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Malignaggi Vs Ngoudjo, January 5th 2008

Malignaggi keeps IBF Jr. Welterweight belt in unanimous decision

Atlantic City, NJ (Sports Network) - Paul "Magic Man" Malignaggi retained his IBF light welterweight belt with a unanimous 12-round decision over Herman Ngdoudjo at Bally's Casino on Saturday night.

The fight was scored 115-113, 116-113, 117-111 in favor of Malignaggi (24-1),whose only loss came to the undefeated Miguel Cotto in 2006.

Ngdoudjo (16-2) was the decided underdog, but put up a game fight and did some damage to Malignaggi's face in the process.

Brooklyn's own Malignaggi, in sparkling black and white shorts with flashy tassels that also adorned his sneakers, was the decided fan favorite, but Ngdoudjo was more than a game opponent.

The challenger from Cameroon by way of Canada, in red and white shorts, drew blood above Malignaggi's eye early on, and worked at the cut throughout the fight.

Malignaggi controlled the early rounds with his jab, but Ngdoudjo was able to answer with the occasional hook, and really laid it on Malignaggi in the seventh round.

Ngdoudjo opened the seventh round with a vicious right to the head. Malignaggi absorbed that blow, but a left-right combo by Ngdoudjo later in the round left him staggering for a bit. Ngdoudjo, sensing weakness, moved in close for the first time of the fight, and the two traded shots for the rest of the round.

Ngdoudjo landed two more strong rights to close the round, and the fight, which seemed in Malignaggi's favor prior, appeared to be up for grabs.

Malignaggi rebounded to clearly win the next few rounds, but Ngdoudjo mounted one last charge in the final round.

The challenger came out in the 12th round on the offensive, but couldn't do enough to turn the tide, as Malignaggi survived.

 

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Showtime Boxing: Malignaggi vs. Ngoudjo Reaches Boiling Point

By Boxing Press January 4th, 2008 All Press Releases

© Tom Casino / Showtime Boxing

On the eve of their hotly anticipated showdown on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, from Bally’s Main Ballroom in Atlantic City, NJ, airing live on SHOWTIME, Saturday, January 5, 2008 at 8PM, (delayed on the west coast), the charismatic Paulie “The Magic Man” Malignaggi and Herman “The Black Panther” Ngoudjo held workouts for the gathered media.

Malignaggi (23-1, 5 KO’s) displayed the blazing fast handspeed that has brought the flashy New Yorker to the top of the light welterweight division and promised to bring his own brand of boxing to SHOWTIME as he defends the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title for the first time.

Ngoudjo (16-1, 9 KO’s) was all business as the Montreal man glared at the media and predicted a brutal knockout on SHOWTIME of rising star Malignaggi.

This world title bout is promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Groupe Yvon Michel and will take place at Bally’s Main Ballroom at Atlantic City, N.J. Tickets priced at $250 and $125 are on sale and can be purchased at the Bally’s Box Office, by calling DiBella Entertainment at (212) 947-2577, Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com.

 

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Malignaggi-Ngoudjo Final Press Conference Quotes & Photos

Photos: Tom Casino/SHOWTIME - SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING will set the stage for another fantastic year of world-class boxing when flashy, charismatic Paulie Malignaggi defends his IBF junior welterweight title against mandatory challenger and IBF No. 1 contender, Herman Ngoudjo, on Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008, live on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast). The 12-round world title fight is promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Groupe Yvon Michel and will take place at Bally’s Main Ballroom at Atlantic City, N.J. Tickets priced at $250 and $125 are on sale and can be purchased at the Bally’s Box Office, by calling DiBella Entertainment at (212) 947-2577, Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com.

PAUL MALIGNAGGI: “Don’t worry about remembering my opponent’s name, because come Sunday, no one will remember him anymore. I plan on punishing Ngoudjo and I will break him down for talking so much crap. If I win by knockout, it will be in the later rounds. I’m a gangster. I don’t worry about my opponents, but my opponents need to worry about me.

“The Magic Man” will make “The Black Panther” disappear come Saturday night.

“I want to fight three or four times in this year. And I’m not talking about walkthrough fights, I want to have breakthrough fights.

“I want to be remembered as the fighter who gave it all that he had for the dream. I know I come across as arrogant, but I hope people see passed that. I’m a genuine, honest, person. When it’s all said and done, I will be remembered as someone who went after his dreams and fulfilled them.

“Ngoudjo talked about taking the belt away on Saturday. He will be going home empty handed. The belt is staying right here with me.

“I know the hunger he has inside of him. I remember what it was like to fight for the title. I am just as hungry as he is.”

HERMAN NGOUDJO:

“I am going to punish Paulie. My fists will be singing in 12 different languages so I hope Paulie knows Italian since that will be one language of choice.

“I have no personal issues with Paulie, I am just going to show him up in the ring.

“The Magic Man will be in for a surprise if he thinks he will punish me.

“I knew I wanted to fight Paulie right after the Ndou fight. After I saw that fight, I said 'I want this guy' and I always get what I want. Now, I want to win, so I will win.

“It's my time to shine. I don't care what Paulie has to say. I’m here to make my dream come true so bring it to me. I'm ready.

“After I take his belt, we’re going to have a big party to celebrate.

“Paulie is a good fighter, but he is not better than me. I will punish him for everything he has said.”

110 comments

 

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Super Fight or Super Hype?

Paulie Malignaggi Vs Julio Cesar Chavez JR

Greg Rowe-September 24, 2007

As we take a good look at the top of the list of boxing’s future we notice two names, one that is as solid a part of the sport as any and another that is a flashy flamboyant kid from New York that wears a Backstreet Boys – style of haircut and dresses like a mix between Prince Naseem Hamed and Hector Camacho.

The names of these two up and coming stars are Paulie Malignaggi and Julio Cesar Chavez, JR., and although one has been campaining at 147 and 154 pounds and the other is a title holder at 140, there may be a chance we could see these two mix it up in the squared circle. Chavez, JR., is a kid looking to make a name for himself and step out of the shadow of his father the great and legendary Julio Cesar Chavez.

Malignaggi is a kid from the streets looking to show that he belongs amongst the sports elite. So this looks to make a great match up, right? I kind look at this as a fight between a legit fighter and an over hyped unproven fighter. And that is exactly what it is to most of the boxing world.

Chavez, JR., in my opinion has done nothing to impress in his career. He has beating up on guys that are past prime that are basically just punching bags to pad his record. His record is a good one at 33-0-1, 26 KO’s, but that 33-0-1 is deceiving because he really hasn’t tested the waters at 147 or 154 with an opponent with skill. Grover Wiley doesn’t count.

