At the Barclay Center press conference on June 20, 2013 for the Malignaggi-Broner card, the main event fighters certainly stole the show. In contrast to the animated Paulie-Adrien exchanges that would follow, the co-feature fighters dutifully showered gratitude and predicted victories, and there was little to distinguish one speech from another, save for a few soundbites.
Sakio ?The Scorpion? Bika (31-5-2-, 21), a Cameroon native who fights out of Sydney, Australia, spoke of a recent addition to his family: a daughter born during his training camp. His Mexican foe for the vacant WBC super middleweight title, Marco Antonio Periban (20-0, 13), dedicated the fight to the memory of trainer Rudy Perez, who worked with Marco Antonio Barerra.
Heavyweight fighters Seth ?Mayhem? Mitchell (***) and Johnathon Banks (***) do not have to make weight today and cannot claim calorie-deficiency for their almost lethargic speeches and face-off. Let?s hope they are saving all of their energy for their rematch for two minor belts. Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer tried to stir interest by reminding the media that this will be the first heavyweight title fight (albeit not a world championship) to be held at Barclay Center, and that Banks? pupil, Wladimir Klitschko, will be present Saturday night in support of his chief second.
Schaefer then attempted to hand over the mic to challenger Adrien ?The Problem? Broner (26-0-0, 22), but the fighter deflected the opportunity to his co-promoter, Andrew Williams. WBA welterweight champ Paulie ?The Magic Man? Malignaggi (32-4-0, 7) sat taciturn refusing to make eye-contact as Williams asked him to acknowledge as a commentator that Broner is a talented fighter after he wrests the belt from the Brooklynite.
Broner then did take to the podium and stated that after Saturday, Paulie will no longer be relevant to the boxing game, except as a commentator. Team Broner chose to bypass the junior welterweight division and challenge Malignaggi for a world title at 147 lbs. after defending his lightweight title only once in February this year. ?The Problem? claimed that on Saturday he will become a world champion in three weight divisions at age twenty-three. As for the outcome of the fight; Broner yelled at Malignaggi, ?I?m gonna knock you the f*%^ out!?
Paulie then took center stage. After he addressed an issue best left on the middle school playground, and chastised a journalist for ?wasting fifteen minutes of my time? on the subject at the open workout, Malignaggi admonished Broner and a few hecklers with ?I talk about what I want to talk about because I?m a million dollar fighter.? The champ told the challenger to ?stop trying so hard? by showing up one hour late to the press conference, and informed Williams that he has already acknowledged that Broner is talented, but that ?talent is just part of the package.?
In a final stab at his challenger, Paulie reminded Adrien of a conversation they had in the Wild Card Boxing Gym locker room when Team Broner was preparing to fight Daniel Ponce de Leon. According to Malignaggi, Broner asked him for advice on what it was like to ?go the distance,? as he had never fought ten rounds before. Paulie closed with ?I?m gonna beat your ass!?
The co-feature and main event face offs were uneventful. Broner and Malignaggi exchanged plenty, but were sent in separate directions before tempers boiled over.
Also in attendance were WBO middleweight champ Peter ?Kid Chocolate? Quillen and former junior welterwight champ Zab ?Super? Judah.
The weigh in will take place today June 21, 2013 at 12 noon outside at the Brooklyn Borough Hall plaza and is open to the public.
