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MALIGNAGGI: "IF CASAMAYOR WANTS TO STEP UP, I'LL WHOOP HIS ASS ON HBO!"
By G. Leon
GL: Can you give us some thoughts on Ricky Hatton's performance against Jose Luis Castillo? "I thought Ricky Hatton did what he had to do against a guy who was past his prime. If you remember correctly, Paul Malignaggi was like a prophet. I told everybody who would listen that Castillo wasn't the same fighter and he wouldn't put up the same fight against Hatton, and Hatton would win pretty easily. That's exactly what happened. Castillo looked pretty shot to me. Listen man, Ricky Hatton is 43-0 so he's a good fighter, but I'm going to say what I've been saying originally, if he wants to get in there with a young lion, someone who is really going to test him then step up to the plate and fight Paulie Malignaggi. I'll show Ricky Hatton what it feels like to be in there with somebody who knows how to fight, somebody who's in their prime and somebody who's coming to win."
GL: Were you impressed with his performance?
Paul Malignaggi: "It was a typical Ricky Hatton performance. There was nothing to be impressed about. It was not exciting, so I don't understand why people are saying it was exciting. He did what he had to do and he did it in typical Ricky Hatton fashion, he was holding 90% of the time. What was exciting about that fight? They've got to stop jocking this guy already. They criticize guys like Mayweather and then they start jocking guys like this for wrestling the whole fight."
GL: Floyd and Hatton have exchanged some words recently. Obviously that's a bigger fight than you and Hatton, does that concern you?
PM: "If Floyd wants to come back and beat Ricky Hatton I think that's an easy fight for Floyd and I wouldn't step on his toes. I think Floyd beats Ricky Hatton hands down no questions asked. At the same time, if Floyd doesn't come back, I'm ready, willing and able to be ready to do my best and I assure you I have what it takes to beat Ricky Hatton. I'm not Floyd Mayweather, but I assure that Paul Malignaggi will beat Ricky Hatton.
GL: What about Dmitriy Salita? Would you beat him?
PM: "Look, I'll beat anybody who gets in the ring with me. Me and Dmitriy go back a long way and we're friends, but at the end of the day it's business. I know Dmitriy would fight me and if they offer me enough money for the fight I'll fight my friend Dmitriy also. I feel like I'm he best in the world at 140, I have a title for a reason and I'm willing to fight anybody.'
GL: Have you been talking with your promoter to find out when your next fight might take place?
PM: "We've talked and I think the fall would be a good time to come back. I've got to let the cut heal and let my body rest. I just did twelve hard rounds, sometime in October sounds good to me. I want Ricky Haton. Then I read ********** this morning and I see Joel Casamayor is talking some ****, Joel Casamayor could get slapped up too. I don't discriminate, I'm an equal opportunity ass kicker. I'll whoop anybody's ass who wants to get their ass kicked. If Joel Casamayor wants to step up, I'll whip his ass on HBO tell him to step up."
GL: If you can't get Hatton who would you prefer to fight Salita or Casamayor?
PM: "Casamayor because he represents a bigger name and beating a guy with a bigger name does more for my career. Plus I have no friendly ties to him, I actually don't like the guy so I have no problem slapping Casamayor around.
"But I want Ricky Hatton, there's something he said the other night about he put on his two best performances against Kostya Tszyu and Jose Luis Castillo and those were his two best opponents. I want to correct him on that, those were the two biggest names on his record. At the time he fought them they were no longer what they were. The best fighter Ricky Hatton fought is Luis Collazo and Luis Collazo beat Ricky Hatton. And if you notice, that's the only young lion he got in the ring with. Everybody else was either old, a has been or couldn't fight. I don't just talk I make sense, if you're reading this right now you're saying you know what? He's kind of right, this **** is fact it's not opinion."
GL: Is there anything you'd like to say in closing?
