Malignaggi: Shawn Porter doesn’t have the experience or tools to beat me

By Boxing News - 03/17/2014 - Comments

003-Paulie-Malignaggi-IMG_0393By Allan Fox: Paulie Malignaggi (33-5, 7 KO’s) will be challenging unbeaten IBF welterweight champion Shawn Porter (23-0-1, 14 KO’s) on April 19th on the undercard of the Beibut Shumenov vs. Bernard Hopkins fight at the DC Armory, Washington, District of Columbia, USA. Malignaggi thinks his experience will be too much for the young 26-year-old Porter, who has faced much lesser opposition during his 6-year pro career.

“Porter is a good fighter and I’m sure he’ll be a champion again in the future, but he doesn’t have the tools or experience to beat me.”

Porter looked very good in beating Devon Alexander last December, and I think Malignaggi might be going in the direction by thinking that Porter’s lack of experience means that he’ll automatically be losing to him. Porter fought well in dominating Alexander with his aggressiveness, and his inside fighting. He’s also looked good in his two fights against Julio Diaz and in his wins over Phil Lo Greco and Alfonso Gomez.

Malignaggi, 33, is getting a big break in getting another world title shot after his loss to Adrien Broner last year in June. Malignaggi rebounded from that loss in defeating Zab Judah last December, but that was against a light welterweight contender and not a welterweight. Judah no longer fights in the welterweight division, and so it’s difficult to see that as a meaningful fight for Malignaggi. A rebound fight should have been Malignaggi fighting a top 15 welterweight like Keith Thurman, Kell Brook or Robert Guerrero instead of fighting an aging light welterweight like Judah.

Porter will be a very tough opponent for Malignaggi, because he’s not going to back off and stop punching completely the way that Judah did against Malignaggi. That was a fight where Malignaggi was knocked down early in the 2nd round by Judah, but instead of him continuing to fight well, Judah stopped punching for the remainder of the fight and just stood like a frozen statue in front of Malignaggi. Porter isn’t going to freeze up and stop punching. He’s someone that will continue to apply pressure on Malignaggi for the entire fight, and force him into a war whether he wants to or not.



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