by David P. Greisman (Photo by Richie Maldonado)
Paulie doesn’t necessarily want a cracker.
As a general rule, power punchers are the ideal foils for slick stylists. Paulie Malignaggi clearly fits the latter description, with strategy and speed compensating for an acknowledged paucity of pop. But if Cory Spinks is comfortable enough to line up under center and brave the blitz, then Malignaggi sets up in the shotgun and throws little but quick slant passes.
Three years ago, Spinks stayed in the pocket and outboxed Ricardo Mayorga. On Saturday, Malignaggi took a more cautious approach against Edner Cherry. Fending off Cherry’s bombs may have been sweet science for Malignaggi, but mixing the two styles brought a surprising absence of chemistry and a humdrum lack of combustion.
“I made it boring sometimes, but I felt like that was the way to go tonight,” Malignaggi said in a post-fight interview. “If I made it exciting with this guy, it would’ve gave him a chance to hurt me and possibly knock me out.”
Malignaggi generally talks a good game, but this version of “the Magic Man” was honest and modest, a stark contrast from the machismo he usually oozes in interviews. But there he was, the pretty boy whose win wasn’t exactly aesthetically pleasing – and perhaps that’s why his typically brash persona was persona non grata.
It’s clear that Malignaggi still feels the sting from last year’s decision loss to Miguel Cotto, a defeat that left the Brooklynite bruised both outside and in. The swelling is gone, the damaged orbital bone repaired, but Malignaggi is still rebuilding his pride.
“Coming off the last fight, which was a very physical fight, I felt like I needed to show a little bit more boxing and just make sure I had everything together and make sure mentally I came back the right way,” he said.
“I had to make it a little exciting sometimes, but sometimes I guess the situation doesn’t warrant it. I felt like I was holding him off with the jab the right way because he was overexerting himself at times, so I felt like the jab, I could just walk him into it and pace myself.”
Of the 168 punches Malignaggi landed, 103 were jabs. Cherry, who tends to fight at lightweight and who made the junior welterweight limit with ease, still packed enough punch at 140 that a Cherry right hook behind the ear and a few flush left hooks had Malignaggi backpedaling for a majority of the tenth and final stanza. Thus the jab was essential for creating distance, and it kept Cherry honest despite Malignaggi’s inability to inflict damage.
But what Malignaggi lacks in ammunition, he more than makes up for in testicular fortitude. He doesn’t fight scared – this is, after all, the man who tried trading punches with Cotto. Even though his power is dwarfed in comparison to that of most of his foes, Malignaggi has the machismo to contend. But Malignaggi is also modest enough to know that he’s not quite ready to face off against his division’s aggressive, mauling champion.
“I think this was a fight where it was more for my confidence than anything else, coming off that physical performance with Cotto,” he said. “So maybe I could show a little more in the next fight to maybe warrant a fight against Ricky Hatton.
“He’s a good fighter. I definitely want to fight him. I want to test myself against the best of my era, but a performance like tonight, I don’t think will convince many people of a fight with Ricky Hatton and me.”
Paulie wants a crack at the champ. Before that, however, he must regain his confidence – otherwise the next cracker could leave Malignaggi picking up the crumbs.
The 10 Count
1. On the undercard of Malignaggi-Cherry, Sechew Powell took a unanimous decision over Ishe Smith in a tactical bout that was much closer than the judges’ tallies indicated. Powell took an early lead, as Smith was content with sitting back and waiting for opportunities to counter. Smith, however, picked up the pace as the bout progressed. Instead of rolling his front shoulder as just a defensive technique, Smith began to launch effective left hooks and straight right hands out of the stance. The judges, though, weren’t swayed by Sugar Shay – all three scored the fight 97-92 in favor of Powell.
2. In the show’s opener, Andre Berto made short work of Norberto Bravo, flooring the welterweight journeyman thrice in the first round. The result – a stoppage victory for Berto due to New York’s three knockdown rule being in effect – surprised no one. Berto is an undefeated rising prospect who has now won 13 in a row via knockout. Bravo, meanwhile, came in as a late replacement for Ben Tackie, and nearly every Berto punch seemed to hurt the second-season Contender contestant.
3. With a documentary about Joe Louis in the works, HBO again plopped its solicitation for stories about “the Brown Bomber” into the broadcast’s closing credits. This time, thankfully, the network made sure that their phone number wasn’t missing any of its requisite digits. I still don’t understand why HBO won’t lace together some footage of one of history’s greatest heavyweights for a commercial that can run between fights. More potential contributors to the documentary will see the ad, and more boxing fans will watch the film when it airs.
4. Add Michael Sprott’s third-round kayo of Audley Harrison to the early list of contenders for knockout of the year. With a single left hook, Sprott not only turned Harrison from a heavyweight into dead weight, but he may have also driven the final nail into the coffin that was once Harrison’s promising career.
5. Boxers Behaving Badly: Mehrdud “Takaloo” Takalobigashi appeared in court last week on charges that he and his wife Sarah conspired to commit benefit fraud, according to British newspaper Kent News. Authorities allege that from April 2003 through Sept. 2006, Takalobigashi and his wife made false claims for social security, housing and council tax benefits. Takalobigashi’s plea hearing was adjourned until May 30, a decision that will allow the welterweight to face Michael Jennings on April 7.
6. Boxers Behaving Badly update: Citing insufficient evidence, San Bernardino County prosecutors dropped charges against O’Neil Bell last week, clearing the way for the cruiserweight champion to face Jean-Marc Mormeck in a March 17 rematch of their 2006 slugfest, according to the Riverside Press-Enterprise. Bell was arrested Feb. 4 for allegedly throwing a hatchet and rocks at sparring partner Larry Slayton during a training run in Big Bear, Calif.
7. HBO play-by-play announcer Jim Lampley was charged last week with allegedly violating a restraining order filed against him by former girlfriend Candice Sanders, according to the Associated Press. Although the misdemeanor charge is considerably less serious than the initial felony domestic violence charge, Lampley still faces a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine if found guilty.
Lampley is scheduled to appear in court on March 13.
8. Junior flyweight Will Grigsby tested positive for marijuana following his Jan. 25 stoppage loss to IBF titlist Ulises Solis, according to ESPN.com scribe Dan Rafael. With the Nevada State Athletic Commission likely to impose both a fine and a suspension, this may be the right time for Grigsby to retire. Grigsby won two titles at 108 pounds, though it would have been three had he not also tested positive for marijuana after outpointing Nelson Dieppa in 2000. At 36, Grigsby is ancient for a smaller fighter, and his two straight losses to Solis show that he is a veteran on a rapid decline.
9. A Match Made in Heaven: Tony Thompson – who forgot his shoes for his heavyweight clash against Timor Ibragimov on Fox Sports Net’s Best Damn Sports Show Period – and Zab Judah, who supposedly has an eponymous line of footwear due out in May.
10. After last week’s “Fighting Words” went to press, cult cartoon television series Family Guy dropped a boxing reference that suited the show’s tradition of nonsensical nostalgia.
Stewie Griffin, hoping to provoke corporal punishment from his mother, Lois, grabbed a crayon and sketched a pineapple-shaped caricature on the wall.
“Look, I’ve drawn heavyweight pugilist David Tua on the wall,” Stewie said. “Punish me!”
Lois glanced down and responded, “Oh, sweetie, you’ve really got to stop – huh, looks like David Tua.”
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