Tag Archives: Paulie Malignaggi

Posted on 01/25/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Paulie Malignaggi sits back and reminisces about the good ole days. Having spent almost half of his life under the bright lights of professional boxing, Malignaggi remembers a time when winning a world title was once a sacred and rare accomplishment.

Over the course of his near-decade and a half-long career, Malignaggi beams with pride when he speaks of winning his world titles. In 2007, one year after losing in his first attempt at a championship against Miguel Cotto, Malignaggi dethroned former IBF super lightweight champion Lovemore N’dou.

Roughly five years later, Malignaggi began his second championship reign following his ninth-round stoppage win over former WBA welterweight titleholder Vyacheslav Senchenko.

Although those championship runs rank near the top of Malignaggi’s pugilistic career, he believes with the proliferation of world titles in today’s day and age, that once rare accomplishment has lost its luster.

“Now, you’re making secondary belts of the same sanctioning body belt,” said Malignaggi on Paulie TV. “You’ve got the supertitle with the WBA and the Regular title but you never see those two guys fighting each other. At one time, there would’ve been a demand for the number one and two guys fighting each other, and they would’ve wanted the fight, or at least the guy with no belt would’ve wanted the fight.

“Now, in the everybody gets a belt generation, everybody just says ‘hey you know what? I don’t have to fight him. I can just parade myself on the network that I fight for as a world champion and the network that I fight for will call me a world champion.”

To further expound on his point, Malignaggi looks at Gervonta Davis as a prime example of the mendacious characteristics associated with the sport of boxing.

“Case in point, Showtime calling Gervonta Davis a three-division world champion. Even though he has never won a world title at 135 pounds and he has never won a world title at 140 pounds. He has been a champion at 130 pounds.”

Davis, 27, has spent the past several years of his career competing in numerous weight classes. Following his seventh-round stoppage win over Jose Pedraza in 2017, Davis successfully wrapped the IBF 130 pound title around his waist.

However, since then, Davis has failed to compete for a full-fledged title. In December of 2019, Davis scored a 12th round stoppage victory over long-faded former champion Yuriokis Gamboa. In the process, Davis claimed the vacant WBA “Regular” 135 pound title.

In 2021, Davis brazenly took on former WBA “Regular” champion Mario Barrios at 140 pounds. Despite struggling early on, Davis managed to find the fight-ending blow in the 11th. As a result, Davis once again captured a secondary world title.

Although Davis is constantly referred to as a multiple-division champion, Malignaggi shakes his head in disgust. While the former two-division champion has the utmost respect for Davis and his overall skill set, he adamantly disagrees with anyone who believes he’s a multiple-division champion.

“This does not take away from the fact that he is a very good fighter but he is not and never has been a world champion in multiple weight classes.”

Posted on 01/23/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Pound for pound lists are mostly subjective. Just about every fan of the pugilistic sport has their opinions on who are the best fighters in the world. While most of the names that occupy those lists are nearly the same, the top of said list tends to vary.

In the mind of Paulie Malignaggi, however, he believes the best fighter in the world resides in Omaha, Nebraska.

“My number one guy on the pound for pound list is Terence Crawford,” said Malignaggi on Paulie TV. “He’s a guy who can fight out of both stances very, very well. A very cerebral fighter, a very intelligent fighter. He relies on timing, picking his shots, it’s really hard to pick a mistake in his style. He’s got incredible, incredible boxing skills that will dazzle you.”

Crawford, 34, has often been lauded for overall skills in the ring. In addition to his ability to fight as both an orthodox and southpaw fighter, Crawford has grown in his ability to score concussive knockout victories.

During his dominant run at 140 pounds, Crawford violently stripped every world titlist of their championship status on his road to becoming undisputed. With nothing left to accomplish, Crawford opted to move up in weight and try his hand at the welterweight division. So far, Crawford has not only gone 6-0 during his welterweight venture but he’s also stopped every single 147 pounder he’s faced in the process.

Most recently, Crawford placed his WBO title on the line against arguably the most difficult opponent of his career in former two-time champion Shawn Porter. Heading into their November 20th showdown, which took place at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, Malignaggi was intrigued with how things would ultimately play out.