On the other hand, Malignaggi is a guy that although he only has 24 professional fights and a 23-1, 5 KO’s, record, he has fought guys like Donald Camarena, Edner Cherry, Lovemore N’Dou and 147 pound WBA Champion Miguel Cotto. Although he lost that fight to Cotto, he earned most respect and fans through taking a beating he didn’t have to take. Arturo Gatti called him to say congrats on his heart. I think that means a something when Gatti, a guy who has taken beatings like that and is considered one of the toughest to ever lace up a pair of gloves, calls you to say that. He has also received a call from none other then the Pound 4 Pound champion of boxing Floyd Mayweather, JR., about his boxing. This kid is legit and coming.

This brings us to the fight its self should it come off.

Chavez, JR., is the bigger of the two and the bigger puncher (just look at the knockout percentage of both guys). He will need to use his size and reach in this fight if he is to have a chance.

Paulie is pretty slick and uses his feet and upper body movement pretty well on the inside and to avoid getting hit with too many clean shots. With that being said Chavez, JR., will need to concentrate on getting to the smaller man’s body early on in the fight in order to take away some of his movement and speed so that he may have a chance of beating on him later as the wears on. I am not sure that is even possible. Cotto beat up Paulie and he is a good body puncher and he couldn’t get that knockout.

Malignaggi’s downfall’s are that he doesn’t have much if any punching power and he has a tendency to slap some of his punches out there rather than throwing them with bad intentions. I guess that is part of his hand speed is flicking punches out there. It didn’t do much effect to keep Cotto off of him and it might not do as much at keeping Chavez, JR., off of him.

I am in no way saying Chavez, JR., is Cotto. He isn’t. My point is simply that the bigger and stronger guys Malignaggi faces his sometime slapping punching style may get him in trouble because his jab and straight punches might not be hard enough to keep a strong powerful guy off of him as is the case with Floyd Mayweather, JR.

Malignaggi needs to come out and establish his pace, not let the bigger man dictate the flow and and range of the fight. That would not be good for Paulie should he choose to do so. I believe that he is a smart fighter and he would know what he has to do in order to beat up on the bigger man, so that shouldn’t be a problem. Paulie has to come out and box, use his hand speed and movement to frustrate the bigger man. He must also use that movement and his defense to make Chavez, JR., miss some of his punches so that he may become weary in the later rounds of the fight.

The “Magic Man” must also take full advantage of the big stage and the fact that Chavez, JR., hasn’t been on a main fight stage, a big fight on live television and that he may not be ready for that. A man that I know that really got me into boxing once told me that there are two types of fighters a manager or trainer doesn’t want to put his guy in the ring with, those two guys are a Mike Tyson style puncher and a slick fighter…a Malignaggi type guy.

I Believe Julio’s people know that and they aren’t going to go near guys like Malignaggi or Andre Berto for a while. You have to remember that although Chavez, JR., is his dad’s son, he didn’t really have the most extensive amateur career so they kind of want to build him up slowly and not bring the kid up too fast and put him in with a guy who can embarrass him as was the case with Joel Julio.

But, if the rumors have any foundation and if this fight goes down, I can see Malignaggi boxing intelligently to a victory over Chavez, JR. At this point, just on experience with top opposition, you have to make him the underdog. I wasn’t a big fan of Paulie’s at first but as of late, he is proving himself and is in a prime position to give boxings best a run for their money.

 

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"PRESENTING TO YOU, THE NEW IBF JR WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD..

..PAULIE The Magic Man MALIGNAGGI!"

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Round by Round

www.boxingscene.com June 16h 2007, Mohegan Sun

 

The scores were 120-106, 120-106 and 118-108 for The Magic Man

Round 12 - Paulie back to the jab and pushing Ndou back. Jabs and combos landing for Paulie as Ndou going for broke. Left hand lands for Paulie. Another seven punch combo for Paulie and Ndou misses all of his counters. Left for Ndou, Right by Ndou. Paulie circling and jabbing as Ndou is trying to go for a KO. Right for Paulie and two hard lefts. Crowd stands up as Paulie begins to close the show by landing combos that push Ndou back to the ropes. Official scores coming up, it shouldnt be hard to score.

Round 11 - Paulie pumping his jab. Ndou chasing at this point instead of cutting off the ring. Ndou lands to the head and body. Combo by Paulie and another. Right lands for Ndou, Paulie comes back with a combo. Left hand lands for Paulie. Paulie pumping his jab as Ndou keeps coming. Left lands for Paulie. Round scored for Paulie.

Round 10 - Ndou appears to be coming forward and throwing anything he can. Paulie with a combo of punches to the head of Ndou. Paulie now landing his jab. Ndou misses a big left hand. Left hand lands for Ndou. Right lands for Ndou. Left lands for Paulie. Right hand pushes Ndou back and tees off with a combo. Round scored for Paulie

Round 9 - They trade jabs. Ndou missing a big right. Paulie starts back with the jab. Paulie just land what appeared to be like a seven punch combo. A combo of punches by Paulie just knocked Ndou down. Loud Paulie chant breaks out as Ndou gets back to his feet. They begin to trade punches on the inside. Another 10-8 round for Paulie.

Round 8 - They keep clinching for the first minute. Now Paulie begins to back up and landing his jab as Ndou moves forward. Right hand lands for Paulie. Combo of punches by Paulie to the head and body of Ndou. Left hand combo pushes Ndou's head back. Paulie back to the jab. Ndou to the body. Paulie with punches to the head and combo knocks Ndou off balance. Round scored for Paulie.

Round 7 - They both miss left hand. Paulie landing his jab and Ndou unable to get off with his punches. Ndou stepping on Paulie's foot to try and land some punches. Paulie landing a jab and follows with a combo. Now the right hand landing for Paulie. Ndou getting hit with combos every time he tries to come in. Two big rights for Paulie and two more in the final five seconds. Round scored for Paulie.

Round 6 - They trade punches at close range. Ndou with a right hand as Paulie moves back. Combo by Paulie and another. Paulie begins to land the jab again. Ndou losing a point for hitting Paulie behind the head. Ndou now charging Paulie with punches, Paulie making him miss by jabbing and doubling up on the left hand. Paulie with a five punch combo and a punch to the stomach. Loud Paulie chant breaks out. Ndou misses a right at the end. 10-8 round scored for Paulie.

Round 5 - Ndou coming out with a sense of urgency in his body movement. Ndou lands an uppercut on the inside. Paulie landing that jab and lands a good right. They begin to trade on the inside and Ndou does not seem to be able to hurt Malignaggi. Paulie fights his way out and gets close again to trade punches. Paulie lands a combo of pucnhes on Ndou against the ropes. A cut on the left eyelid of Malignaggi. Round scored for Paulie.

Round 4 - Ndou now starting to pick up the pace. Paulie jabbing and lands a good right hand on the inside. Ndou jabs to the head and body. A combo of punches by Paulei sends Ndou back. Now Paulie working the body of Ndou. Ndou warned for holding and hitting. Paulie jabbing and lands a left hand. Ndou tries to rush Paulie with some punches, but cant seem to land clean. Round for Paulie.

Round 3 - Paulie back to the jab. Left hand for Paulie. The clinch and exchange body shots. Paulie chant breaks out again. Ndou with a good jab. Paulie begins to land his jab. They clinch, ref warns Ndou for hitting Paulie in the back. Paulie is throwing first and landing first in this fight. Paulie showering some more jabs. Round scored for Paulie.

Round 2 - Ndou to the body. Paulie using his effective jab. Combo by Paulie, three right hands in a row. Left by Ndou. Ndou now landing his own jab, Paulie's is landing better and more often. Ndou misses a big right hand. Left jab and a combo pushes Ndou back. Left hook by Paulie. Ndou reaching and missing his power shots. Paulie making him miss just about everything and fires back with his jab. Round for Paulie.

Round 1 - A Paulie chant breaks out. Ndou jumps right on him and starts the pressure he promised. Paulie pumping the jab a ducking from Ndou's incoming punches. Left hand lands for Ndou. Left hand and left jabs are landing for Paulie. Ndou unable to land as Paulie really landing a hard jab to keep him back. Round scored for Malignaggi.

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Second Time's The Charm For Malignaggi

By Sammy Rozenberg, www.boxingscene.com June 16th 2007

A crowd of 3,514 screaming fans at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut, saw Paulie Malignaggi (23-1, 5 KOs) win a lopsided twelve-round decision over Lovemore N'dou (45-9-1, 30 KOs) to capture the IBF junior welterweight title in a sizzling showcase of boxing, ring generalship and accurate punching.

 

A year after taking a vicious beating in a decision loss against then WBO 140-pound champion Miguel Cotto, few members of the media saw Malignaggi winning a major title a year later. Malignaggi's orbital bone was shattered in the fight and surgery was required to insert a plate in his face.

 

The fight with N'dou was one-sided, but exciting because N'dou never stopped coming forward with constant pressure. Malignaggi's jab was the key as he kept N'dou at the end of his punches, while making him miss his counters. It was not N'dou's night from the start. He could never catch up to Malignaggi from the distance and his lack of speed made it hard to win exchanges on the inside.

 

In the sixth round, N'dou lost a point for rabbit punching and later gave up another 10-8 round in the ninth when he was knocked down by Malignaggi's sneaky right hand. Aside from the impressive performance and obvious wide lead on the scorecards, Malignaggi closed the show in the twelfth and final round by landing combinations while trading punches in the final 25 seconds.

 

The scores were 120-106, 120-106 and 118-108.

 

Next Saturday's junior welterweight collision between Ricky Hatton and Jose Luis Castillo is arguably the biggest fight the 140-pound division has seen since Hatton fought Kostya Tszyu in 2005. The winner will be regarded as the best fighter at junior welterweight, and certainly the most lucrative opponent at the weight.

 

Obviously Hatton would be the preferred opponent as he brings more money to table, especially if the fight takes place in the UK. Jose Luis Castillo is the number-three ranked contender by the IBF and could certainly raise his status to the number-one spot if he beats Hatton next Saturday in Las Vegas.

 

"I want Ricky Hatton next. I think Hatton has the easier fight in Castillo. I think N'dou has more left than Castillo has left. After Hatton is finished with Castillo, I want to fight him," Malignaggi said after his win.

 

Initially it was believed that unbeaten Demetrius Hopkins would face N'dou, and there is still some talk that Hopkins may eventually challenge the reigning IBF champion by the end of the year or the early part of 2008.
There is no mandatory challenger in the IBF rankings, but Hopkins is still listed as the number-two ranked contender.

 

Herman Ngoudjo, who recently won a disputed decision over Randall Bailey in an IBF eliminator, was slated to face the winner of Malignaggi-N'dou, or at least that was last word from the sanctioning body. Ngoudjo was impressive in losing a split decision to Castillo in January, but put on a very poor performance against Bailey.

 

There is no shortage of options for Malignaggi at 140-pounds. WBC champion Junior Witter of the UK is looking for a big fight on America soil. It doesn't appear that his dream fight with Hatton will happen in the immediate future, making a unification bout with Malignaggi a very viable option at some point in 2007. WBO title holder Ricardo Torres will make a mandatory defense of his crown against Kendall Holt on the undercard of August pay-per-view that is topped by Erik Morales vs. David Diaz.

 

The final, and least appealing of the unification options is Souleymane M’Baye, the current holder of the WBA version of the junior welterweight title.

 

M'Baye's last ring outing was a controversial draw against Andreas Kotelnik and he's yet to avenge a decision loss to Vivian Harris. Speaking of Harris, a very dangerous opponent with power in both hands, would make for a good fight with Malignaggi if he keeps on winning. Harris is currently campaigning for a title shot against Witter.

 

Joel Casamayor, currently campaigning at the lightweight limit of 135-pounds, is not beyond a move in weight to 140-pounds. It wouldn't be difficult to persuade him to move up for a title opportunity.

 

On the undercard;

 

In a battle of super middleweights, 2004 Olympic gold medal winner Andre Dirrell (12-0, 7 KOs) jabbed his way to a ten-round unanimous decision win over the smaller Curtis Stevens (17-2, 12 KOs). A poor showcase by both fighters as Dirrell ran for the majority of the fight and mostly threw his jab, while Stevens was unable to cut off the ring or land anything significant. The scores were 97-93, 97-93 and 98-92.

 

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Malignaggi gets a 2nd title shot with N'dou

Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com

Miguel Cotto's reputation as a relentless puncher and outstanding finisher grew in stature last Saturday night when he retained his welterweight belt with a bloody 11th-round TKO of Zab Judah.

In all, the undefeated Cotto has stopped 25 of his 30 opponents. Of the five who survived the distance, two did so in four-round bouts in Cotto's first four professional fights. Another was John Brown, who lost every single frame of their 10-round fight in 2002.

The other two still standing to hear the final bell after 12-round fights: Australia's "Black Panther" Lovemore N'dou, who lost a tight decision to Cotto in a 140-pound eliminator in 2004 and New Yorker Paulie Malignaggi, who lost a junior welterweight title challenge, but showed enormous heart in fighting through a broken orbital bone in the competitive fight last June.

Now, N'dou, 35, and Malignaggi, 26, two of the few fighters to give Cotto a legitimate test, will square off against each other Saturday night (HBO, 9:30 p.m.) at the Mohegan Sun resort in Uncasville, Conn.

