By Dan Ambrose: Faced with the tough task of having to fight his WBC 140lb mandatory challenger Viktor Postol, Danny Garcia (30-0, 17 KOs) will instead be going in the path of least resistance in moving up to welterweight to fight an inactive former two division world champion Paulie Malignaggi (33-6, 7 KOs) on August 1st on Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The Garcia-Malignaggi fight will be the 27-year-old Garcia’s first fight at the full 147 pounds for the welterweight division instead of yet another catch-weight. Garcia has recently had two catch-weight fights in the welterweight division at 142 pounds against lightweight Rod Salka and 143 pounds against light welterweight Lamont Peterson.
Although Garcia is technically facing a welterweight in Malignaggi, in reality he’s facing another light welterweight, because Malignaggi is little more than a 140 pounder. He’s clearly not a legit welterweight, and he’s nothing like the kinds of fighters that Garcia will be expected to mix it up with in the future like Marcos Maidana, Keith Thurman and Kell Brook. Garcia is moving up to 147 at the right time, as superstars like Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao are essentially at the ends of their careers, and will soon be leaving the sport.
This will enable Garcia to slide in and possibly grab a title in the weakened division. As long as Garcia avoids facing the likes of Maidana, Brook and Keith Thurman, he might be alright. Amir Khan also could be a threat to Garcia, even though he previously knocked Khan out in 2012. Khan has improved since then and he might be good enough now to out-box Garcia.
Garcia and Malignaggi are in a situation where they cannot afford to lose this fight, especially the soon to be 35-year-old Malignaggi. He’s not young, and he hasn’t fought in over a year since he was obliterated in 4 rounds by Shawn Porter in April 2014. A loss for Malignaggi in this fight will likely signal the end of his 14 year pro career.
A defeat for Garcia would mean that he would probably need to go back down to 140, and look to continue his career in that weight class. It’s a matter of time before Garcia gets beaten at 140 as well, because he’s had two gift decision victories in his last three fights in beating Lamont Peterson and Mauricio Herrera. The gifts can’t last forever. Eventually the judges will get the decision right, and Garcia will taste defeat. He obviously helps his situation by saying that he doesn’t feel the need to face Peterson and Herrera again. But it reflects badly on Garcia when he fails to prove that he’s better than fighters, and then doesn’t fight them again in order to show the boxing public that he’s better than what he showed in those fights.
“It’s going to be a great fight against Paulie on Aug. 1,” Garcia said via ESPN.com. “I’m looking forward to getting in the ring again…on a great show for the East Coast fans in attendance and the fans watching all over the world. By the end of the night, I will still be the undefeated Danny ‘Swift’ Garcia. To all of the fans that love me, I love you too. This is for you.”
It’s going to be interesting to see how long it takes before Garcia fights a good welterweight with the talent to beat him. Malignaggi, who can’t punch, obviously doesn’t have much of any chance of beating Garcia on August 1st. This is like another Garcia vs. Rod Salka type fight. It’s a mismatch, and it probably won’t be all that entertaining.
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