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By Thomas Gerbasi - It doesn’t seem like yesterday, but it also doesn’t feel like it was over 11 years since a fresh-faced kid from Bensonhurst named Paulie Malignaggi first stepped foot into a boxing ring as a professional back in July of 2001.
The opponent that night at KeySpan Park in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn was Thaddeus Parker, whom the 20-year-old Malignaggi stopped in the first round. Since then, the “Magic Man” has outlasted Parker, who according to boxrec.com never fought again, KeySpan Park, which is now called MCU Park, and the legion of doubters who figured that the kid with the big mouth was just a flash in the pan destined to flame out fast in the dog eat dog world of boxing.
They didn’t know the pitbull in the heart of Malignaggi though, that behind the flash and the mouth was a real fighter. He knew though, and he wasn’t shy when it came to telling the world who he was and where he was going.
"I'm Boxing's next superstar," Malignaggi told me two days before his pro debut. "Paulie Malignaggi is going to make it up the ladder quickly and I'm going to win multiple titles. That's my goal. I'm going to explode on the scene Saturday night. I'm looking to make a big splash, and once you see me, I'm going to be here for a while. I'm here to stay. They let the tiger out of the cage now that I'm pro." [Click Here To Read More]
The opponent that night at KeySpan Park in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn was Thaddeus Parker, whom the 20-year-old Malignaggi stopped in the first round. Since then, the “Magic Man” has outlasted Parker, who according to boxrec.com never fought again, KeySpan Park, which is now called MCU Park, and the legion of doubters who figured that the kid with the big mouth was just a flash in the pan destined to flame out fast in the dog eat dog world of boxing.
They didn’t know the pitbull in the heart of Malignaggi though, that behind the flash and the mouth was a real fighter. He knew though, and he wasn’t shy when it came to telling the world who he was and where he was going.
"I'm Boxing's next superstar," Malignaggi told me two days before his pro debut. "Paulie Malignaggi is going to make it up the ladder quickly and I'm going to win multiple titles. That's my goal. I'm going to explode on the scene Saturday night. I'm looking to make a big splash, and once you see me, I'm going to be here for a while. I'm here to stay. They let the tiger out of the cage now that I'm pro." [Click Here To Read More]
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