Super middleweight Andre Dirrell (11-0, 7 KOs), a 2004 U.S. Olympic bronze medalist, faces Curtis Stevens (17-1, 12 KOs) in an intriguing 10-round co-feature that matches a pair of prospects in the biggest test of their careers.

In addition to the live bouts, HBO's telecast will also include a replay of last week's Cotto-Judah brawl.

N'dou (45-8-1, 30 KOs) will be making the first defense of the belt he was retroactively given by the IBF for scoring an 11th-round TKO against countryman Naoufel Ben Rabah in February. N'dou faced Rabah in an elimination fight to earn a shot at Ricky Hatton, but Hatton vacated the title shortly after N'dou-Rabah, and then the IBF decided to give N'dou the title based on his victory. Regardless of the odd circumstances in which N'dou obtained the title, he intends to leave Connecticut with the belt still around his waist.

"This kid from Brooklyn, New York, better be careful," N'dou said. "I don't think he has ever been out of the city. He has never been to the jungle before and he doesn't realize that this 'Black Panther,' who has got a lot of fight in him, is very dangerous and is going to give him a whipping." N'dou is far more experienced than Malignaggi, having faced Cotto, current junior welterweight belt holder Junior Witter and former titlist Sharmba Mitchell. N'dou, however, was defeated all three of those fights -- that fact is not lost on Malignaggi.

"I don't know what all the fuss is about this guy," said Malignaggi, the speedier of the two. "Every time he's stepped up, he's been beaten. My last fight was my first with [trainer] Buddy [McGirt] in my corner. We only had time to experiment with some things. This fight I'll be executing what we've worked on and I've become a more complete fighter. I'm going to be sharp and more explosive."

Malignaggi (22-1, 5 KOs) took eight months off after the loss to Cotto to heal from his injuries, but returned Feb. 17 to pitch a shutout against Edner Cherry. Now, Malignaggi, known as the "Magic Man," feels he is ready for his second title opportunity.

"His only job is to bring my belt to Connecticut," Malignaggi said.

Said N'dou: "I look at him and I see a little chihuahua trying to trick a pit bull. He is going to get beat up. & I am going to break this kid down on Saturday night. I'm not going to give away my fight plan before the fight, but all I can say is that he is going to get beat up really bad."

 

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Malignaggi wants win, to put on a good show

By KEITH IDEC, HERALD NEWS Friday, June 15, 2007

Video

NEW YORK -- Paulie Malignaggi, an Italian-American who used to live near the northern New Jersey territory "The Sopranos" occupy, promises that there won't be an inconclusive ending to his show Saturday night on HBO.

He's not a power puncher, but the flamboyant boxer from Brooklyn believes he'll win the International Boxing Federation junior welterweight title from strong South African Lovemore N'dou in sensational style in Uncasville, Conn. After his last HBO bout, an indisputable but boring 10-round victory over Edner Cherry on Feb. 17 in New York, Malignaggi understands that simply winning won't suffice if he is to become more of an attraction. Entertaining while winning a world title won't be too troublesome, Malignaggi maintains, because the deliberate N'dou doesn't know how to participate in a boring bout.

"This guy presses the action so much, it's going to leave me no choice but to make it an action fight, let my hands go and blaze him with combinations," Malignaggi (22-1, 5 KOs) said. "The styles are going to clash, and believe me, it's going to make for an exciting fight."

If any active contender can appreciate the value of selling something to fickle fight fans, it is Malignaggi.

 

 

The 26-year-old former New York Golden Gloves champion mostly talked his way into a showdown with popular Puerto Rican champion Miguel Cotto a year ago, yet legitimized himself as a true threat in the 140-pound division by bravely battling the bigger, stronger Cotto for 12 rounds at Madison Square Garden. The close loss left Malignaggi with a broken orbital bone beneath his right eye, but it also made him much more marketable than he was when he known mostly for talking trash and his chronically injured hands. Against Cherry, though, Malignaggi admitted that he merely needed to win a fight to really restore his confidence following that brutal bout against Cotto.

Out-classing Cherry (22-5-2, 10 KOs) earned him a shot at N'dou (45-8-1, 30 KOs), a champion by default after the IBF stripped Ricky Hatton of its junior welterweight title for the second time. But Malignaggi wants to fight the unbeaten Hatton (42-0, 30 KOs) if the British brawler defeats Mexico's Jose Luis Castillo (55-7-1, 47 KOs) in their highly anticipated fight on June 23 in Las Vegas. And there has to be some clamor for that fight if Lou DiBella, Malignaggi's promoter, is to seriously pursue it.

"We've seen a lot of fights recently when boxers have prevailed and the fights haven't looked so wonderful in the ring," DiBella said. "Paulie's a showman and his job here is not only to win this fight, but to do it in style and to turn on the public."

That task won't be easy to accomplish against N'dou, the man the undefeated Cotto called his toughest opponent prior to Cotto's stirring technical knockout win against Brooklyn's Zab Judah Saturday night at a sold-out Madison Square Garden (see Final Bell box).

The rugged N'dou forced Australia's Naoufel Ben Rabah (24-3, 13 KOs) to quit following 11 rough rounds of an IBF interim championship match on Feb. 4 in Sydney. He has won six straight fights since England's Junior Witter (35-1-2, 20 KOs) defeated him in a World Boxing Council elimination match two years ago in Los Angeles. Cotto (30-0, 25 KOs) and former junior welterweight champ Sharmba Mitchell (57-6, 30 KOs) were the two previous fighters to defeat N'dou, but both bouts were closely contested.

Malignaggi respects the champion's resume, but ironically feels like the 35-year-old N'dou disrespected him by talking trash prior to their "Boxing After Dark" main event.

"I'm going to send him packing," Malignaggi said. "That's it. He's a wrap after this, man. And I'm going to be happy to do it. Sometimes after a fight, you'll be like, 'OK, it's a shame. The guy worked hard and everything.' But you know what? The way he's trying to talk about me and the way he's trying to clown on me and stuff, I'm not even going to feel bad for this guy. When it's over, man, I'm just going to send him packing. I'm going to say, 'All right, get back to Australia (where N'dou resides), and go back to your day job, my man. Because you don't deserve to be on top.' "

A 10-round super middleweight bout between Brooklyn's Curtis Stevens (17-1, 12 KOs) and Andre Dirrell (11-0, 7 KOs), a gifted 2004 Olympic bronze medalist from Flint, Mich., will precede the N'dou-Malignaggi match on the HBO broadcast.

