By Mark Vester
On June 16, at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT, IBF junior welterweight champion Lovemore Ndou (45-8, 30KOs) makes the first defense of his title against once-beaten Paulie "Magic Man" Malignaggi (22-1, 5KOs) of Brooklyn, New York.
Exactly 31-years ago, on June 16, 1976, hundreds of black students were killed during a protest in Soweto by South African police. The national tragedy is now called Youth Day, and according to Ndou - it's the last day Malignaggi should have signed to fight him.
"This is one day that you don't want to fight me," Ndou told the Sydney Morning Herald . "Malignaggi won't just be fighting me, he will be fighting the spirits of those dead children."
Ndou has been sparring with Gairy St Clair and Dean Byrne to prepare himself for the lightning fast reflexes of Malignaggi. Malignaggi, known for his cocky attitude and trash talking abilities, has already hit a nerve with Ndou, who wants nothing more than to shut him up.
"The kid talks too much … he is a little brat, the kid can talk underwater," Ndou said. "He is from Brooklyn. People from Brooklyn talk a lot of trash. Even a deaf mute would be making some some noise out of their mouth. I just want to shut [him] up."
