By Cliff Rold
And so it begins.
The first major cable show of 2008 is now lost to the rear view mirror…but not so lost as to preclude another look. Saturday night on Showtime Championship Boxing, live from the Atlantic City Bally’s Hotel and Casino, leading Jr. Welterweight contender and titlist Paulie Malignaggi (24-1, 5 KO, Ring Magazine #2, IBF titlist) of Brooklyn, New York prevailed by twelve round unanimous decision over 28-year old Canadian-based Cameroon battler Herman Ngoudjo (16-2, 9 KO, unrated).
In doing so, the 27-year old Malignaggi kept himself in the hunt for what would be a life-enhancing payday against World Jr. Welterweight champion Ricky Hatton (43-1, 31 KO). Moreso than that, Malignaggi’s performance was exciting enough, and vulnerable enough, that it may actually have increased his chances at that desirable showdown.
In the lead-up to the fight, Boxing Scene provided some pre-fight academics for Malignaggi-Ngoujo. With the final bell sounded, it’s time to ask whether these two young battlers made the grade.
Let’s go to the report card.
Speed: As anticipated, the speed advantage in this bout went to Malignaggi but not by quite as much as appeared to be the case before the fight. Ngoudjo’s right hand accuracy throughout the night was fueled by a quickness that effectively reacted to the defensive upper body movement of Malignaggi. However, those reactions were not as frequent as needed to be the case. In the pre-fight report card, it was written that foot speed would be as significant as hand speed because “Ngoudjo only seems comfortable coming forward. Speed of foot helps a fighter to create angles, and with a fighter like Paulie who is able to rattle off combinations that come in off of those angles, that becomes a serious advantage.” That turned out to be true. Ngoudjo came in far too often in straight lines, unable to create angles where the speed of his right hand could be a consistent factor. In contrast, Malignaggi made sure all night to step out at angles off of both jabs and lead left hooks. Pre-fight grades: Malignaggi A-; Ngoudjo B/Post Fight Grades: Malignaggi A-; Ngoudjo B+
Power: If Malignaggi could punch, he might be knocking on the door of the pound-for-pound elite. Malinaggi though is no puncher and that was on display again. Unable to hurt his foe, his best bets were to stick, sting and not stay still. He accomplished all of the above throughout most of the rounds. In this category, it was Ngoudjo that was a little surprising. What was referred to before the fight as “steady, thudding effectiveness” turned out to be more snapping than thudding when Ngoudjo could get his best stuff home. The seventh round stood out on that front. A right hand to the temple wobbled Malignaggi’s legs early and led to the best round of the fight for the African. His lack of creativity prevented him form getting those type of bombs home often on the evening, but the power was on display. Pre-fight grades: Ngoudjo B; Malignaggi C-/Post Fight Grades: Ngoudjo B+; Malignaggi C-
Defense: Ngoudjo turned out to be easier to hit than prior fights indicated. That may have been indicative of a lack of respect for what was firing at him. It may also have ultimately hurt his efforts. Better defense may have given Ngoudjo more openings; he came to the fight to counter but if he had sought to parry, more counters may have opened up. Malinaggi remained what he has been; hittable but not hittable enough unless he’s getting hit by Miguel Cotto. Along with slippery head movement, Malignaggi did a nice job of using his shoulders to deflect bombs from Ngoudjo; he blocked with the face of the gloves effectively as well. The hittable part though almost cost him; while the ultimate result of the fight was fair, Malignaggi was swimming deep in the second half of the fight as Ngoudjo came on, forcing Malignaggi to hold as much as he boxed. Pre-Fight Grades: Even – B for both/Post-Fight Grades: Malignaggi B; Ngoudjo B-
Intangibles: This was a hard twelve round fight waged at a championship level. That almost says it all when it come to intangibles, but there are a few more words that can be used. Malignaggi again showed the heart observed in his lone loss to Cotto, surviving the tumultuous seventh and shorter rough patches throughout the night. It says a lot when a guy comes into the ring knowing a lack of pop means he’s there for the long haul and still doesn’t shrink from the battle. Malignaggi may use his legs, but he’s beginning a habit of engaging in crowd-pleasing fare. In other words, he has and is willing to display a solid chin. As was the case in his first step-up bout against former World Lightweight champ Jose Luis Castillo, Ngoudjo shrugged off any pressure one might expect and came to win all night long. Both these young men displayed spirit, professionalism and class during and after the fight and neither ever took their foot off the gas. Pre-Fight Grades: Malignaggi B+; Ngoudjo B/Post Fight Grades – An A for both
The report card is in and ultimately only one grade matters: the W for win. That goes to Malignaggi. Where do they go from here? Ngoudjo certainly showed that he’ll be worth watching again but might be making a case for himself as a fighter to avoid. Risk and reward rear their ugly head.
Malignaggi has a considerable future in front of him. He may be sitting on a winning lottery ticket. As long as he stays away from the man who might be his division’s best fighter (that would be Britain’s WBC titlist Junior Witter), the pot of gold that could be one rainbow Hatton is within sights. A sure-fire ticket seller, Hatton-Malignaggi is a bout that fans could anticipate almost as much as the fighters accountants.
Report cards return in two weeks in preparation for the bout between Roy Jones Jr. and Felix Trinidad.
