Ndou hunting for Hatton after Malignaggi
 Interview by Anthony Cocks (June 16, 2007) Doghouse Boxing
Tonight live on HBO’s Boxing After Dark, Lovemore Ndou will put his IBF junior welterweight championship on the line against Paulie Malignaggi at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.
It will be Ndou’s the first defence of the title he won in a grueling, seesaw battle against Australian-based Tunisian Naoufel Ben Rabah in February, but the veteran campaigner is already looking ahead to brighter lights and bigger fights against the likes of England’s Ricky Hatton if he is victorious.
“I look at every fight as a big fight in my career,” Ndou told Doghouse Boxing shortly before flying out from his home base of Australia to the United States. “There are no easy fights. Every fight is just a step towards another big fight. I look at Malignaggi as just another step towards another bigger fight, against the likes of Hatton, you know? People talk of Hatton as the best junior welterweight out there, but to be the best you have to fight the best. But then I need to beat Malignaggi first and not only do I need to beat him, but I have to look impressive in beating him.”
Ndou had his finest hour in his title winning effort against Rabah, coming on strong down the stretch to drag the slick-boxing Rabah into a slugfest that saw boxers stunned. But it was Ndou’s tenacity and experience that eventually won out when a battered and exhausted Rabah retired on his stool at the conclusion of the eleventh round.
“Malignaggi is a bit similar to Rabah, but he is a lot faster and a lot slicker than Rabah,” said Ndou, 45-8-1 (30). “I’ve got my fight plan which I’m not going to give up right now, but on the night I’m going to break him down and break his soul. He’s going to regret ever stepping into the ring with me.”
Malignaggi, 22-1 (5), earned his stripes with a hard fought twelve round decision loss to then WBO junior welterweight champion Miguel Cotto a year ago in the Puerto Rican’s last fight at 140 pounds. The Brooklynite showed guts and determination to get of the canvas in the second round and overcame a broken right cheekbone to survive the distance with the undefeated power-puncher.
Two year prior to his bout with Malignaggi, Cotto faced his toughest test at the time against Ndou in a fight that the Australian-based South African took on short notice. After twelve rounds Ndou also came up short on the scorecards, but he sees little reason to compare their performances against a common opponent.
“Look, Miguel Cotto is Miguel Cotto, Lovemore Ndou is Lovemore Ndou,” said Ndou. “He went well against Miguel Cotto, but I think Miguel Cotto gave him too much breathing room. He fought a guy who was struggling to make weight. Miguel Cotto struggled to make the 140 pound division and it did affect him in the end, but you know, Cotto still gave him a beating.”
Long regarded as a fringe contender, Ndou has earned begrudging respect in recent years with solid performances in losing efforts against Cotto, Junior Witter and Sharmba Mitchell in fights taken on short notice. But according to the reigning IBF titleholder he is capable of even better showings if he is given the appropriate time to prepare for a set opponent.
“If you give Lovemore enough time to prepare for a fight, then you’ll see the best of Lovemore,” explained Ndou. “When I fought Ben Rabah I had enough time to prepare for him and I beat him up really bad. And that’s exactly what’s going to happen to Malignaggi now that I’ve had enough time to prepare for this kid.
“When you fight top contenders not only do you have to be fit, but you need to study them and prepare for their style. I never had a chance to do that when I fought Cotto or Mitchell or Junior Witter, but now I’ve got an opportunity to do that. I’ve studied Malignaggi and I know him inside out. I don’t expect any surprises when I step into the ring, I’m just going to beat him up.”
Ndou has enjoyed a flawless preparation going into this bout, working many solid rounds former IBF junior lightweight titleholder Gairy St Clair, undefeated prospects Billy Dib and Dean Byrne, as well as larger fighters such as Daniel Geale and Robert Medley. The training camp has left Ndou in no doubt as to who will be victorious on Saturday night.
“At this stage, nobody can beat me,” said Ndou. “I’m unbeatable. I’m at the top of my game. Some boxers deteriorate with age, but I get better with age. With age comes experience and wisdom, and with experience comes success – that’s why I’m a world champion today. I just feel I’m getting stronger and smarter every day.
“People talk about Malignaggi being so fast, but people don’t realize how fast I am. People talk about Malignaggi having a good jab, but people don’t realize what a good jab I have. I believe that on the night I’m going to out-jab him, I’m going to out-speed him and I’m going to outsmart him. I just don’t see how he’s going to beat me.”
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