By Dan Ambrose: If WBA World welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi (31-4, 7 KO’s) can get past #11 WBA Pablo Cesar Cano (25-1-1, 19 KO’s) next month on October 20th, Malignaggi will have to fight a top contender for his next fight in early 2013, unless Ricky Hatton decides he wants to fight Malignaggi and the World Boxing Association bends over backwards to allow Malignaggi to bypass his mandatory challenger which could be either Diego Chaves or Thomas Dulorme.

Those are some tough choices for Malignaggi to take because both of those guys can really punch and he wouldn’t be getting a light puncher like the last four guys that Malignaggi has fought.

Cano isn’t a light puncher, but he’s not a huge puncher either. He’s got good power, but he’s still so young at only 22 and he was already jabbed to pieces by Erik Morales in his 10th round stoppage loss to Morales last year in September. Cano’s eyes badly swelled up in that fight and his nose was bloody and swollen by the time the fight was halted.

Malignaggi could get beaten by Cano, who was selected from the light welterweight division to face Malignaggi instead of an actual welterweight contender. The WBA has given Cano a ranking in the welterweight division, but it’s hard to take the ranking seriously when Cano has never fought anyone to deserve it.

Malignaggi fought well in beating Senchenko last April in a 9th round stoppage, but Senchenko was made for Malignaggi because he didn’t have a lot of power and Malignaggi was able to use his jab to swell up Senchenko’s eyes and bloody his nose.

I’d be surprised if Malignaggi fights anyone dangerous in his next fight. I don’t see him taking on anyone good until the World Boxing Association actually forces him to do so. Malignaggi wants the Hatton rematch because it’s a fight where Malignaggi would still come off doing well financially even if he gets knocked out again.