Proper social decorum demands that we should exercise our freedom of expression with refined and well-considered thoughts and moral responsibility. It is a self-evident truth that freedom itself is morally improper if lived to the fullest sense of the word.
He is arguably one of the current performers of the sweet science of boxing; he throws no hard punches, but the way Paul Malignaggi, 28, executes the sport is fine. However, his traditionalist embrace of the classic hit and don’t get hit style is now repulsed by the mainstream contemporary boxing fans. Even so, there are still a few boxing conformists who still take pleasure watching people like Malignaggi performs his approach at the sport, the fighting manner that runs contrary with Manny Pacquiao’s beloved, crowd – drawing, whirlwind and breathtaking style.
Just like any other diehard supporter of the sport in the planet, this writer draws a rapturing delight at the sight of Pacquiao in action, but maintains reservation for enjoyment at fighters whose primary fighting aptitude is purely hinged on outboxing and outpointing their adversaries rather than sending them off to the canvas as early as possible for good and for the greater delight of the crowd. Boxing being the “sweet science” is earned from the scientific style of those fighters like Malignaggi, former IBF World Junior Welterweight Champion. And on a personal note, he is a pleasure to watch.
What is something repulsive though about this New Yorker – Italian fighter is how he carries himself outside the four-cornered ropes. Indeed he fights well but in truth his punches bear no significant threat against the health of the prospective recipients of his punches, notwithstanding, he appears unwilling to learn a simple lesson on how to extend his opponents their due respect. This undesirable off-ring antics of the “Magic Man” was markedly evident in one of his recent interviews with boxingScene.com., courtesy of Ryan Burton in which Malignaggi speaks on Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz, his ring date in a rematch come December 12 in Chicago. Malignaggi (26-3-0, 5KO’s) in an incredibly controversial decision lost to the same opponent in their first meeting at the bailiwick of Diaz (35-2-0, 17 KO’s) in Houston.
” He has to make an excuse for why he got an ass whoopin this time…I am going to serve him up a nice dish of ass whoopin all over the place…” Malignaggi said in utter display of disrespect to the former unified WBO, WBA and IBF world lightweight champion.
It can be noted that the same Malignaggi boldly predicted Manny Pacquiao shamefully losing against Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico on their passionately anticipated welterweight showdown on November 14 that ended up handing Cotto his 2nd defeat in a humiliating and humbling fashion, allowing Pacquiao to collect his seventh world title in as many weight divisions, an unprecedented accomplishment in the history of boxing. Unsurprisingly, on one of the trifling side notes, Pacquiao proved Malignaggi wrong. But unlike the rest of Manny Pacquiao disbelievers, including the great Angelo Dundee who once trained Muhammad Ali, and Roger Mayweather who trains the other fighter who likewise holds a strong claim to the current pound-for-pound topmost post, who probably are still having hard time reviewing a lesson on humility Pacquiao taught them, Malignaggi refused to budge, and still singing to the tune of Sr. Mayweather, boldly and baselessly claimed Pacquiao was on steroid.
“I think there is something up with Manny Pacquiao. I am not going to get into it. I think people will understand what I am saying. Full blown welterweights don’t take those type of punches from Miguel Cotto the way he took them with total disregard for his power nor do they hurt him with every punch they hit him with. These are full blown welterweights I am talking about. This guy is coming up in weight and doing all these things. There is something up with this guy but that’s as far as I am going to go into it. Floyd Mayweather (Senior) has gotten into it a little bit. There have been other fighters who have mentioned it. I am not going to get into no controversy. I am going to leave it at that. There is something that seriously makes me feel weird about Manny Pacquiao. I am going to leave it at that.” So claimed Malignaggi in the same interview.
Pacquiao like every other human being is prone to succumb to the inherent imperfections that plague the world, but never did he falter in his ever professional character with regards to his sport. For the record, the Nevada Athletic Commission never found such a career-threatening and sport-defaming machinations being inconsiderately hurled at Pacquiao. Never was there any suggestion of it since Pacquiao was still a struggling unknown boxing commodity in U.S. soil.
Nonetheless, from the standpoint of the contemporary democratic society, anyone is permitted and entitled to express his/her personal opinion, and Paul Malignaggi is certainly well-supported by this social convention. That’s a given. But proper moral decorum demands that we should exercise our being free with refined thoughts, class and responsibility. In that regard, Malignaggi appears a failure, which is in a very probable likelihood is aggravating the rather dry and plummeting plight of his boxing career.