Although Porter was confident in his ability to walk into the lion’s den against Crawford and emerge with his WBO trinket draped over his shoulder, the Omaha native scored the most impressive victory of his career. Early on, Crawford appeared to struggle with the rough and rugged style of Porter. Nonetheless, as time slowly ticked by, Crawford began adjusting to the former titlist. And, as a result, not only did Crawford register the stoppage victory in the 10th round but he also secured the number one ranking on Malignaggi’s pound-for-pound list as a result.

“I thought that was very, very impressive,” continued Malignaggi. “Porter specializes in making you look bad, especially when you have that pretty style. Porter just ruins that for you, absolutely ruins that. He really takes away your comfort zone in a vicious way, he’s got that mean streak in there.

“In the end, Crawford passed the fight, I wouldn’t say with flying colors. There were some moments where he was a little bit uncomfortable but hey man, this is world-class boxing. You’re not going to breeze through everybody. But nonetheless, he got a stoppage over Shawn Porter. He became the first guy to stop Shawn Porter. He’s the number one pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. It was a terrific win. For me, it cements him as the number one guy on the pound for pound list.”

Posted on 01/14/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Canelo Alvarez is currently enjoying the views from the top of his pugilistic sport.

Over the course of his career, his lofty placement on virtually pound-for-pound list has been earned through arduous contests against some of the best name’s the sport of boxing has to offer.

Presently, the Mexican native would likely be favored against anyone from 160 pounds to arguably, the cruiserweight division. Still, despite Alvarez being considered an almost indomitable force in the ring, former two-division champion, Paulie Malignaggi, has a hunch as to who can and will defeat him.

“Jermall Charlo is one of the guys I can see beating Canelo,” said Malignaggi on Paulie TV. “He’s just super, super, sharp man. When Jermall is on he’s super, super sharp. Countering, he’s got power. He’s a good fighter.”

As first reported by Mike Coppinger of ESPN, both team Alvarez and Charlo are locked in intense negotiations with both sides nearing a deal for a showdown that would take place on Cinco De Mayo later on this year.

Houston’s Charlo, 31, has enjoyed a long and successful run at 160 pounds. Although he currently campaigns one weight class beneath Alvarez, Charlo has stated time and time again that he would be willing to drop his WBC middleweight title in order to face Alvarez at 168 pounds.

Though the pair have yet to finalize a deal officially, a showdown against Charlo would mark a complete 180 in terms of Alvarez’s original plans.

Following an 11th round stoppage victory over Caleb Plant on November 6th, 2021, Alvarez nabbed the final piece of the super middleweight puzzle. With the win, the Mexican product became the first undisputed 168 pound champion of all time.

With a plethora of options at his disposal, Eddy Reynoso, trainer and manager of Alvarez, petitioned to the WBC sanctioning body to allow his pound-for-pound stalwart to move up in weight to take on WBC cruiserweight champion Ilunga Makabu. Shortly following his request, Mauricio Sulaiman, President of the sanctioning body, accepted Reynoso’s request.

Nevertheless, with Alvarez seemingly heading in another direction, Malignaggi believes that Charlo presents an entirely different set of problems for the newly crowned undisputed titlist.

Should Alvarez not only face Charlo but ultimately beat him, Malignaggi reveals that Alvarez will have earned all of his respect.

“I’ve been the one saying you know what, Jermall and [Demetrius] Andrade, although Andrade I feel right now is passing his prime and is not as much of a threat as he was before to Canelo but I felt like Jemall is a major threat. Big, big, props to Canelo. This was the guy I was picking to beat him if they had fought. I’m going to give Canelo even bigger props if he beats Charlo. I picked Jermall to beat Canelo and I gotta stick with my original guns.”

Posted on 07/12/2021

By: Hans Themistode

While the chances of him lacing up his sneaks and stepping onto the NBA court are slim to none, Lamar Odom is enjoying his second act.

