By Cliff Rold
A continent apart, Heavyweight Vitali Klitschko and Jr. Welterweight Paulie Malignaggi posted victories of differing significance, and disparate entertainment value, but similar class on Saturday night.
Over twelve rounds at the PostFinance Arena in Berne, Switzerland, 38-year old WBC titlist Klitschko (39-2, 37 KO) of the Ukraine dominated all twelve rounds against undefeated 30-year old Kevin Johnson (22-1-1, 9 KO) of Atlanta, Georgia in what turned out to be an almost unwatchable encounter. Johnson, talkative in the pre-fight build, showed off fine defense, and used his jab to bruise up the face of Klitschko, but landed and seldom threw anything else of note.
It was but another candidate for worst Heavyweight title fight of all time in perhaps the worst Heavyweight decade since the gloved era began in the late 19th century.
The fight followed similar patterns through almost every round, with Johnson pawing and popping the jab while Klitschko attempted to catch him with flurries of shots. Hiding behind a shoulder roll, Johnson mitigated the damage which could be done but offered nothing for Klitschko to worry about in exchange. Klitschko, professionally and methodically, took what Johnson would give him, letting connections take the place of a hope for a knockout.
The fight lacked any drama until the final thirty seconds of the twelfth when a spirited exchange led to a chest to chest face off after the bell and a quick shove of Vitali’s brother, World Champion Wladimir, after the bell as Wladimir attempted to separate the two and ease tensions. Final punch stat totals showed Johnson landing a total of five power shots, in the entire fight, justifying easy scores of 119-109 and 120-108 twice for Klitschko.
One of the lone bright spots among big men since the retirement of Lennox Lewis in 2004, Klitschko made the third defense of his second WBC belt reign while being extended the distance in a victory for only the second time since beginning his professional career in 1996. At 38, Klitschko needs the sort of opponent who can help to cement what place in history he may have. He didn’t have one on Saturday night and whether one exists in this landscape remains to be seen.
As part of the same U.S. broadcast, it was up to smaller men to make for some memorable fisticuffs and they did so.
He left Texas feeling robbed in August. 29-year old former Jr. Welterweight titlist Paulie Malignaggi (27-3, 5 KO), 138 ½, of Brooklyn, New York, proved at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois on Saturday night that neutral ground was all he needed to add a name to his resume which should already have been there. That name belongs to 26-year old former Lightweight titlist Juan Diaz (35-3, 17 KO), 138 ½, of Houston, Texas, whose career will face tough questions after a third loss in his last five outings, this time by unanimous decision.
The fight began at a measured pace, Diaz beginning on the outside and electing not to pursue with his trademark advantage. It was a tenor which favored Malignaggi as the first developed into a battle of jabs for the first couple minutes. In the final minute of round one, Diaz let loose a couple left hands to the body while Malignaggi sprayed in some quick combinations while playing to a crowd which split chants between the two fighters.
It was the Diaz faithful who erupted early in the second as Malignaggi peppered the shorter Texan, spurring there man into a flurry which chased Malignaggi into the ropes. Malignaggi slid away, moving and picking spots for his jab, opportunities to counter, and lead left hooks. In the closing moments, Malignaggi stood square in the middle of the ring, baby stepping occasionally as Diaz circled and looked for a way past his defenses clearly frustrated.
Diaz found the hole he was looking for in the third, unleashing a trio of lefts to the ribs and firing hard with lefts and rights to Malignaggi’s head. Diaz stuck his tongue out to punctuate the moment, but was forced to keep a civil tongue until all but the closing seconds of the third as Malignaggi boxed comfortably.
After a dull fourth round controlled by the legs and slashing leads of Malignaggi, Diaz surged in the first half of the fifth with some nice combinations inside. To his credit, Malignaggi planted his feet and exchanged before the bout settled back into its stilted rhythm. Diaz again opened up early in the sixth but it was Malignaggi who came away ahead, landing a snapping right uppercut to stun Diaz. Diaz’s legs wobbled and remained unsteady as Malignaggi fired more uppercuts before foolishly electing to preen and clown, letting the advantage slip away and giving Diaz time to recover.
The fighters traded the seventh and eighth rounds, Malignaggi controlling the former but Diaz stealing the latter in the final minute with an explosion of action punctuated by his trademark left to the body. He’d have no such success in rounds nine or ten, Malignaggi often all but toying with a Diaz whose output of punches paled in comparison to career trends. A light cut to the left eye suffered earlier in the fight grew worse and a knockdown was ruled when it appeared Diaz’s glove touched the floor after a Malignaggi punch.
Rationally behind in the fight, Diaz pushed the action in round eleven and landed some left hooks early while maintaining aggression throughout the frame. When the bell rang to signal the end of the eleventh, Diaz’s sole road to sure victory appeared to be by a knockout he wasn’t fighting hard enough to hope for.
He fought, at the least, harder in the final round, sealing a scoring rally in the final two rounds with some well-timed rights and thudding left hooks as Malignaggi continued to box but moved his hands a little less. It would not be enough with Malignaggi cruising to victory on unanimous scores of 116-111.
Malignaggi was understandably elated, erasing the stain of his controversial loss to Diaz and moving his career forward in a big way. He was vocal about critics who felt he’d seen better days entering 2009 after a rough stoppage loss versus then Jr. Welterweight champion Ricky Hatton in 2008. “I told you so. I just needed a fair shake. I want to give props to Juan Diaz. He fought a great fight. I know we had a lot of venom to spew at each before that but he always brings out my respect to him every time we get in there and fight. He fought like a warrior. I also want to say to those critics and those cynics out there, all those haters, all you punks that said I was finished, calling me a has been last year at this time. Last year at this time, you thought I was done.”
Malignaggi didn’t quite finish the thought but its meaning was clear but he promised a “big 2010.” While Malignaggi talked of wanting a chance to avenge his loss to Hatton, or a confrontation with Lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez, those two fighters appear headed towards each other.
Given current plans and developments in the rest of the Jr. Welterweight division, Malignaggi could be the best available name right now for excellent WBO titlist Timothy Bradley (25-0, 11 KO). Bradley was a winner on a separate Saturday card in a thrilling battle with Lamont Peterson and a bout with Malignaggi would figure to be a fast paced and technically intriguing encounter.
In the televised opener, 22-year old Jr. Welterweight Victor Ortiz (25-2-1, 20 KO), 144, of Oxnard, California, bounced back from surrendering to Marcos Maidana in his last fight with a seventh round stoppage of faded 33-year old veteran Antonio Diaz (46-5-1, 29 KO). Diaz was dropped in round three and ultimately finished on his stool after the sixth with a bad cut. Ortiz’s victory clears the way for him to seek his way back into title contention in 2010.
Saturday’s split telecast was broadcast on United States premium cable outlet HBO as part of its Boxing After Dark series, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and K2 Promotions.
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
