By Dan Ambrose: Former IBF light welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi (30-4, 6 KO’s) will finally know what it’s like to fight a quality welterweight when he takes on WBA World welterweight champion Vyacheslav Senchenko (32-0, 21 KO’s) on April 29th at the Donbass Arena in Donetsk, Ukraine.

Although Malignaggi technically moved up in weight to the 147 pound weight division two years ago in 2010, Malignaggi has been slow in stepping up against 1st tier opposition. Malignaggi has been reluctant to get his feet wet against good fighters and has been battling the lower level guys to get a high ranking by the WBA and his title shot. However, Malignaggi is likely going to be in big trouble on April 29th when he faces Senchenko in his home country.

This is fight where Malignaggi pretty much has no other choice but to try and score a knockout because if Senchenko finishes the fight on his feet, Malignaggi loses. He’s not going to lose for any kind of hometown decision or anything devious like that. Malignaggi is going lose because his boxing skills aren’t as good as Senchenko’s. Malignaggi, 5’8″, also isn’t as big as the 5’10” Senchenko and he’s probably going to get his head jabbed off by the Ukrainian.

To be sure, I think there are a number of better welterweights in the division compared to Senchenko. But I don’t see Malignaggi as being one of them. Malignaggi is a good fringe level contender but nothing more than that. Malignaggi’s #2 ranking by the WBA is kind of distorted. He’s not that as good as the ranking suggests.

I could understand that ranking if it was accidentally put in upside down with Malignaggi mistakenly put at the top rather than the bottom where he deserves to be, but he doesn’t belong at number #2 in the WBA rankings. We’ll see that on April 29th when Malignaggi gets easily beaten by Senchenko. Hopefully, the WBA gets their rankings straightend out after that with Malignaggi put near the bottom where he belongs. He’s not better than Thomas Dulorme, Devon Alexander or Kell Brook, three fighters that the WBA shockingly has Malignaggi ranked above.