SONAHR: August 2, 2015 – Paulie Malignaggi is one of the most colorful characters ever to ply his trade in a boxing ring. A feather-fisted boxer, his motor mouth and flair for dramatic hairstyles and ring attire more than made up for the lack of pop in his punch. His quick hands and defensive skills carried him to titles in the light-welterweight and welterweight divisions. And in the wake of his retirement after absorbing a four-round shellacking at the hands of up-and-coming Shawn Porter last year, Malignaggi made a seamless transition to a role as a ringside color commentator.
But success behind the microphone wasn?t enough for the flamboyant New Yorker. He still wanted to be on the inside, rather than the outside, of the ropes. So he answered the siren song of the comeback, and on Saturday night he stepped into the ring at Brooklyn?s Barclay Center to take on another young warrior: Danny Garcia, the undefeated Philadelphian who had recently vacated his WBC and WBA ?Super? 140-lb titles to test the waters of the talent-laden welterweight division.
Malignaggi hung in longer against Garcia than he did with Porter ? nine rounds rather than four. The result was the same, though. Although Malignaggi didn?t go down, by the end of the fight, Garcia was hitting him with almost everything he threw to both the head and the body, and the referee mercifully intervened.
As always, Paulie gave it everything he had, and was still trying even after the fight had slipped hopelessly out of his grasp. But when your guns carry only light-caliber ammunition, and your defenses aren?t what they used to be, and your opponent is as young, talented and hungry as you once were ? the result is inevitable, and often sad.
Garcia remains undefeated as he sets his sights on bigger game. The welterweight class is in a period of transition now, with Floyd Mayweather Jr. set to retire after one more fight, Manny Pacquiao on the shelf due to injury, and Keith Thurman, Kell Brook, Timothy Bradley, Shawn Porter and Amir Khan jockeying for position at the top of the heap. Despite his impressive performance against Malignaggi, Garcia would find himself in deep water against any of those potential opponents. That won?t stop him from swimming as hard as he can, though. Disregard for the odds against him is one trait Danny has in common with Malignaggi.
Immediately after his agony in the ring ended, a bruised and bloodied Malignaggi hinted that this time, he was hanging up his gloves for good. Here?s hoping he sticks to that intention. If his punch was as big as his heart, he would have flattened every opponent he ever faced. His prospects for eventual induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame are iffy. But if Ray Mancini and Arturo Gatti can be voted in, Malignaggi stands a decent chance to get there as well.
Here?s hoping that from now on, the only time we see Paulie Malignaggi in the ring is in a suit, conducting interviews.
