Malignaggi's Options: Hatton or Zaveck Could Be Next
By Lem Satterfield
On Saturday night in Quebec, Canada, former IBF junior welterweight titlist Paulie Malignaggi made his welterweight debut. He stopped Michael Lozada in the sixth round of a one-sided fight. The 30-year-old Malignaggi (28-4, 6 KOs) has switched promoters, having left Lou DiBella for Golden Boy Promotions. Coming into the fight, Lozada (39-7-1, 29 KOs) had won his last three fights, all by knockout.
Malignaggi-Lozada was part of the undercard to the Showtime televised main event featuring the controversial draw between WBC/IBO light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal (26-1-1, 16 KOs) and 45-year-old ex-titlist, Bernard Hopkins (51-5-2, 32 KOs).
Malignaggi's first fight in 2011 could come against IBF welterweight champion Jan Zaveck, or Matthew Hatton, who's older brother Ricky Hatton stopped Malignaggi in 2008.
"The names that have been brought up to me have been Matthew Hatton or [Slovenian] Jan Zaveck [30-1, 17 KOs], the IBF welterweight champion. All of that is speculation, of course, but that's who has been brought up," Malignaggi said.
Lem Satterfield is the boxing editor at AOL FanHouse and the news editor at BoxingScene.com. To read more from Lem Satterfield, go to AOL FanHouse by Clicking Here.
