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Just slightly over one year ago, Paul Malignaggi made his first attempt at a world title; one year and six days to be exact. In that attempt, he was battered, beaten, put on the canvas and had his jaw broken.
That first run at world championship gold came against the reigning WBO 140 lb champion at that time, Miguel Cotto. It was a fight that, without a doubt, disappointed Paul Malignaggi yet one that showed not just himself, but the world, what he is made of.
That night on June 10 2006, Malignaggi proved he was not just some flash in the pan kid from Brooklyn with a funny haircut and a lot of hoopla or worse, another over hyped prospect who would fold up then disappear into oblivion as soon as things got tough and he faced real adversity.
Last night, June 16 2007, Paulie did just the opposite. He returned to the ring and put on a brilliant performance against a much more experienced opponent in Lovemore N’dou, an opponent who coincidentally also has a loss on his record that was put there by the only man Malignaggi has yet to beat; Miguel Cotto.
Before his ring entrance, the South African born, Sydney, Australia resident N’dou was fully confident that he would prevail against the younge,r less experienced Malignaggi and would return “Down Under” with his first IBF title defense a successful one.
Once the bell rang, things could not have gone any further from what Lovemore had expected if he had planned it himself.
From bell one, Malignaggi moved and jabbed constantly. Once N’dou would start to set his feet, Malignaggi would throw a couple of jabs to make the defending champion think. The second N’dou would decide on a new tactic, his opponent would be long out of harm’s way, ready to pepper N’dou with combinations the second that he came into range again.
This was a pattern that continued on a regular basis, allowing Malignaggi to build up the points on all three judges score cards to win 120-106, 120-106 and 118-108.
The only downside to the entire fight is the criticism brought upon referee Eddie Cotton and his interference. At any point or time the fighters became close during the bout, Cotton would separate the two warriors, making it almost impossible for N’dou to mount a much needed inside offensive against his speedier younger foe.
It became clear at the bout’s opening bell that Lovemore could not match speed with Paulie. So every time the two would engage close, Eddie Cotton would immediately break them apart even before there was an actual lull or holding in a clinch, providing in some minds a constant advantage for Brooklyn’s newest strap holder.
When all was settled, the smoke had cleared and then the announcement came on as to who would walk away as champion. The words “And NEW” had the Mohegan Sun Casino in an uproar, celebrating Malignaggi’s hard fought and well deserved victory, one that, more then likely, would have taken place regardless of the referee’s constant unnecessary presence.
On the televised portion of the undercard, Andre “The Matrix” Dirrell, 11-0, faced another Brooklyn native, Curtis “Showtime” Stevens, 17-1.
In what was an almost unbearable bout to watch, Dirrell did what seemed to be a poor Hector Camacho Sr impersonation throughout the 10 round affair.
To Stevens’ credit, he tried to make Dirrell engage in some sort of action. When Stevens did manage to catch Dirrell on the ropes or in the corner during those rare occasions, he would go to work and attempt to break the taller fighter from Flint, Michigan down with hopes of luring Andre into a battle that might suit his style better.
Andre would have nothing of it and fled out of danger the second he had the chance. It was the one sided punch stat connect numbers that forced the judges to hand Andre Dirrell the decision.
On a positive note, Stevens is the one who will walk away with the marketability due to the pressing of the action and willingness to fight. He showed that he has the heart of a fighter who can put on a good show while Dirrell may rethink changing his moniker from “The Matrix” to “The Track Star”. Stevens drops to 17-2 (12) while Dirrell improves to 12-0 (7).