The former two-time NBA Champion and one-time Sixth Man of the Year, officially made the transition from Swiss Army Knife on the court, to novice boxer. The 6’10, ballplayer successfully made his boxing debut last month against singer Aaron Carter. Guest referee and former UFC megastar Chuck Liddell was forced to call a halt to their contest in the second round as Odom mercilessly handed his man a one-sided beating.

For his next act, Odom is reportedly set to return to the ring on October 10th in Miami Florida. As of now, his opponent is yet to be announced.

Joining Odom on the card will likely be a showdown between former two-division world champion Paulie Malignaggi and social media star, Corey B. The two have long had an issue with one another but recently amped up their rivalry.

As Odom was in the midst of picking up his victory against Carter, Malignaggi sat ringside as a member of the commentary team. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Corey B sneakily went behind Malignaggi and proceeded to smack him in the back of the neck with a hand full of white chalk powder. Immediately enraged, Malignaggi chased Corey B and the two were separated by security.

Shortly after the incident, Corey B revealed during an interview with BoxingInsider.com, that he was hoping for a matchup against Malignaggi later on this year. Although Corey B is a relative novice at the sport, having no professional fights under his belt and training for only a few months, he believes that he could take Malignaggi with little to no problem.

“I saw his last six fights,” said Corey B to BoxingInsider.com. “Can I take him? He has one arm. It’ll be like fighting Captain Hook. He’s taken a lot of punches. I’ve got all the footage on him and he has no footage on me so everything is in my favor.”

As for Malignaggi, the Brooklyn, New York native hung up his gloves following a 2017 knockout loss at the hands of Sam Eggington. He has recently participated in a bare knuckle contest against mixed martial arts fighter, Artem Lobov in 2019.

Despite being the heavy favorite, Malignaggi would ultimately go on to lose their contest via unanimous decision.

Posted on 06/13/2021

By: Hans Themistode

The night started off a bit wacky. Former NBA star Lamar Odom and singer/songwriter Aaron Carter faced each other in a boxing ring in Atlantic City, New Jersey this past Friday night. Calling their three-round affair ringside was former multiple-time champion, Paulie Malignaggi. Unsurprisingly, Odom, who held a 10-inch height advantage, knocked Carter out in the second round.

As the night, which was hosted by Celebrity Boxing, came to a close, Malignaggi appeared to be wrapping up his duties. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Corey Bonalewicz, a US radio personality and social media star who currently has 6.8 million followers on Tik Tok, 611 hundred thousand on Instagram and generally goes by the name Corey B, came up behind Malignaggi with a pile of chalk in his hand and proceeded to smack him in the back of the head and neck.

TikToker and US radio personality Corey B has been exchanging words with Paulie Malignaggi and continued their feud in person by doing this overnight…

[🎥 @IAMCOREYB] pic.twitter.com/hHFzJxXjFu

— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) June 12, 2021

At first, the attack appeared to be unprovoked but now, after sitting down with BoxingInsider.com to explain his side of the story, Corey actually says it was Malignaggi who started the entire back and forth.

“So the reason for the beef in the first place was I’ve been boxing to stay in shape,” said Corey during an interview with BoxingInsider.com. “With all of this YouTuber boxing stuff happening, I said let me get involved. So I been training for a little while now and I was talking on the radio saying I’m excited about training and whatnot. Then all of a sudden I get a call from Paulie. He says he’s tired of us YouTubers and Tik Tokers trying to fight. He said how I’m a bum and bad for the sport and this and that. Then we went back and forth from there. What he said was, if he ever met me in person, I wouldn’t be man enough to see him face to face.”

While Corey asserts that he wanted to prove Malignaggi wrong by confronting him, he claims that his attack on Malignaggi wasn’t a spur of the moment thing. The social media star knew for quite some time that Malignaggi would be in attendance on the night and began plotting his master plan.

“It was premeditated,” explained Corey. “I had my morning show producer there and I knew it was going to happen. Malignaggi was the only one who didn’t know.”

Ultimately, Corey isn’t interested in going back and forth with Malignaggi just for fun. His eventual end game is to get the former world champion in the ring. With the second installment of Celebrity Boxing set to take place in the fall, Corey B already has a spot on the card. However, he doesn’t have an opponent just yet. If it were up to him, he would lure Malignaggi out of retirement to take him on.