 

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IBF Boxing Champion N’dou Arrives In US, Ready For Malignaggi

By Boxing Press June 13th, 2007

International Boxing Federation (IBF) super lightweight world boxing champion Lovemore “Black Panther” Ndou has arrived in Uncasville, Connecticut in the USA for his first world title defence against Paulie Malignaggi at the Mohegan Sun Casino this coming Saturday night June 16, 2007.

35 year-old Ndou completed his final sparring session on Friday and has been in training camp in Las Vegas since May 28. The South African born Australian citizen has been sparring with a number of different boxers including Americans Emanuel Augustus and Wes Ferguson.

“My sparring has been really great,” said Ndou. “I am feeling strong and have been enjoying having the extra time to prepare in Las Vegas for this fight.”

The Ndou vs. Malignaggi fight will be televised across the USA on the HBO network’s “Boxing After Dark” series at 9:30 PM ET/PT.

26 year-old Malignaggi (22 wins, 1 loss, 5 knockouts) from Brooklyn, New York is known as the “Magic Man” and has been doing plenty of trash talk in the lead-up to this world title fight, but Ndou is unconcerned.

“After everything he has said, now Malignaggi has been saying that he isn’t talking,” smiled Ndou. “Maybe he is starting to realise what he has got coming up on Saturday night. He is no Floyd Mayweather Jr. He is no Muhammad Ali.

“Only a few boxers can talk and back themselves up in the ring. He is not in that class. From where I come from, there is an old saying, ‘dogs that bark a lot, they don’t bite’. I look at him and I see a little Chihuahua trying to trick a Pit-bull. He is going to get beat up.”

“Black Panther” Ndou (45 wins, 8 losses, 1 draw, 30 knockouts) says that Malignaggi might have been getting the wrong sparring for this fight.

“I hear he had been sparring with Edner Cherry, but I don’t think Edner Cherry would be the right guy to be preparing for me,” he said. “What they don’t realise is that even though Cherry puts on a lot of pressure, there is a difference between putting on pressure and breaking the guy down.

“I am going to break this kid down on Saturday night. I’m not going to give away my fight plan before the fight, but all I can say is that he is going to get beat up really bad.”

In his last press release to the media on June 6, Malignaggi predicted, “I’m going to trap him, cage him and box him all night long. What’s he going to do?”

“He says he is setting a trap for me?” laughed Ndou. “This kid from Brooklyn, New York better be careful. I don’t think he has ever been out of the city. He has never been to the jungle before and he doesn’t realise that this Black Panther has got a lot of fight in him, is very dangerous and is going to give him a whipping!”

 

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Lovemore Ndou: "After Malignaggi I Want Hatton"

By Mark Vester, 13th June 2007

IBF junior welterweight chamo Lovemore Ndou is already looking past his upcoming opponent. Ndou tells the Australian Herald that he's banking on Ricky Hatton to beat Jose Luis Castillo on June 23 in order to set up a potential year ending bout. Ndou takes on Paulie "Magic Man" Malignaggi of Brooklyn on June 16 at the Mohegan Sun Casino.

Ndou wants to face Hatton at Manchester's MEN Arena to avenge the 2005 defeat of fellow Australian fighter Kostya Tszyu, who Hatton stopped after eleven rounds. Ndou was awarded the IBF title after Hatton refused to face him in a mandatory title bout and instead elected to face Castillo

"What a fight it would be and what a victory to remember for all Australians," Ndou said. "Right now I have Malignaggi in my sights. He's a good boxer, fast, but I know he can't handle my pressure. Once he's out of the way, I want Hatton. I'll be ringside when he fights Castillo in Vegas next week, breathing down his neck."

 

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Boxing Film “Magic Man” Receives Prestigious Award

By Boxing Press June 13th, 2007

STELLAR BOXING AFTER DARK TWIN BILL HEADED TO MOHEGAN SUN ON JUNE 16

G.Leon, Boxingtalk.com

Paulie Malignaggi - Lovemore N'dou

Boxingalk.com has been informed that DiBella Entertainment is in the proess of solidifying a stellar HBO Boxing After Dark card on June 16th live from Mohegan Sun. World class junior welterweight Paulie Malignaggi will challege exciting IBF champion Lovemore Ndou in the headliner. A junior middleweight contest between former welterweight champions Vernon Forrest and Carlos Baldomir will likely open up the telecast.

Torres next for The Magic Man?

Paulie Malignaggi's promoter Lou DiBella stated on February 17th that he has a hotline with all the champions at 140lbs currently. That includes the likes of Junior Witter, Souleymane M'baye, Lovemore N'dou and Ricky Hatton, however, the name that constantly came up was that of Ricardo Torres, the current WBO Light Welterweight Champion. Torres had fought and beat Mike Arnoutis for the vacant belt back on Nov 18th 2006. A potential date could be 9th June 2007 at Madison Square Garden, however, anything concrete regarding Paulie's opponent or the date is still to be confirmed.

17th FEBRUARY 2007 at the HAMMERSTEIN BALLROOM, NEW YORK

MAGIC MAN RETURNS

The reality of what has really happened to him will not strike Paulie Malignaggi fully until Feb. 17 when, at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, something will be missing from his introduction. For the first time in his boxing career the ring announcer will not say "...the undefeated "Magic Man''...'' before he calls his name. by Ron BorgesThat is when he will realize, in the most basic of ways, what Miguel Cotto took from him. Not his pride, which he could never take, nor an aura of invulnerability, for he knew that never existed for him or Cotto or any fighter. No, what Cotto took from Paulie Malignaggi eight months ago is something he can never get back, although he has a few plans about how to settle that score down the road. Before he can do that however he first he has to get back on the road after a dreadfully glorious night spent in Cotto's presence and that is where the question marks lie.

Last June 10, Malignaggi was a decided underdog when he stepped into the ring at Madison Square Garden to try and take the junior welterweight title away from the equally undefeated Cotto. It was supposed to be a mismatch in which Malignaggi's speed and fast hands would be powerless to hold off the champion and early in the fight it seemed so. Cotto dropped him in the second round and had the lighter-hitting Malignaggi in deep trouble but just when it appeared all was lost, a bloody and battered Malignaggi began to show what he always believed he had but so many of his critics questioned. He showed the kind of heart few possess in enough abundNce to make a living as a prize fighter, the kind that allowed him to box his way back into the fight despite taking terrible physical punishment as he did.

Eschewing what works for him best, which is using his speed and fast hands to fight on the outside, Malignaggi got into boxing's trenches with an opponent who carried far more powerful weapons and battled back to make the fight competitive before a broken orbital bone around one eye and the loss of blood he'd suffered throughout much of the fight finally wore him down to the point where he could not hold Cotto off in the final two rounds.

