting another factor seems to be a work here. That factor comes in the form of one Jessica Corazon, Paulie’s ex-girlfriend, who, in a twisted scenario is now involved in a relationship with none other than Mr. Broner himself.
Adding insult to injury, Corazon has publicly opined that Malignaggi hasn’t a chance in the world against her new boyfriend, while Broner at this Thursday’s press conference promised the seated Jessica Corazon directly that he’s going to put on a show for her, to ultimately knock Paulie out. In this I can see the rage.
But whether the “Magic Man’s” prime motivation here is to exact a toll based on the soap opera type atmosphere, that’s unclear. What is clear is that he’ll have to can the verbal side-play for now as the time to put up is rapidly approaching. Having mentioned that, let’s get down to the realities.
Although quite skilled, fun to watch, and known to persevere when absorbing tremendous punishment, an added attraction, Malignaggi is less known to dish it out. I mean with all of his 19% kayo ratio Paulie has nothing to deter his latest of adversaries, so that his only chance at victory is to out-finesse a fighter seemingly more refined than he.
Furthermore, though the “Magic Man” possesses a somewhat similar stance and or style to that of Broner, a shoulder rolling counter-puncher if you will, this is where the comparisons end as Broner is much sharper, quicker-fisted, and has more power than Malignaggi will ever have.
To add to Paulie’s woes against a man considered by many a soon to be superstar and or the second coming of Floyd Mayweather Jr., Malignaggi has been successful in the past primarily by virtue of his style alone. That’s to say when Paulie’s manner and or skill-set doesn’t suit his needs, he’s at a disadvantage, unable to make pivotal adjustments in the face of adversity which I surmise will be the case come fight night.
In evidence of this, witness Malignaggi’s bout against the quick-handed Amir Khan. Khan shredded Malignaggi mainly with the use of a solitary blow, the jab, for which Paulie disappointingly had no answer for despite there being several ways to counter-act that particular punch.
On the other hand, when it comes to Broner he’s shown himself to be a calculating fighter, making necessary adjustments in short time to make short work of those who oppose him, Antonio De Marco being a prime example.
And although I see Malignaggi making some headway early on in the fight, it will likely be short lived. For me, Broner will be the first and perhaps only combatant to make crucial adjustments, at which juncture he will begin to separate himself.
In essence, the Cincinnati fighter’s foray into the welterweight division should be a successful one, not only bringing to fruition Jessica Corazon’s assessment, but humbling Malignaggi who in the end may very well have a new found respect for Mr. Broner and his abilities.
This is something the well-versed side-gigging commentator at Showtime will be able to discuss first hand should Broner ever make his way over to that network. Broner by UD or stoppage.
Banks the frontrunner in Mitchell re-match
In a 12-round heavyweight rematch, Jonathan Banks (29-1-1, 19 KO’s) of Detroit, Michigan will in the co-main event be putting up his NABO and WBC International titles against Brandywine, Maryland’s Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell (25-1-1, 19 KO’s), the man whom Banks stopped within two rounds last November.
And after a postponement due to the Detroit fighter suffering a broken thumb, for me this long awaited bout is as simple as it seems to Banks himself who believes it will be more of the same.
That’s to say in the heat of action during their first tilt, what I saw was a boxer in Jonathan Banks who reacted as such, rotating his shoulders and using the floor to get leverage into his shots as opposed to an ex-football player in the challenging Mitchell, who although strong, isn’t as well versed in the sports fundamentals.
Not that “Mayhem”is a bad fighter at all, he’s just not on the level of his opponent and the re-match should prove that. Banks by decision or stoppage.
Bika vs. Periban
Rounding out what will be a triple-header on Showtime Championship Boxing starting at 9pm ET/6pm PT, Sakio “The Scorpion” Bika (31-5-2, 21 KO’s) of Sydney, Australia is set to face off against Mexico City’s undefeated Marco Antonio Periban (20-0, 13 KO’s) in a clash for the reluctantly vacated WBC super middleweight title, a distinction once held by the yet unbeaten Andre S.O.G. Ward.
http://youtu.be/xpXfLmyzfZw
