by J.R. Leon: Welterweight contenders Paulie Malignaggi and Lucas Matthysse find their boxing careers at a crossroad after their recent losses to Adrien Broner and Danny Garcia respectively. Both fighters are still a marketable entity, with Matthysse having the upper hand due to his great power punching abilities and knockout record, and I believe a fight between the two would help their chances at a major promotional push from Golden Boy Inc.
The intriguing part about this fight, if it ever got made, is the fact that Matthysse, who was expected to become the next Manny Pacquiao as proclaimed by Golden Boy’s CEO Richard Schaefer (after his brutal knockout of Lamont Peterson on May 18th, 2013), clearly lost a one sided decision to Danny Garcia, who resembles the same style of fighter as Malignaggi. Both Garcia and Malignaggi are considered boxers and not brawlers, although Garcia has more punching power, and Matthysse was not really able to impose his will on Garcia as everyone in the boxing community expected him to. Matthysse did land some power punches but Garcia’s movement and well placed shots kept him at bay and whenever Matthysse was able to get inside, Garcia was smart enough to clinch and slow Matthysse’s offense.
On the other hand, Malignaggi’s recent loss to Adrien Broner showed he could still compete with one of boxing’rising stars and against an opponent with incredible hand speed and what was believed to be great punching power. Whether or not Broner was able to carry his punching power from 135lbs. to 147lbs. is a reasonable question, but the fact of the matter is that Malignaggi took his best shots and wasn’t visibly hurt during the fight. If Malignaggi can repeat this type of performance against Matthysse and use some of Garcia’s defensive schemes, this could be a very entertaining fight. I still believe Matthysse will win, but isn’t that what we said about the Garcia fight?
That’s why I believe this fight should happen. They are both promoted by Golden Boy Inc. and they both need a significant win. If Malignaggi defeats Matthysse that will be a major upset, even more so than Garcia’s, and it should propel him back to the upper-end of the welterweight division. If Matthysse on the other hand destroys Malignaggi, as he was supposed to do against Garcia, it will push him back to the top of the class and should line him up for another championship fight. I see it as a win-win situation for both fighters, Golden Boy Inc. and the boxing community. What are your thoughts?
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