In the end, the decision went to Cotto while Malignaggi's face was left an angry mask of bruises and swollen tissue. He collapsed in the locker room after the decision was announced, blood flowing from his nose and mouth, and was rushed to a local hospital where he stayed for several days. Many ringside observers wrote that night that Malignaggi had broken his jaw and every other facial bone one could imagine and then shook their heads, doubting they'd ever see him again.

But on Feb. 17, Paulie Malignaggi, no longer undefeated but still believing there is magic inside him, will return to the ring for the first time since that night to face a legitimate opponent in Edner Cherry (21-4-2, 10 KO) in the main event of a HBO Boxing After Dark tripleheader that will also headline Sechew Powell (20-1) vs. Ishe Smith (18-1) and rising prospect Andre Berto (16-0, 14 KO) vs. Norberto Bravo (29-6-1). To some, Malignaggi's return is being seen as an attempt at a comeback from total defeat but the 26-year-old from Brooklyn sees things differently. Although he lost and paid a painful price for it, he also proved to the often skeptical fight crowd that he was what he said he was. For all his cute style and flashy mannerisms, he was, and remains, a fighter.

"It'll burn me when I get in there and they don't say 'The undefeated Paulie 'The Magic Man' Malignaggi,'' he admitted during a break in training in Vero Beach, Fla. where he's now working for the first time with Buddy McGirt. "That will come as a shock even though I know that's what it will be.

"A lot of people thought I couldn't hang in the heat of that kind of fight. They thought I was just a cutie but I showed I had a lot of character. I won a lot of fights with bad hands that had to be operated on but they couldn't see that damage. This time the damage was obvious and I tried to win the fight regardless. I never lost hope. I told myself when I got knocked down, 'This guy can be beaten.' I'd seen his weaknesses on tape.

"I climbed my way back into that fight. If I'd gotten back to boxing instead of standing in front of him trading you never know what could have happened. After eight or nine rounds the fight was winnable again but my corner didn't tell me that. They kept saying I needed a knockout. I didn't have to slug with him the way I did but they told me to go after him. That still burns me because I stood and fought when maybe I didn't have to. It's not like we're playing ping pong out there. By the end he'd beaten me down to where I couldn't hold him off the last two rounds but I don't think it had to be like that.

"I think about that fight every day. I'm a competitive person. I'm a professional fighter. I still think I can beat him if we fight again. The way things went that night still bothers me but a lot of positives came out of that fight.''

One was the realization by the world that there was more to Malignaggi than they had seen. He was not simply a fast-handed wiseguy from Brooklyn who talked better than he fought. He was instead the kind of guy his manager, Sal LoNano, had seen before.

"I got experience with a guy like this kid,'' LoNano said. "I managed Micky Ward. I know guys with heart. Paulie had never been tested like that before and he stood up and fought back to the end.''

He fought with that broken orbital bone and with internal bleeding and with pain but he did not fight with half the injuries attributed to him in the days immediately after the fight. Malignaggi thinks back to some of those stories of the punishment they said he'd suffered and finds humor in a place where perhaps only a fighter could.

"Everyone in the media was a doctor that night,'' he said, laughing at the recollection. "People said I broke my nose. I broke my jaw. I broke my cheek. I didn't know you needed a medical degree to be a writer. I didn't look too good when it was over but he didn't do half the things to me that people said he did to me.''

What Cotto did do was bad enough though. Bad enough that when Malignaggi first saw himself on a TV monitor at ringside after the fight he couldn't believe it. Couldn't believe anyone had done that to him and couldn't believe someone had and still been unable to get rid of him.

"I pride myself on my looks,'' Malignaggi (25-1, 5 KO) said. "I didn't like what happened. After the (plastic) surgery, the muscles in my face had to get reacquainted with themselves and the titanium plate they put underneath my eye, where the orbital bone got shattered. I didn't look right. My smile was lopsided and I was thinking, 'Oh, no, am I always going to look like this? That's not my face.' That made me so mad. But after a couple of months things came back and now I look pretty much the same as I always did.''

But can he fight the same? Will he enter the ring now with doubts about his skills or fear born from the now no longer deniable knowledge what kind of damage one man can inflict on another? Is he coming in too quickly against a world-class opponent rather than taking an easier course? Should LoNano and promoter Lou DiBella have been more selective in picking the opponent he would come back against and should they already be talking about a possible June 9 fight with WBO champion Ricardo Torres (30-1, 27 KO) not only in the same building where Cotto damaged him so badly but on the undercard of what would be Cotto's second defense of the WBA welterweight title he went on to win by stopping Carlos Quintana in five rounds last winter?

No one can know for sure about any of those questions until the bell rings and Malignaggi is alone in a small enclosed space with Edner Cherry, who in his last outing stopped Daniel Alicea in the 12th round to win the NABF lightweight title, but veteran trainer and fight commentator Teddy Atlas, a master of the psychology of the sport, believes what Malignaggi took from the Cotto fight was more than a beating. It was something that will serve him well against Cherry on Feb. 17 and beyond.

"If he'd been knocked out by Cotto it would be different, but he wasn't,'' Atlas said. "Instead, he showed the character of a fighter. After he got dropped early he got up and showed what he was made of. He showed how he would react under that kind of pressure. He reacted like a fighter.

"You always think you're a fighter but you don't know for sure until you're tested. Malignaggi didn't win the fight that night but he passed the test. He'll grow from that fight. Up to that point he was undefeated but he didn't know for sure if he belonged at that level. He didn't know for sure if he could fight at that level. Now he knows. He knows he came back and made it a close fight when it didn't look possible after the first few rounds. He probably believes he can beat the guy if they fight again.

"It helps that Cotto went on to win another title at a heavier weight class (147), too. I think the fact they picked a real guy for him to face coming back was a good idea. Not everyone would do that but it was smart. Cherry is a legitimate guy. He can fight, so Malignaggi knows he has to be ready to fight. I think he will be. I think he'll be better because of what happened against Cotto. He lost that night but he gained a lot from that fight.''

That's one reason his comeback night is back on HBO. He was not forced to take a step down to the ESPN2 level or lower. He didn't have to take a fight against a nobody in some small, smokey arena where the crowd is small and so is the purse. Instead, he's one win away from a second world title fight and a chance to move one step closer to a dream a lot of civilians would think is a nightmare. A second night with Miguel Cotto.

"A lot of people looked at my face at the end of that fight and forgot how good a fight it had been,'' Malignaggi said. "It wasn't a one-sided fight the way some people made it sound. I made him look bad a lot of the time. If I hadn't suffered that broken orbital bone it might have been a nominee for Fight of the Year. I lost but it was an entertaining fight.

