At the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, NY, Saturday night it wasn’t pretty but former WBA/WBC 140 champion Philly’s Danny “Swift” Garcia, 31-0 (18) made his official welterweight winning debut over cagy Brooklyn former 2-division champ, IBF super light and WBA welter, Paul “Magic Man” Malignaggi, 33-7 (7), when referee Arthur Mercante, Jr. decided he saw enough at 2:22 of the 9th round of a scheduled 12. Premier Boxing Champions promoted the event over ESPN.

With little power in his punches Malignaggi made Garcia miss time after time until getting cut in the 4th round. It seemed Garcia had no answer for Malignaggis ducking under his punches. No uppercuts seemed to be landed and only a few thrown. In the 6th Garcia cut Malignaggi for the second time a slice on the right cheek. Though the loser claimed Garcia doesn’t get frustrated I’m sure his fans were with never a knockdown coming close for 9 rounds. “He broke me down,” said Malignaggi. Even at the finish there was no big punch landed after a right to the head by Garcia knocked Malignaggi off balance and backwards he then went after him landing a combination and missing a chopping right when Mercante stepped in.

“Thank God, team Garcia, my Dad, Al Haymon and all the fans around the world,” said Garcia. Malignaggi was a solid underdog not having fought in 17 months and getting stopped by WBA welterweight champion Shawn Porter after being dropped in the 4th round in his last fight. The few times Malignaggi landed a right to the head of Garcia it had absolutely no affect. He was more or less in a survival mode the entire fight though not losing any round big.

“I was trying to dictate early on but once I was cut in the 4th it gave him confidence. He was just too strong. He has a great trainer and seemed to come out fresh at the start of each round and never getting frustrated. He broke me down and it was a good stoppage,” said Malignaggi. It looked like the end of the road for him and his fans gave him a rousing applause before he left the ring. Garcia made it clear Al Haymon calls the shots and whoever he picks next such as Keith Thurman who was at ringside Garcia will go along with. Thurman was coming off a not too spectacular performance himself in his last fight against former champion Luis Collazo.

The highlight of the co-feature is when light hitting former WBC super welterweight champ Sergio “The Latin Snake” Mora, 28-4-2 (9), of L.A., came off the canvas in the first round from a counter right hand by WBA interim champ Daniel “Miracle Man” Jacobs, 30-1 (27), of Brooklyn. Jacobs came in for the finish and got stopped in his tracks with a left hook to the chin by Mora.

“I couldn’t believe a guy with 9 knockouts dropped me,” said Jacobs. In the second round Jacobs landed a pair of right hands that saw Mora drop down with his right leg giving out and Jacobs stepping over him. Mora got up and tried to walk it off but he was in obvious pain. Referee Gary Rosato wisely called a halt at 2:55 of the 2nd round.

“Thank God for the victory. No rematch for I’m not going backwards. “Kid Chocolate” (former WBO champ Peter Quillin) and I should be getting it on next. I’m leaving it up to Al Haymon,” said Jacobs. “I heard a pop in my knee and I believe I broke my right ankle (in going down),” said Mora. His request for a rematch was turned down by Jacobs. It was Jacobs’ second title defense in a year having won it in August of 2014.

Please send all questions and comments to Ken Hissner at: Kenhissner@gmail.com