With Shawn Porter vs. Paulie Malignaggi now confirmed for April 19, both fighters have begun discussing the attributes they believe will lead them to victory.
Porter, who’s making the first defense of the IBF welterweight belt he lifted off Devon Alexander on December 7, claims Malignaggi isn’t much different from his last opponent.
“I fought hard to get this title. Paulie says he wants it, but is he willing to go through me to get it?” says Porter, who won his crown with an impressive win over Devon Alexander last December. “Fighting Malignaggi is like fighting Alexander. They don’t have the strength or power to keep me away, and I will steamroll Paulie on my way to victory April 19.”
Malignaggi, who fought on the same December card with Porter, will come into the bout with the momentum of having won “The Battle of Brooklyn” via a wide decision win over Zab Judah. Having won belts at 140 and 147, and sporting a 5-3 record in world title matchups, Malignaggi points to Porter’s relative lack of championship experience as his main advantage.
“I’m excited to be back in a title fight so soon after my win over Zab Judah. I will become a three-time world champion on April 19,” promised Malignaggi. “Porter is a good fighter and I’m sure he’ll be a champion again in the future, but he doesn’t have the tools or experience to beat me.”
Porter vs, Malignaggi will serve as an undercard bout for the Golden Boy’s Hopkins vs. Shumenov card. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster or the DC Amory Box Office.
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This would have a been a tough fight for the young Paulie. The Malignaggi we have now is still a solid fighter, but it’ll be very difficult for him to prevent Porter from getting inside. After watching Porter from ringside hit Julio Diaz with everything but the kitchen sink in their rematch, I picked him to beat Devon Alexander handily. Now I’m saying the same for this Malignaggi fight.
Porter is a pit bull. A strong welterweight punch is probably the only thing that will make him think twice about rushing it. Paulie doesn’t have that. The Magic Man also has no inside game to speak of, nor the footwork needed to prevent Porter from mauling him. This fight likely mirrors the Hatton one with Porter landing a lot more clean punches (and Paulie surviving…).
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 