Malignaggi’s Mouth Is Active, Fighter Vows To Beat Cotto
By Michael Woods May 25th, 2006Paulie Malignaggi ready for Miguel Cotto
Paulie “The Magic Man” Malignaggi (21-0, 5 KOs) is preparing his June 10 title fight against World Boxing Organization light welterweight champion Miguel Cotto (26-0, 22 KOs) at Madison Square Garden. If he wins, Paulie will be a NY sensation, with his Gatti-boy hair and major-league trash-talking capability. He was interviewed at training camp with his friend and occasional sparring partner, Irish John Duddy, for a Boston radio show (www.1510thezone.com). Malignaggi is looking forward to the atmosphere at the Garden, which will be a virtual melting pot of ethnicities when he meets Cotto. “It’s going to be the event of the year,” he said. “There’s going to be a lot of enthusiasm and involve a lot of people with all of the Italians, Irish and Puerto Ricans. There’s something for everybody. This is a matter of national pride. Boxing brings that out like no other sport other than maybe soccer.”
Malignaggi is aware that the sport is hoping to build new, marketable names and a win over Cotto would be monumental. “It’s the future of boxing with Cotto and me fighting for the world title along with John (Duddy),” he said. “We’re all in our mid-twenties and ready to be superstars. My next fight always is the most important of my career. My last fight was my most important, now this is my most important fight. Once I’ve won it isn’t important anymore and my next fight will be the most important.”
So, what’s the prediction from the Brooklyn bad boy? “The so called experts think Cotto’s going to break me down,” he said. “Not many are picking me. They must not have watched me fight because I breakdown my opponents. I control the tempo of my fights. At the end of the fight you’re going to see Cotto broken down. I’m going to use the negative press as fuel for the fire. Cotto thinks he’s going to come in and knock me out. He’s in for a rude awakening.
“Miguel Cotto has never fought anybody with my style and ability. Let’s see how he answers pressure. There are a lot of questions he has to answer when he fights me June 10. Is he willing to be knocked out by walking into my punches or cruise and lose his dignity?”
Will the big-fight atmosphere be too much for Malignaggi? “I relish big crowds and it doesn’t matter if they’re booing or yelling for me,” he said. “[The ones booing] I’ll make them go home unhappy.”
(Email news tips to Michael Woods at Fightwrite@gmail.com)
May 26th, 2006 at 7:22 am
My money is on Paulie… UD. Take it to him brotha, put on a first class boxing lesson and lay the smack down on him. Cotto is a tough, strong fighter, but Paulie is to damn fast and agile for Cotto to handle.
May 26th, 2006 at 11:07 am
If the fight goes the distance i can see it in Malignaggi’s favour due to the amount of times he as gone compared to Cotto. But if Cotto catches him i dont think he will win cause Cotto Hits HARD.
May 26th, 2006 at 12:06 pm
I agree with you 100 percent. If Cotto catches him he will probably get KO’d, but theres one problem. You can’t hit what you can’t see.
May 26th, 2006 at 2:20 pm
i am pickin paulie ud. Paulie is a great quick boxer and moves well, yo p…do what u do best———–1
May 27th, 2006 at 11:55 am
Cotto has faced tougher opponents and won fights that he probably should have lost. On the other hand this kid is hungry for the title. I am going for Cotto because he is naturally the smarter boxer although Paulie has a better skill set. Paulie doesn’t seem to posses the power that Cotto has. Overall I think it will be a great fight and will really prove if Cotto is the real deal.
May 29th, 2006 at 2:50 am
What has Malignaggi done in his career to even deserve to be in the same room with Cotto, let alone headlining a fight at the Madison Square Garden, a sacred place for boxing?
Cotto by KO, middle rounds.
May 29th, 2006 at 9:05 am
This is no contest . Cotto will overpower him and pick him apart. KO early-middle rounds.
May 29th, 2006 at 2:19 pm
PEOPLE DON’T SLEEP WITH COTTO, IT’S TRUE THAT SOMETIMES SPEED MAKES THE DIFFERENCE BUT NOT ALWAYS, REMEMBER VICTORIANO SOSA, ONE OF THE TOP FIGHTERS IN THE DIVISION A FEW YEARS AGO (WENT TO DISTANCE WITH MAYWEATHER JR),SOSA WAS FASTER THAN COTTO,RESULT TKO IN THIRD ROUND,HE HAD FIGHT WITH THE BEST IN THE DIVISION SOSA,PINTO,BAZAN,MAUSSA,BAILY,NDOU,ABDULAEV,TORRES,CORLEY,BRANCO; COTTO LIKES KO,LIKE OTHER BOXERS, BUT HE CAN BOX TOO,HE IS STRONG AND VERY SMART FIGHTER, I THINK PAULIE WILL HAVE A VERY BUSY NIGHT…COTTO BY TWO WAYS
May 29th, 2006 at 3:48 pm
well…..this people talk without even know about boxing…..they right that Cotto haven fight with a fighter like that…but they dont realize that the white boy haven fight with a fighter like Cotto….Cotto fought with tough fighter like Ricardo torres,Mohamad Abdulae he have beat cotto in the olimpics,Demarcus Corleym,Randall Bailay and other fighter…i will put my money on Cotto..viva PUERTO RICO!!!!!
May 30th, 2006 at 2:41 pm
to me this Malignaggi is another step of the ladder for cotto , he will stop talking when cotto knocks him out and where did this boy appear his nothing compare to cotto. Cotto will breack him downnnnnnnnnn.
June 4th, 2006 at 1:10 am
have we all forgotten the younger cotto, or do we reflect on his last 4 fights this guy is a boxer regardless of his past few brawls, he is a technician that scouts his opponents well before a match, this is a no brainer cotto wins by ko 6th rounds. sorry paulie you dont rattle his cage
June 5th, 2006 at 7:55 pm
Paulie will give Cotto some trouble early, maybe even stun him, but Cotto comes on late, wearing him down, knocking him out
June 9th, 2006 at 5:37 pm
hha paulie hands cotto his ass and knocks him out in th th round if not then later in the fight cotto sucks he really has nothin but powerthats all folks paulie wins and everyone else will look stupid bettin on cotto