PM: "I want to thank all of my fans, my boy Vivian Harris for saying some nice things about me on ********** and ********** for sticking by me from the beginning."
By G. Leon
GL: Can you give us some thoughts on Ricky Hatton's performance against Jose Luis Castillo? "I thought Ricky Hatton did what he had to do against a guy who was past his prime. If you remember correctly, Paul Malignaggi was like a prophet. I told everybody who would listen that Castillo wasn't the same fighter and he wouldn't put up the same fight against Hatton, and Hatton would win pretty easily. That's exactly what happened. Castillo looked pretty shot to me. Listen man, Ricky Hatton is 43-0 so he's a good fighter, but I'm going to say what I've been saying originally, if he wants to get in there with a young lion, someone who is really going to test him then step up to the plate and fight Paulie Malignaggi. I'll show Ricky Hatton what it feels like to be in there with somebody who knows how to fight, somebody who's in their prime and somebody who's coming to win."
GL: Were you impressed with his performance?
Paul Malignaggi: "It was a typical Ricky Hatton performance. There was nothing to be impressed about. It was not exciting, so I don't understand why people are saying it was exciting. He did what he had to do and he did it in typical Ricky Hatton fashion, he was holding 90% of the time. What was exciting about that fight? They've got to stop jocking this guy already. They criticize guys like Mayweather and then they start jocking guys like this for wrestling the whole fight."
GL: Floyd and Hatton have exchanged some words recently. Obviously that's a bigger fight than you and Hatton, does that concern you?
PM: "If Floyd wants to come back and beat Ricky Hatton I think that's an easy fight for Floyd and I wouldn't step on his toes. I think Floyd beats Ricky Hatton hands down no questions asked. At the same time, if Floyd doesn't come back, I'm ready, willing and able to be ready to do my best and I assure you I have what it takes to beat Ricky Hatton. I'm not Floyd Mayweather, but I assure that Paul Malignaggi will beat Ricky Hatton.
GL: What about Dmitriy Salita? Would you beat him?
PM: "Look, I'll beat anybody who gets in the ring with me. Me and Dmitriy go back a long way and we're friends, but at the end of the day it's business. I know Dmitriy would fight me and if they offer me enough money for the fight I'll fight my friend Dmitriy also. I feel like I'm he best in the world at 140, I have a title for a reason and I'm willing to fight anybody.'
GL: Have you been talking with your promoter to find out when your next fight might take place?
PM: "We've talked and I think the fall would be a good time to come back. I've got to let the cut heal and let my body rest. I just did twelve hard rounds, sometime in October sounds good to me. I want Ricky Haton. Then I read ********** this morning and I see Joel Casamayor is talking some ****, Joel Casamayor could get slapped up too. I don't discriminate, I'm an equal opportunity ass kicker. I'll whoop anybody's ass who wants to get their ass kicked. If Joel Casamayor wants to step up, I'll whip his ass on HBO tell him to step up."
GL: If you can't get Hatton who would you prefer to fight Salita or Casamayor?
PM: "Casamayor because he represents a bigger name and beating a guy with a bigger name does more for my career. Plus I have no friendly ties to him, I actually don't like the guy so I have no problem slapping Casamayor around.
"But I want Ricky Hatton, there's something he said the other night about he put on his two best performances against Kostya Tszyu and Jose Luis Castillo and those were his two best opponents. I want to correct him on that, those were the two biggest names on his record. At the time he fought them they were no longer what they were. The best fighter Ricky Hatton fought is Luis Collazo and Luis Collazo beat Ricky Hatton. And if you notice, that's the only young lion he got in the ring with. Everybody else was either old, a has been or couldn't fight. I don't just talk I make sense, if you're reading this right now you're saying you know what? He's kind of right, this **** is fact it's not opinion."
GL: Is there anything you'd like to say in closing?
PM: "I want to thank all of my fans, my boy Vivian Harris for saying some nice things about me on ********** and ********** for sticking by me from the beginning."
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