I have watched the video of the moments before the weigh-in in New York for the Amir Khan vs. Paulie Malignaggi fight that turned into a shoving and shouting brawl before order was restored.
I don’t know if ticket sales are weak and they had to lower themselves to this level for publicity but this was a bad Jerry Springer Show episode if you know what I mean.
I don’t mean to call out anyone, but among those leading the simulated throat-slashing gestures before the fighters stepped onto the scale was Paulie Malignaggi promoter, and former HBO Sports executive, Lou Di Bella.
But Di Bella was leading the fingerpointing afterwards toward Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer. He can’t have it both ways.
Team Malignaggi apparently was told that the public was not invited to the event while Khan had a lot of fans and friends in the tiny room at the Middle Eastern-concern owned Essex House in Mid Town.
There was no security at the event.
There is plenty of blame to pass around and nobody should be taking the moral high ground here.
This is why family and children shouldn’t work corners or be allowed in the ring after a fight even after a verdict has been announced.
Hormones and adrenalin are raging, infants and women in high heels are capable of slipping out of the ring and on to a table and a concrete floor as did Kermit Cintron last week.
Even in Great Britain fighters have to step outside the ring to do interviews to clear people out of there.
The security logic is to protect people from themselves.
I don’t know if the fight Saturday night is actually going to be any better what we saw at the weigh-in but I hope it’s as intense.
Actually, the post fight coverage of Mayweather vs. Mosley and media coverage of Manny Pacquiao winning his election, along with Khan missing valuable promotional time in New York due to a visa problem had to have hurt promoter Golden Boy who obviously wanted to showcase Khan in his American debut but had to settle for a couple of days of photo opportunities.
We are 13 paragraphs into this story and I haven’t forgotten than Malignaggi is one of my least favorite fighters. Nothing I saw today has changed any of my feelings.
I like Khan to win Saturday night within the distance in a competitive fight and dreaded Victor Ortiz will beat a shot Nate Campbell on the under card.
