In
a contest that will hopefully be as entertaining in the ring as it
has been outside of it thus far, Brooklyn’s own Paulie “Magic
Man” Malignaggi (32-4/7 KOs) faces off against quite possibly his
toughest challenge to date in the form of self-assured Cincinnati
Lightweight boxer Adrien “The Problem” Broner (26-0/22 KOs),
whose meteoric rise to prominence in the Lightweight division has put
him interestingly in his current position to compete against
Malignaggi for the WBA World Welterweight title on June 22, 2013 in
“Magic Man’s” own backyard at Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn,
New York. Broner has literally leapfrogged past the Junior
Welterweight division entirely, avoiding some major bouts with
serious threats attached to them in the process. The lead up to this
fight has been anything but cordial between both men with Broner
throwing several of his verbal blows far below Malignaggi’s belt.
If Broner is looking to make things personal he’s been quite
successful in making his intentions known to the press recently. But
Malignaggi has never been one to back down from a fight, regardless
of how tough it might be, whether it is with name-calling or throwing
punches.
With
as much flash, egotism, and pomposity as he normally displays while
fighting, Broner has managed to trump even himself in the media
build-up to his fight with Malignaggi. Paulie has been known for
years as being outspoken and brash in his own comments to the media
as well, however, as both boxers have begun the taxing media circus
to promote their Championship fight on June 22. Adrien has publicly
insulted Paulie on more than one occasion with, “Paulette better be
in some shape”, referring to his nickname for Malignaggi. Yet the
Brooklyn boxer came back with his own defense in true New York
fashion with, “Last time I checked, you know, Adrien is a girl’s
name. He’s sitting here calling me Paulette, but he’s got to
feminize my name. But Adrien is already a girl’s name”. With the
hype surrounding this bout that is being dramatically pushed by both
boxers and their hilarious quotes and verbal interactions, for the
fans sake let’s all hope that when they step into the squared
circle that the fight itself proves to be far more enjoyable than
their words.
Trash
talking is the name of the game between these two obviously, but once
the bell sounds it will be all about boxing. Malignaggi is a very
versatile and adept veteran of the ring, yet he lacks the punching
power to immediately drop Broner early and call it a night. Gavin
“The Rock” Rees (37-2-1/18 KOs) also lacked the pop needed to do
any damage against Broner when they fought on February 16th earlier this year and was unsuccessful in defeating “The Problem”.
For Paulie it is going to have to be about constant movement and the
ability to outbox Broner for long-term success. Malignaggi does have
far more experience than Broner in terms of level of competition
though, which could prove to be more of a deciding factor as the
fight wears on. Paulie also made no qualms about his opinion of
Adrien when he said, “What have we seen from Adrien Broner? We’ve
seen a lot of handpicked opponents and we could’ve all been 26-0
against that kind of level of opposition”.
With
Adrien Broner calling his upcoming fight with Paulie Malignaggi “easy
money”; it would appear at least on paper that Broner has it in the
bag to many, if at least not in his own mind anyway. Malignaggi
doesn’t see it that clear-cut in proposing that, “This is a
blockbuster event and I can’t wait to make a successful title
defense in Brooklyn where my roots are”. “Magic Man” doesn’t
plan on just showing up to get beaten in his own backyard. A solid
boxer with quick hands, Malignaggi may not have ultimate punching
power in either hand but he does have boxing aptitude, something that
will go a long way when facing Broner.
Adrien
Broner has been literally trying to follow in the footsteps of his
plain-as-the-nose-on-your-face boxing idol in Floyd “Money”
Mayweather, Jr. (43-0/26 KOs) for some time now. He dresses like him,
and also tries to speak and act like him with the same bravado and
swagger that Mayweather is known for. This is a key strategic element
in Floyd’s arsenal that he uses to his advantage quite effectively
to sell fights and market himself to an often fickle and over zealous
boxing public. Such idolatry is common with young fighters as they
tend to seek out mentors that they have grown up looking up to.
Broner continues this trend, viewing it possibly as a smart business
decision and could be hoping to fill the Champion’s shoes once
Mayweather decides to hang up his gloves for good. Imitation may be
the highest form of flattery but those are big shoes to fill and “The
Problem” hasn’t reached that level yet no matter how much he
mimics his hero.
This
bout can go one of two ways speculatively. First, Malignaggi could
outbox Broner, exposing the younger fighter, who while jumping 2
divisions to obtain a strap reveals to the world that he isn’t all
that HBO has been selling him as thus far, or second, Broner can show
up, put a boxing clinic on against an older but still skilled boxer
in Malignaggi and outwork the seasoned veteran. However you slice it,
Malignaggi vs. Broner isn’t that bad of a fight given what’s out
there, even if the words they throw at one another hold far more
damage and weight than the actual blows either fighter will deliver
on June 22nd.
Jason Petock responds to all his emails. Please send all questions and comments to Jason at: boxingwarrior@hotmail.com