"Now I'm back after another long layoff. I've had a couple of them because of my hands. Now I had one because of my face. I can't get a break because I keep breaking something but I'm confident I'll come back and win a title. We took Cherry to prove that. We didn't want to go to a lower, club fight type of guy. Some people may think this isn't smart but we felt we needed a high level fighter to prove I can still fight. He's not a 10, maybe, but he's a fighter HBO would accept.

"I think the fact I'm back on HBO says a lot about my popularity and about what really happened in the Cotto fight. A lot of guys don't get beat and come back on HBO. He had all the advantages, which is what a champion gets. He got the small ring. He got the early weigh-in so he had plenty of time to put weight back on and be strong. And I was still there at the end, fighting.

"I know we've got the Torres fight waiting and it's hard not to look past this guy and think about that, but I got a lot to prove first. I know there are people wondering if I can come back from that so-called beating. 'Is he the same?' No, I'm not the same. I'm better.

"I was gun shy a few times after I injured my hands and had to have operations to fix them but not in this case. I didn't have a problem from the first day of sparring. I just feel if some things were changed a little I could have beaten Cotto. No matter how my face looked that night I feel I can go where I want to go.''

Oddly, where Paulie Malignaggi wants to go is right back to where he had his most difficult night. He wants to go back to Madison Square Garden. Back to a world title fight at 140 pounds. Back to a dressing room not far removed from one Miguel Cotto may be in come June 9 if all goes well for him March 3, when he defends the WBA welterweight title for the first time against Oktay Urkal at Roberto Clement Stadium in Puerto Rico.

"I'm working with Buddy now,'' Malignaggi said of McGirt, a former 140-pound world champion himself who is his new trainer. "He was a boxer-puncher and he's teaching me some things, opening my eyes to new things. I've been blessed with fast hands and good reflexes but I have to learn how to use them. I realize now I won a lot of fights just on physical ability. Buddy is teaching me how to use my skills the right way.

"I know I have to focus on Cherry first, but it's hard because I know we're close to making the title fight with Torres on Cotto's card. That would pretty much be like returning to the scene of the crime. To win a title belt in the same place where I took that beating would be so great. But first I got to take care of Cherry. I understand that.''

He understands that and a lot of other things about himself, just as the boxing world now understands a little bit more about who and what Paulie Malignaggi, the flashy kid from Brooklyn, really is. A fighter to the end.

INTERVIEW: THE WORD WITH PAULIE MALIGNAGGI

Ryan Songalia, boxingscene.com

Flamboyant junior welterweight Paulie "The Magic Man" Malignaggi may be best known for his flashy showboating and slick tongue, but we had a chance to get a peek inside the heart and character of Malignaggi this past June. In a grueling war of attrition, the Brooklyn boxer lost a decision to Miguel Cotto, rising from the canvas to survive a slugfest that would've wilted many wills. Fresh rested after a long respite, Malignaggi looks to converge on the division's hierarchy with the help of new trainer, Buddy McGirt Sr. At 21-1 (5 KO), now is the time for The Magic Man to step forward and read his fortune. The next step of the Paulie Malignaggi sojourn takes place at The Manhattan Center on Feb. 17 under the magnified scrutiny of the HBO banner. His opponent will be Edner Cherry, a tough banger with a penchant for igniting fireworks in the ring. I recently sat down with Malignaggi for a candid session, as we discussed the Cotto fight, the resurrection of a contender, and the future of a maturing pugilist.

Ryan Songalia: You've had a long time to rest after the Cotto fight, having been out of the ring since June. How has the layoff helped to rejuvenate you after such a tough fight?

Paulie Malignaggi: "I got to start working with my new trainer, Buddy McGirt. Atleast it's given me time to get everything down-packed. You go to a new trainer and you want to get the fundamentals of what he teaches down, so I've had a few extra months to atleast get that down-packed. Obviously, the recovery phase, I needed a few extra months anyways. Other than that, I'm just real excited to come back. After awhile, you get antsy anyways."

BoxingScene.com: One of McGirt's methods is that he takes fighters who tend to stay inside too much and make them box. Against Cotto, a major issue was that you banged with him too frequently when boxing was more in your best interest. Is that a major advantage you look to benefit from with McGirt in your corner?

Malignaggi: "Yeah, I think Buddy is a good trainer in a lot of ways. One of the main things he has is that he brings out your strengths a lot. I think boxing is more of one of my main strengths than brawling, obviously. I think with Buddy guiding the ship a little bit, I won't be sucked into a kind of fight like that anymore. Not that I really like to anyway, but at the same time with a guy like Buddy in the corner, it'll make you smarter. He sees things you won't see."

BoxingScene.com: Were you surprised by the strength of Miguel Cotto? Was what he brought to the ring something that you didn't anticipate?

Malignaggi: "I wasn't surprised. I went in there thinking two things. I went in there thinking 'I'm going to be hit harder than I've ever been hit before tonight' and 'he's going to be real dirty.' Both things happened. I wasn't surprised by it. At the same time, just because you expect it, doesn't mean it makes it any easier to deal with. The guy hits hard. I didn't really have a lot of room to move because there were some times, while I banged with him moire than I should've, but a lot of times I didn't want to be anywhere near the guy. But there was really nowhere to go in there. So I had to fight him a little more than I wanted to. But in the end, Miguel Cotto did what he did. I hope I can become a better fighter because of that experience."

BoxingScene.com: How has the experience of losing your first bout as a professional helped to increase your knowledge and understanding of the game?

Malignaggi: "Your first loss is always a test for any fighter I think. Especially when you run off consecutive wins, I had 21 straight wins before getting beat. I think when you're on a winning streak, to break that 0 on your record, I think it'll test anyone. It definitely tested me mentally, I was feeling out of it for awhile. After I thought about it and had some time to heal up and stuff, it just makes me hungrier. I'm a hungry fighter as it is. I think I have something new to strive for now. I can strive for hopefully fighting Cotto again one day. I know it's not gonna happen now, I know it's not gonna happen tomorrow. I know I got to get some wins and get some good wins at that. Cotto in the mean time is gonna do his thing. In the mean time, besides wanting to win a world title like I always wanted to, it gives me a new goal to strive for where I have to win and look really impressive for anybody to even think I deserve a rematch with Cotto. So it gave me something new to shoot for."

BoxingScene.com: Earlier this month, Cotto moved up to Welterweight and ran through Carlos Quintana in five rounds, making him quit on his stool. After seeing that exhibition of destruction, did you reassess your performance in light of what Cotto was able to do against a bigger man than yourself?

