By Rick Reeno
Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer has advised BoxingScene.com that both Adrien Broner (26-0, 22KOs) and Paulie Malignaggi (32-4, 7KOs) have agreed to the financial terms for a showdown on June 22 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Broner, the WBC's champion at 135-pounds, will move up by two weight divisions to challenge Malignaggi for his WBA welterweight crown.
Broner-Malignaggi will headline a Showtime televised tripleheader.
Schaefer indicates that Seth Mitchell (25-1-1, 19KOs) will face Johnathon Banks (29-1-1, 19KOs) in the televised co-feature. Last November, Banks scored one of the biggest upset wins of the year with a second round stoppage of Mitchell. After starting strong in the first, Mitchell was dropped three times in the second round.
"Both [Broner and Malignaggi] have agreed to the fight. Then Seth Mitchell and Johnathan Banks will be on the undercard, and we are still working on a third fight so I can't announce that yet," Schaefer told BoxingScene.com.
Broner and Malignaggi have already begun an "R-rated" war of words in the press. Schaefer expects the official press conference, and other related media events, to be verbally explosive.
"I already have a smile on my face. This is one that I am looking forward to," Schaefer said. "You have two of the most watched BoxingScene video guys together at a press conference. There is a lot of pride involved for Paulie, to defend his title in his hometown against Adrien Broner. This is not going to be an easy task for Adrien, but it's not going to be an easy task for Paulie either. It's a very interesting matchup."