Paulie Malignaggi Wins Euro Gold, Decisions Moscatiello

By Miguel Assuncao

London, England - Paulie Malignaggi (34-7-0, 7 KOs) fulfilled a career-long ambition to win the EBU-EU European welterweight title by outclassing Antonio Moscatiello (20-2-1, 14KOs) on points in the first bout of Matchroom Boxing’s packed ‘Bad Intentions’ bill at the O2 Arena, London.

Malignaggi - an Italian-American who was born in Brooklyn, New York, but spent his early life in Sicily -  made a confident start by landing a succession of snappy jabs and using using neat footwork to keep the Milan-based Moscatiello at bay.

The former WBA champion’s speed and superior punch variety forced Moscatiello to try his luck with a series of telegraphed right hands, but Malignaggi’s evasive head movement continued to frustrate his 33-year-old opponent.

As the fight moved into the mid rounds, Malignaggi started to unload an impressive barrage of three and four punch combinations that further served to show the difference in class between the two boxers.

However, Moscatiello was not discouraged by Malignaggi’s accurate work and started to control centre ring as he tried to pin the Magic Man in the corners as the fight neared its conclusion.

It proved to be too little too late as Malignaggi’s confident fight management saw him home with scores of 119-110, 119-110 and 120-109.

Miguel Assuncao is part of Boxing Scene's UK team. Follow him on Twitter @Migass21