By Chris Williams: With the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao fight out the window because the two fighters couldn’t come to an agreement about the drug testing methods, Top Rank promoter, Bob Arum, has said that they’re looking at replacing Mayweather with former IBF light welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi for the March 13th date at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada. My question is this: Couldn’t the Pacquiao team found a little better opponent than Malignaggi to fight?
I mean, come on. Malignaggi may be a middle of the pack top light welterweight, but there’s got to be at least six to ten other fighters that Pacquiao’s management team could have selected for Pacquiao to fight rather than Malignaggi. I see this as a terrible mismatch at best. I wouldn’t mind seeing the mismatch if it were on ESPN, but this fight is going to be pay-per-view. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I personally don’t want to shell out $49.95 to see Pacquiao take Malignaggi apart over three or four one-sided rounds.
That’s not my idea of entertainment. That’s like throwing a lamb to a hungry lion and expecting the lamb to have a chance. I don’t want to pay to see that. If it’s on free television, yes, I’ll watch it. But to put a non-champion caliber fighter like Malignaggi with what many people see as the best fighter in boxing is like throwing someone to be sacrificed. Malignaggi had his day in the past couple of years.
Malignaggi won the IBF title against a 37-year-old Lovemore N’dou, and the preceded to defend the title twice in two incredibly close and very unimpressive performances against Herman Ngoudjo and N’dou before losing the title to Ricky Hatton in an 11th round knockout loss in November 2008. Before the Hatton, I saw both of Malignaggi’s fights against Ngoudjo and N’dou, and I thought Malignaggi lost both of those fights. He ran around the ring all night long throwing weak shots and getting clobbered by those guys.
I was shocked that Malignaggi got the win. However, the division has improved greatly since that time with the young fighters like Marcos Maidana, Victor Ortiz, Timothy Bradley, Devon Alexander, Lamont Peterson and Kendall Holt moving up. I just don’t see Malignaggi as being in the same class as those fighters and more of a fighter that had his brief moment in the limelight.
If Pacquiao’s team want to put him with a good fighter, they should choose among Maidana, Ortiz, Bradley or Alexander as a n opponent. We’ve already seen mismatches with Pacquiao in his fights with Hatton, De La Hoya and Miguel Cotto, but a fight against Malignaggi would be much worse in my view. The only way I can see this fight lasting any length of time is if Malignaggi has hi s track shoes on and decides to run all night long.
But as far as purchasing the fight and paying my hard earned money to see it, I won’t do it. You got to do much better than this. I don’t mind tune-ups for fighters that need one, but Pacquiao doesn’t need a tune-up bout at this time. And there’s plenty of time to fight a good fighter like Bradley to step in and take Mayweather’s place. Bradley has even said that he’s willing to fight Pacquiao. So what’s the problem? Is Bradley too dangerous?
Malignaggi might be better known than Bradley, which is why he’s probably being considered over the other fighters, but you have to look at the entertainment value. What good is it for boxing fans if Pacquiao goes out and destroys some over matched opponent in three or four rounds? The fight won’t be entertaining in the least as far as I’m concerned, because Malignaggi will be so far out of his class in this fight.
Plus, Malignaggi will probably run as much as he can. That’s his style, isn’t it? He’s kind of a hit and run type fighter. I’d much rather see Pacquiao fight Bradley. At least with him, he’ll go right after Pacquiao and try to beat him up on the inside. Of course, this would be a competitive fight and Pacquiao have a chance of losing it, because Bradley is very good. But at least boxing fans would get their money’s worth in watching it.
I’d pay to see Pacquiao fight Bradley. I won’t pay a dime to see Pacquiao fight Malignaggi. I have better things to do with my money than to spend $49.95 on watching a total mismatch. Again, if the fight is on regular HBO, I’ll watch it, but if it means having to purchase this fight, I won’t even consider doing it.
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