By Cliff Rold
Photo (c) Tom Casino/Showtime
With anticipation for the first major cable show of 2008, the boxing world gets ready for the return of top Jr. Welterweight contender and reigning IBF titlist Paulie Malignaggi (23-1, 5 KO, Ring Magazine #2) of Brooklyn, New York. After a gutsy loss in 2006 to then-WBO 140 lb. titlist Miguel Cotto, Malignaggi regrouped and posted career best wins against Lightweight Edner Cherry and Lovemore N’Dou (for the IBF title) in 2007.
Saturday night on Showtime Championship Boxing, live from the Atlantic City Bally’s Hotel and Casino at 9 EST/PST, he’ll have more than a fighter in front of him. There is also a certain pale-skinned body puncher who will be looking for his next big payday after the lone loss of his career against Floyd Mayweather. That man is World Jr. Welterweight champion Ricky Hatton (43-1, 31 KO). The better and more entertaining Malignaggi, 27, can be, the better his chances will be at a fight that could do big business in the United Kingdom or Paulie’s native New York.
The immediate obstacle on the road to Hatton is 28-year old Canadian-based Cameroon battler Herman Ngoudjo (16-1, 9 KO, unrated). In Ngoudjo’s last big step up, he lost a narrow decision to former World Lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo in January 2007 on HBO. He has posted one win in the months since, that against faded former 140 lb. titlist Randall Bailey.
Both fighters weighed in cut and ready Friday, Malignaggi at 139 lbs. and Ngoudjo at the 140 lb. limit. The weights are about even, but does the rest of this match-up make the grade?
Let’s go to the report card.
Speed: In the important category of speed, Malignaggi appears to hold an edge. That is particularly true of his foot speed. Paulie is able to get in and out quickly while 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 is not to say that Ngoudjo lacks in hand speed; his jab is quick, sharp and straight and he throws landing combinations off of it. Grades: Malignaggi A-; Ngoudjo B
Power: Neither of these young warriors will make anyone forget about Julian Jackson nor does either have the sort of pop that could make Herol Graham remember Julian Jacskon. That said, Ngoudjo should be heavily favored in this category. Though lacking in one punch power, Ngoudjo makes up for it with a sort of steady, thudding effectiveness that can take a toll late in a fight. His problem is that he has to be set to punch and can be methodical in his delivery. Conversely, Malignaggi dropped N’Dou in his last fight so clearly he can land some hard stuff, but his punches are mostly thrown to score points and his record indicates that his fights should always be assumed to be headed for the cards. Grades: Ngoudjo B; Malignaggi C-
Defense: Ngoudjo is harder to hit than he looks. He comes in behind a high guard set up to block punches and his jab is part of his defense. Malinaggi is hittable, as Cotto showed, but also elusive enough not to get caught twice in a row. His head movement is superior to Ngoudjo’s, and that could matter if Ngoudjo gets impatient trying to track Paulie down. Grades: Even – B for both
Intangibles: These are the things the eye doesn’t always pick up easily and we know more about Paulie’s intangibles than Ngoudjo’s. Against Cotto, Malignaggi took a beating in spots but he also kept taking it and looking to fire back. There were some who even had him drawing even in that bout. To Ngoudjo’s credit, in his first trip into the limelight he did not shrink away from Castillo. Instead he fought the old veteran to what many saw as a stalemate. The ability to take a punch can also be considered an intangible and on this point, both men are proven commodities. However, only Paulie’s chin is really an issue given the likelihood that he won’t be able to hurt Ngoudjo. Grades: Malignaggi B+; Ngoudjo B
The report card is in and the slight edge goes to Malignaggi with an overall B+ to Ngoudjo’s B.
Expect those grades to hold up in Atlantic City with Malignaggi’s ability to throw around the guard of Ngoudjo, and ability to move at angles that stop Ngoudjo from being able to set his feet and punch, to carry him to a majority decision that could get very tight down the stretch.