Don't miss all the action this Saturday, May 15, as WBA jr. welterweight champion Amir "King" Khan defends his title against former champion Paulie "The Magic Man" Malignaggi at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York and televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark at 9:45 PM ET. What's at stake? How will the fight play out? Check out the FightHype Breakdown to see why you don't want to miss this fight!
WHAT DOES IT MEAN...
The 140 pound division is rich and deep. There are a lot of good fighters and a lot of good fights that can be made. Timothy Bradley, Devon Alexander, Marcos Maidana, Amir Khan, Paulie Malignaggi, Victor Ortiz, Nate Campbell, plus Juan Manuel Marquez and Humberto Soto if they choose...mix and match them any way you like and odds are a good fight will come out of it.
For Amir Khan, this fight is nothing more than an introduction to the American public. The fights he sees himself in one day will be fought on American soil and if he wants to create a buzz and demand for these fights, he needs to peak the public's interest. There is no telling how meteoric of a rise they have outlined for Khan, but after a Malignaggi win, the logical group of fighters he would consider would have to include Bradley, Alexander or Maidana. Who knows? Maybe they could even talk Ricky Hatton out of retirement for a mega-showdown in the UK, though based upon how much the Hitman seems to be enjoying life outside of the ring right now, I wouldn't bet on it. If Khan were to lose, you could bank on the rematch with Malignaggi. Paulie is not a puncher and if Khan were to lose, it would be by a decision in a fight he probably does not take much punishment in.
Paulie Malignaggi always seems to be the opponent in these big fights and he almost always puts up more of a fight than many expect, but he still takes the approach of an opponent. Recently, with new trainer Sherif Younan at the helm, Malignaggi has been fighting more like the A-side and less like the opponent. Sure, it's only been two fights, but both times he was brought in with the thought in mind that he would lose and each time he was the guy people found themselves being impressed with in there. A win for Paulie would be a huge boost for his career. Not only would it net him one of the straps at junior welter, but it would steal the spotlight away from the future star being unveiled to the American public. Sure, he would likely end up in a rematch against King Khan, but this is huge for the Magic Man. Should he lose, it's really tough to say what direction Malignaggi will go in. Odds are he will get another fight against a young up-and-comer. Regardless of the fact that Paulie is skilled, he has very little pop, so there is minimal risk that someone gets their fighter hurt. Embarrassed? Possibly...but not hurt.
WHEN THE BELL RINGS...
Ami Khan seems most comfortable when he can come out and set a fast pace behind his jab, move back when his opponent advances, and ward them off with the straight right behind the jab again.
Paulie Malignaggi likes to make his opponents miss with some slick defensive maneuvers, land the jab, and flury just in time to get back out, but Paulie has some fighter in him to and he will stand on the inside with his opponent. Physically, he is deceptively strong.
In a sense, Malignaggi will likely have to find a way to bully Khan a bit and plant some seeds of doubt. Earlier that night, Breidis Prescott will fight on the undercard and while Malignaggi does not punch nearly as hard, Khan's chin is still his chin and it will be important to remind him of that.
Between mixing boxing and trying to out-muscle him, Malignaggi will look to stay active and let his hands go to keep his efforts on the judges minds and hopefully bank some rounds. At the same time, he does not want to give Khan too many chances to counter him or to land the leading shots. It is a difficult task, but Malignaggi does have a very underrated skillset.
As the fight wears on, I would not expect to see much in the way of a stamina issue for either guy. They both are well-conditioned and they both seem to pace themselves pretty well. Besides, I don't think a grueling slugfest is what we anticipate.
THE CALL...
While Malignaggi is underrated as a boxer and is a lot tougher than people give him credit for, he is also hittable when he chooses to stay on the inside, which is more often than should be the case. The only advantage Malignaggi has in this fight is chin and I am not sure he punches hard enough to take advantage of it.
Amir Khan is being matched properly here because he is a very good boxer himself, has better handspeed than Malignaggi, and basically does everything Paulie does better. Plus he is bigger, can punch harder and will have little fear of the return fire.
I know Malignaggi by decision is the fashionable upset pick, but I do not see it. Khan by decision is the call here. 117–111, maybe 116–112, but at no point do I see Amir Khan struggling to find his way in there or fighting to take control of the fight.
Questions...comments...agree...disagree? Send me an email at jdemaria@fighthype.com.