By Chris Williams: Paulie Malignaggi posted on social media to discuss PEDs, boxing, and his questioning of the credentials of the timeless Manny Pacquiao. Malignaggi thinks it’s strange how the 41-year-old Pacquiao is STILL a world champion after 25 years as a professional.
The former two-division world champion Malignaggi points out that Pacquiao was a world champion before he even turned pro in 2001. After a 16-year pro career, Malignaggi retired, and Pacquiao is STILl a world champion.
Malignaggi says he’s lost interest in boxing because of PEDs. He sees fighters moving up in down weight classes nowadays as if the divisions don’t even matter. He feels that the PEDs allow the fighters to move up to face guys that they usually wouldn’t be able to.
Pacquiao a world champion Malignaggi’s entire career
“Yeah, I’ve always asserted that, and I’ll give it to you the best way I can,” said Malignaggi on social media when asked if he believed there was foul play going on during the peak of Pacquiao’s career. “I remember when I first started boxing [in 1997].
“By that point, Pacquiao was on the verge of winning his first world title. He was a professional boxer, which means he had his amateur career. I think by the time I fought my first amateur fight a year later, he was already a world champion for the first time.
“And I started boxing, Manny Pacquiao was already a world champion. I started boxing; I fought my entire amateur career and came up the ladder and turned professional. And I came up and down, up and down the ladder in the professional boxing world as well.
“I had a 16-year career in the professional ranks and then retired like a normal human being. And I went through the whole process. Manny Pacquiao, when I started it, was a world champion. Manny Pacquiao, when I ended it, was a world champion,” said Malignaggi.
Pacquiao has never tested positive for PEDs, so Malignaggi can’t say that he’s a dirty fighter. But obviously, boxing fans have had suspicions about him as well a Canelo Alvarez. But without proof, you can’t say that they’re using PEDs. Pacquiao is just one of those guys that ages slowly. Another Bernard Hopkins type of fighter, who is seemingly 1o to 15 years younger than his chronological age.
Malignaggi: Pacquiao isn’t aging
“Manny Pacquiao today is a world champion,” said Malignaggi. “Are we living in fairy tails? Does this guy not age? Does this guy not age? I do not understand. Does he not age? I was a young teenager, and I matured into my man-body. And I wasn’t even a man yet. I was still a teenager. I grew into my man-body and grew up.
“And I fought professionally, and I eventually passed my prime. And then I was done, and this guy was still at a championship level. Does he not age? He was already older than me as it is. Not to mention, tough fights age you more, do they not? Even if they weren’t wars, he’s had twice the amount of boxing matches as I have.
“So he’s had twice as many fights, which also age you. He’s never been a defensive specialist. It doesn’t make or break me. I only answer these questions when I’m asked about them. I realize the fans of boxing and the media love this s***. They love guys to be on steroids.
They pretend to look the other way, actually. You’ve got guys not talking about weight classes at all. They’re constantly jumping weight classes. For me, I don’t need to argue it because I’m not a part of the sport,” said Malignaggi.
One advantage that Pacquiao is his hand and foot speed. He was so much faster than his opponent, which has enabled him to keep fighting at a high level as he’s aged. He’s lost some hand speed, but he’s still so fast. He would be a much better fighter if he moved down to 140 or 135. Pacquiao would be scary at 130 or 135. He could probably extend his career another 5 to 10 years in those weight classes.
PEDs have turned Malignaggi off towards boxing
“It used to leave me bitter because I’m a guy that’s not doing the stuff [PEDs], and a lot of guys are doing the stuff, and I get kind of left behind,” said Malignaggi. “And once I’m not involved, if you guys want to go kill yourselves, go ahead.
“It’s a free cycle of steroids, of course,” said Malignaggi about boxing being locked down due to the pandemic. “Go for it right now because you won’t be caught. It used to make me bitter because I used to be passionate about the sport. Now more so, I look at it like I still have some passion.
“I did what I did. I’m happy. At one time, I was looking for approval, looking to be one of the best fighters. Once I realized you have to do steroids to get to a certain level, I was like, ‘forget about people’s approval.
“Make sure you get in the sport in one piece and get out of it the same way you came in with one piece, and with a little bit more money.’ I was fortunate enough to achieve that. I kind of look at it like it was a good job, an interesting job I had.
“But I don’t look at it like, ‘Oh man, I would dream of fighting this guy.’ Sometimes you’re asked that. Who would you fight if you could fight anyone in history? I don’t have that burning desire, and I don’t think about boxing anymore, mainly because they turned me off in this way,” said Malignaggi.
Paulie really cares about boxing, so it bothers him when he sees things that don’t look right. When Malignaggi sees an odd duck, he’s going to talk about them if asked.
Malignaggi talks Crawford and Charlo trash talk
“I got a message this morning about Terence Crawford and Jermell Charlo, that they’re arguing and that they’re going to fight or something,” said Malignaggi. “Didn’t Terence Crawford turn pro at lightweight or something? Again, weight classes matter for nobody anymore.
“For me, what am I arguing this point about? If you don’t want to believe it, then don’t believe it. That’s why I’m wasting my time arguing about it anyway. If you brought it up and that’s why I’m having a discussion with you. But this is why I don’t discuss it on my own terms anymore.
“I used to think, ‘I have to bring this up and change the sport and save this thing. It’s turning into something terrible.’ But nobody wants that. I’m talking about the media, and I’m talking about the fans. And then when guys die, they’ll make like they care, and then they’ll go back to normal.’ In reality, I’m done with the sport. It’s not a risk to me.
“If they’re all going to do it and they all want to do it, then go ahead and do it. But as far as the percentage of guys that do it, I think a lot of guys do it. I also think that guys that don’t want to do it are doing it because they realize what they’re up against. If they don’t do it, then they get left behind. So I do think it’s gotten worse,” said Malignaggi.
It’s not that much of a jump from 135 to 147 that Terence Crawford has made. If Crawford moved up to 160 or 168, then it would look strange from where he started.