Malignaggi: "I knew that was going to happen because one thing about Miguel Cotto that don't know until you actually fight him is that you can win rounds against him. I won a good 4-5 rounds with the guy. Either way, whether you win a round or lose a round, there's a price to pay with Miguel Cotto. But even in rounds you're winning, you're going to get hit, you're going to get elbowed, you're going to get whatever. You're going to know you were in there with him for 36 minutes if you make it that far. It'll test you mentally because not everybody is willing to go through that. I had a feeling he was going to stop Quintana from the way he was talking and the way he was approaching the fight. I could see it in his eyes that he wasn't really ready for what he was about to go through. And he folded. I don't blame him, I'm me, he's him, I got a lot of will inside of me, but not a lot of fighters are going to have that kind of will. I'm telling you, the guy hits hard and he's going to run through you if you don't do something about him."

BoxingScene.com: Your next fight is in February in this very building. You will be facing Edner Cherry. What do you think of him as a fighter and what are your thoughts as this matchup approaches?

Malignaggi: "I've seen Cherry a few times. He's a solid dude. He's a good fringe contender. I think he's also a good fighter to come back off the tough fight I just had. It'll pretty much let me see where I'm at in terms of the new trainer and how I react to that loss. He's a good gauge basically where I'll be able to see exactly where I'm at at this point and time."

BoxingScene.com: If you have a hard time with Cherry, if the fight is tougher than you are looking for at this stage of your career, is that a plus or a minus to you?

Malignaggi: "I think that's a minus. If I struggle with Edner Cherry, not to knock Edner Cherry because he's a solid fighter, but he's not on Paulie Malignaggi's level. If Paulie Malignaggi struggles with Edner Cherry, then something is wrong. I know I'm going to be seeing the best Edner Cherry yet, because this is his big opportunity. Regardless of what Edner Chery comes to fight that night, Paulie Malignaggi should not have a tough time with him. And if he does, then I'm going to be disappointed because I'm looking to get to a much higher level than Edner Cherry."

BoxingScene.com: You have been plagued throughout your career by brittle hands. How are the hands feeling so far and do you think they will continue to be a problem?

Malignaggi: "The hands are much better. They haven't given me a problem in the last couple of fights. They look bad, but they actually feel pretty good. So far so good."

BoxingScene.com: This fight will be on Boxing After Dark, the first time that you will be featured on the HBO network. How exciting is it to be performing on the biggest stage in televised boxing?

Malignaggi: "It's an exciting time for me, because of that. Especially coming off the loss, sometimes coming off a loss you don't get these big opportunities like that. I'm really glad I'm that kind of opportunity. I'm looking to shine on it. Hopefully HBO will enjoy it and I'll be able to come back and be on the network again."

BoxingScene.com: Do you feel any pressure to bang out with Cherry and make an exciting cliff-hanger type of performance that would excite the crowd on network tv, or will you try to box your more suitable style?

Malignaggi: "I'm going to fight a smart fight. I'm always trying to entertain, I'm always trying to put on a show for everybody. Sometimes you get that showboating side of me and sometimes you have the part of me that wants to have some fun in there because the fight gets pretty repetitive at times with guys that I'm winning every round with. You may see showboating, you may see a serious side of me. People think I choreograph the showboating like I go in there to clown. I don't go in there to clown, I go in there to win the fight. If something comes in my mind, I'm gonna do it. That's just the way I am. I'm very spontaneous with things like that."

BoxingScene.com: Should you get through that fight, what would you like to do next?

Malignaggi: "I want a world championship shot. Ricardo Torres, M'baye, the WBO and WBA titles. If Ricky Hatton beats Urango, maybe to get a shot at him. Junior Witter is in the mix. I want a shot at a world championship. With a guy like Miguel Cotto out of the junior welterweight picture, we need some names in the picture. I think somebody like myself can step up to the plate and draw some attention to the junior welterweights."

BoxingScene.com: New York City is ripe with talent at 140 pounds. Guys like Gato Figueroa, Edgar Santana, Dmitriy Salita, it's packed in The Big Apple with guys who can fight. If you could fight one of them to raise some noise in New York, which one would you like to fight?

Malignaggi: "Honestly, I don't have any preference. I know those guys, I'm cool with all of those guys. If they make that fight, any of those eventually, I'm ready for anybody. Those guys are good friends of mine, I think there's a lot of other junior welterweights in the mix that I could fight before I fight those guys. I think we got to let New York boxing grow as a whole. If we knock each other off, we won't let each other grow. I'm hungry for a lot more than just being the king of New York. I'm hungry for a world championship. That's my main goal. Right now, no New York fighters have a world championship. So that's not my goal to fight them. My goal is to fight for a world championship."

BoxingScene.com: One of the more entertaining aspects of the Paulie Malignaggi show is the spitting, the mouthpiece. Here's your forum, speak your mind.

Malignaggi: "There's a couple of things I've been wanting to say. Based on the injuries I suffered in the fight, people take the Cotto fight, and not everybody but I've seen some reports... See, I didn't come out looking facially so good in the fight. People take that and take away the competitive aspect of the fight because of that. People see the injuries in the fight and say 'he got killed.' Ay yo, you know what, the fight was physically grueling but in the end, I got 4 rounds on two cards and 5 rounds on another card. I could've been given as much as 6. Regardless, a lot of people still choose to say I didn't belong in the ring with that, that it was too early, and this and that. What it all boils down to, I gave Miguel Cotto a solid fight. I didn't drop him like Ricardo Torres did, but I made Miguel Cotto think. I made Miguel Cotto have to make adjustments in a fight that he needed to win. With Ricardo Torres, he pretty much got up and walked through him because Ricardo Torres can't fight. With me, he had to make some adjustments, especially when I started coming back in the fight.
"I think I gave the fans an opportunity to show that Miguel Cotto can also do a little more than just bang. I think we pretty much complimented each other with that. Like I said, if I could say something it would be to those people, reanalyze the fight a little bit because the fight was competitive. If I didn't come out with a swollen face, people would be saying that's a fight of the year candidate. Because I came out the fight with a swollen face, people are to to say that was a beating. That's frustrating, but it's more disappointing."

BoxingScene.com: In closing, is there anything you would like to say to your fans who have stood by you and supported your rise through the ranks?

Malignaggi: "The fans have been a great thing for me. Especially after the fight, I was really down and out of it. I got a lot of fan mail and a lot of it was positive. About 99 percent of it was positive. I was real glad because that was a big part of getting me through that mental struggle in the month after the fight. I'm a real competitive person and I want to win at all costs. To lose a fight, it really got to me at first. Because of the fans, they were a big reason for it. I got my head back up and I want to look good not just for myself but for them, too. I know a lot of people get a lot of slack from other fans that hate on me, they say 'Why you like that kid, he got a big mouth' or 'he can't fight.' My fans have defended me through those kinds of trials and tribulations. I think they deserve not only for me to prove people wrong but for them also to prove people wrong."

Happy New Year!!!

From everyone at Team Malignaggi !