By Jake Donovan
You can spend all of your time between now and August 1 pointing out the vast differences between Danny Garcia and Paul Malignaggi as they prepare for their upcoming PBC on ESPN headliner at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Garcia has never been short on confidence, but at the same time is content to let others do the talking for him. The unbeaten former World junior welterweight champion proudly representing Philadelphia often leaves the trash talk to his father and trainer, Angel Garcia, while readily admitting that adviser Al Haymon is highly influential in whom he faces in the ring.
By stark contrast, Malignaggi does his own talking, and in fact is rarely tight-lipped. The brash Brooklynite has used his mouth as much as his fists—if not more so—in marketing his career, collecting belts at 140 and 147 and even currently serving as an expert color commentator on Showtime and CBS.
Fighters often claim to feed off of criticism, which Garcia—who moves up to the full welterweight limit for this fight—admitted during a recent media conference call to serve as his motivation through many a training camp.
“I would love for the fans and the media to love me, but it is what it is,” Garcia notes. “They’re tough on me and that’s what keeps the chip on my shoulder. That’s what makes me train hard every day.”
Don’t count Malignaggi among those who spends any extra time worrying about how to prove the critics wrong.
“I could give a f*** if anyone loves me or hates me,” Malignaggi bluntly stated in openly wondering why Garcia would care about the opinions of others. “I go out there and do a job. I love the adrenaline rush, competing at the highest level.”
The August 1 showdown represents Malignaggi’s first ring appearance since last April. The former two-division champ was last seen suffering a 4th round knockout loss at the hands of then-unbeaten welterweight titlist Shawn Porter.
It was hardly his finest moment among an otherwise respectable career dating back to 2001. In fact, given the severity of the loss and his advanced age, there was consideration as to whether or not to call it a career. Malignaggi refrained from pondering the question, instead taking time off but of the belief that another fight was in his future.
An opportunity was to come last month, as a May 29 showdown with Danny O’Connor was scheduled for this very venue, only for Malignaggi to have to withdraw after suffering a deep cut over his left eye during training. Evidence of the wound still exists even as he goes into training for what is clearly a must-win fight at this stage of his career.
“I know people are saying this is my last fight, that I'm just taking a payday,” Malignaggi acknowledges. “But you know what? You can’t take people’s opinions in the ring with you. What people say has no bearing on August 1.”
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox