Paulie Malignaggi Eyes Clash with Matthew Hatton
Two years ago, Ricky Hatton used Paulie Malignaggi as a stepping stone to a big money bout. Hatton’s junior welterweight victory over Malignaggi in November 2008 helped the British fighter secure a huge PPV headlining fight against Manny Pacquiao six months ago. Although Hatton was beaten into retirement by Pacquiao in a savage two round fight by Pacquiao, he was still able to collect one more pay cheque before sailing off into the sunset.
Malignaggi’s career has dipped since his bout against Hatton. He has lost two of his four contests since his fight against Hatton, including a unanimous decision to Juan Diaz last August and an 11th-round stoppage against Amir Khan in his last bout at Madison Square Garden in his last bout in May. The way in which Malignaggi was dominated by Khan in his last fight led many people to question whether Malignaggi (27-4, 5 KOs) had anything left in the tank or if he should take a clue from Hatton and think about hanging up his gloves.
But Malignaggi quickly nixed any rumours that he would be heading into retirement, stating that he was looking forward to getting back into the ring and resuming his career. His manager said after the Khan fight that the fact that Malignaggi had apparently lost some of his once world-class speed stemmed from the fact that he was worn down from having to make the junior welterweight limit. Moving up to welterweight would help Khan to allow him to avoid having to cut a huge amount of weight before a fight and be fresher and in better physical condition during fight time.
If Malignaggi is going to move to welterweight, his first opponent might be a foe with a familiar name: Matthew Hatton. The younger brother of Ricky Hatton has become a skilled fighter in his own right, recently winning the European welterweight championship with a 12-round unanimous decision victory over Gianluca Branco in March and successfully defending the title on July 16 by outpointing Yuriy Nuzhnenko.
While Malignaggi isn’t saying that a potential fight against Hatton (40-4-2, 15 KOs) would be revenge for the defeat handed to him by his older brother, he has commented that a bout against Matthew Hatton is definite possibility. Malignaggi is contemplating relocating to Europe at this stage of his career, and a bout against Hatton would potentially be the biggest fight available to him. Malignaggi recently acknowledged that there aren’t a lot of big money fights left for him in America, so a bout against Hatton could provide a shot at redemption and a chance to beat a credible opponent at welterweight.
Malignaggi recently told BoxingScene.com that part of the reason he is contemplating moving to Europe is because of the way he is treated by fight fans there. He said that he is treated like a “rock star” when he visits Europe while he is treated “like some type of idiot” by many fans in the United States. Malignaggi said that he feels more appreciated in Europe and he is considering setting up camp in Italy - which would make sense considering that his Italian heritage has been a major part of his ring presence throughout his career.
Along with a potential fight against Hatton which could do solid business in the UK, relocation to Europe could make sense if Malignaggi hopes to become a factor in the welterweight division. Of the four major welterweight title holders, both WBA champion Vyacheslav Senchenko and IBF titlist Jan Zaveck are based in Europe along with several of the major title contenders. Depending on how much Malignaggi has left in the tank and how much of a difference a change in weight classes makes, a move to Europe to fight as a welterweight could be just what he needs in the last chapter in his career.
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