By Rick Reeno

BoxingScene.com was advised that a rematch between former champions Paulie Malignaggi and Juan Diaz is now a dead issue. Diaz, and his manager Willie Savannah, were unhappy with the presented terms and turned down the fight. The two main issues were the money and the weight. From what I was able to find out, Diaz was going to make a little less than what he had earned for the August fight with Malignaggi. He wanted to make more. The problem with making more money is the date of the event. The fight falls at the end of the year and there is only so much money left in HBO's budget. They were not happy about the proposed weight of 140-pounds. They wanted the fight to take place at 138.5; the same catch-weight as the August bout.

Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer and Lou DiBella was close to placing the fight at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago on December 12. The fight was going to be an HBO televised main event. Junior welterweight Victor Ortiz was going to be the co-feature. Diaz will not see action on the December card. He was offered Malignaggi with no other alternatives. Ortiz will probably still return on the December date. Super featherweight champion Robert Guerrero, who was originally going to fight on that particular HBO date, could return to the card.

HBO tried their best to make the rematch happen. They offered $750,000 for the fight. Diaz won a controversial twelve round decision over Malignaggi in the first  fight, which took place in Diaz's hometown of Houston, Texas. The majority of the television audience had viewed Malignaggi as the winner. The scoring of the fight was a hot topic. Fans were upset, resulting in a growing demand for a rematch.

When reached for a comment, Savannah didn't sugar coat his response. He said the money, and the weight, were the cause for the rematch falling through. Savannah confirmed that his fighter will not see action in December and because there were no alternatives offered, Diaz's next fight is in limbo for the moment. Under the circumstances, he is unlikely to return before 2010.

"We just didn't agree on the purse and I think it would have been a problem as far as the weight is concerned too," Savannah said.

Malignaggi contacted BoxingScene in a fury. Overcome with emotion, Malignaggi held nothing back when discussing the entire situation.

"We tried everything we could to make the rematch. They f*cked me the first time and they tried to f*ck me the second time. They tried everything in their power not to make it happen. They never wanted the rematch. Every time we solved one problem, they came back with another problem. F*ck Willie Savannah. .F*ck Juan Diaz. They could suck my d*ck. They are going to sit on the f*cking shelf. Nobody gives a f*ck about watching Juan Diaz fight. Fighters get punched in the face for a living. Well this kid really gets punched in the face for a living. Nate Campbell beat the sh*t out of him. Marquez beat the sh*t out of him and then I beat the sh*t out of him," Malignaggi said.

"He can't look in the mirror and tell himself that he beat Paulie Malignaggi. Nobody thinks he beat me. Nobody. I'm sick and tired of all the bullsh*t that I have to deal with in boxing. He never had any intention of making the rematch. They tried everything to make it a f*cking mismatch in the first fight and tried everything to win - and they still had to rob me. F*ck them. We'll see how far he goes. He makes exciting fights but he gets his ass beat. At some point you have to win. They put us in the ring on equal terms and I will beat the f*cking brakes off of this kid. If he was a man, he would tell his manager to make this fight. He will still get his ass beat but at least he can collect one last payday and then he can go become a lawyer or whatever the f*ck he wants to do."

Malignaggi told Ross Greenburg, president of HBO Sports, to match him against any of the top fighters at [or around] junior welterweight, including Juan Manuel Marquez.

"I have faith in Ross Greenburg and HBO. The fans are being denied this rematch because of Juan Diaz and Willie Savannah's petty games. I have faith in Ross to come up with something for me. I told him to put me in a fight against anyone. I know Marquez wants to come back against a name, I'll fight him. I have a lot of faith in HBO to do the right thing with me," Malignaggi said.