By Mark Vester

IBF junior welterweight champ Paulie Malignaggi thinks Ricky Hatton is no longer comfortable with being hit. He saw the change in Hatton's nature after the 2005 title winning effort over Kostya Tszyu. Malignaggi defends against Hatton in November with Las Vegas and New York in the running to host. And he once again denied rumors of considering a step-aside fee to allow a potential Ricky Hatton-Manny Pacquiao fight to happen.

"There’s no confirmed date but it should be in November sometime," Malignaggi told Setanta Sports News. "I’d go to Vegas for it but I think it's better for Ricky and me to do it in New York. I’ve heard Ricky wants to fight in Madison Square Garden, I’m a New Yorker and I think it would be a mega event in New York. Ultimately it's where Ricky wants to go. I’ve heard that rumor [about him stepping aside for Hatton-Pacquiao] but I don’t see the necessity for it. I’m going to fight Ricky in the fall there’s no need for me to take step-aside money, it’s an opportunity I’ve been waiting for and if I took step-aside money I’d basically be selling out and not giving my own self the opportunity I’ve always craved."

Malignaggi feels th Manchester fighter is no longer capable of taking a good shot, he appears to get nervous when hit with hard punches.

"Some people might say 'Paulie’s being arrogant', but I just see with Ricky everytime he gets hit he gets hurt lately," Malignaggi said. "Whether he gets hit to the body or the head, he never reacts well and even if he doesn’t wobble, when he takes a good punch he doesn’t look comfortable. I didn’t notice it in the Kostya Tszyu fight so I don’t think it’s always been like this.  In the Tszyu fight he was taking punches and like an animal, he was like a man possessed attacking Kostya constantly.

"But ever since that fight I’ve noticed it. I was at the Luis Castillo fight, he's a good friend of mine, when they fought in Boston, Massachusetts, I felt like he was reacting the same way. Punches would come his way and he would look very uncomfortable."

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