“Absolutely,” said Corey when asked if he wants to face Malignaggi in the ring. “I know celebrity boxing is trying to reach out to him. I got a contract that I signed, I’m fighting October 10th and there still looking for someone for me to fight and it could be him. I think he’s down, he’s been talking about me for a while now.”

Malignaggi, 40, who held world titles in two weight classes, was last seen in the boxing ring in March of 2017, losing via eighth-round stoppage to Sam Eggington. Although Malignaggi would retire soon after, he would have somewhat of a change of heart. While he didn’t enter a traditional boxing ring, Malignaggi signed up to take on MMA fighter Artem Lobov in a Bare Knuckle Boxing match in March of 2019. Despite being the heavy favorite, Malignaggi would go on to lose via unanimous decision.

If a showdown between Corey B, who says he’s been training for five months now, and Malignaggi were to come to fruition, the social media star figures to be a significant underdog. Considering Malignaggi’s last few forays into the ring, however, Corey believes that all of the chips are currently stacked in his favor.

“I saw his last six fights. Can I take him? He has one arm. It’ll be like fighting Captain Hook. He’s taken a lot of punches. I’ve got all the footage on him and he has no footage on me so everything is in my favor.”

In the end, Corey B has an issue with Malignaggi attacking him on a personal level for taking up boxing. He also doesn’t appreciate those who consider him solely a social media personality. While he may not be the most skilled boxer in the world, Corey is giving it everything he has in training.

In terms of what he actually wants to accomplish in the sport, Corey looks at social media stars turned de-facto boxers Logan and Jake Paul, who have gone on to take part in some of the biggest boxing shows in recent history. In no way shape, or form does Corey want to disrespect the boxing community, he simply wants to try his hand at a sport he’s loved his entire life.

“Tik Tok does not define me,” explained Corey. “It’s how I make money but I can be much more than that. I give it to the Paul’s, they work every day. They’re not going to be the best but they’re making a name for themselves. Am I going to be the best? No, but I can be good and just continue to work hard. I’m motivated, dedicated and working hard. I’m not trying to put a smudge on boxing, I’ve been a boxing fan my whole life.”

Posted on 04/29/2012

by Johnny Walker

Brooklyn’s Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi upset Vyacheslav Senchenko today, cutting him to ribbons over nine dominant rounds to win the WBA world welterweight championship at the Donbass Arena, Donetsk, Ukraine.

Malignaggi (31-4, 7 KOs) got off to a fast start, using his superior speed to strafe the soon to be ex-champion with crisp jabs to the face, also scoring with some well-placed body shots. By the second round, Senchenko’s left eye was already swollen, and things would not get much better for him the rest of the way.

Senchenko did get briefly on track in round four, hitting the Magic Man with some hard left hands, but Malignaggi stuck to his game plan, and Senchenko’s face was badly marked up and bloody by the end of round six.

By round eight, Senchenko’s left eye was worsening as the American tattooed it with jabs, and it seemed only a matter of time, as the now desperate champ, his vision impaired, was winging wild shots that Malignaggi deftly avoided.

Finally, when Malignaggi landed a hard right hand directly on Senchenko’s grotesquely swollen eye in round nine, referee Steve Smoger had seen enough, and waved off the fight, handing Senchenko (32-1, 21 KOs) his first loss and making Paulie Malignaggi the new WBA welterweight champion of the world.

“This is the happiest day of my life,” said an elated Malignaggi from his dressing room in Donetsk.

“I trained really hard for this fight and believed in myself. I don’t care what anyone says, I’m a two-division world champion. This is exactly why I signed with Golden Boy. I’m ready to fight any welterweight in the world.”

“Paulie went into the lion’s den and again showed everyone what he is all about,” said Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer.

“With his dominating performance, he put everyone at 147 lbs. on notice. Ever since he moved to the welterweight division, he has assembled one thrilling performance after another and now the crowning achievement…Welterweight World Champion! Brooklyn here we come!”