Porter vs. Malignaggi Makes Three World Title Bouts On Hopkins Card

ByShowtime Boxing

Two world championship fights on one night is great for boxing fans. But Golden Boy Promotions and Showtime believe that three is even better.

So, on Saturday, April 19, joining the title fights between Bernard Hopkins and Beibut Shumenov and Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin and Lukas Konecny there will be a battle for the IBF Welterweight title between champion Shawn “Showtime” Porter and former two-time and two division word champion and current NABF Welterweight titleholder Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi, making this tripleheader at the D.C. Armory in Washington, D.C. a must see.

“I fought hard to get this title. Paulie says he wants it, but is he willing to go through me to get it?” said Porter, who won his crown with an impressive win over Devon Alexander last December.

“Fighting Malignaggi is like fighting Alexander. They don’t have the strength or power to keep me away, and I will steamroll Paulie on my way to victory April 19.”

“I’m excited to be back in a title fight so soon after my win over Zab Judah. I will become a three-time world champion on April 19,” said Malignaggi.

“Porter is a good fighter and I’m sure he’ll be a champion again in the future, but he doesn’t have the tools or experience to beat me.”

A native of Akron, Ohio, unbeaten Shawn “Showtime” Porter (23-0-1, 14 KOs) showed on Dec. 7, 2013 that all of the rave reviews he received since his amateur days were well deserved, as he scored a 12-round unanimous decision win over Devon Alexander to win the IBF Welterweight title.

The win followed impressive professional victories over Julio Diaz, Phil Lo Greco and Alfonso Gomez that put Porter at the top of the 147-pound weight class. Now the 26-year-old begins his reign on April 19 against “Magic Man.”

When he’s not winning awards for his commentating work on Showtime broadcasts, NABF Welterweight Champion Brooklyn’s Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi (33-5, 7 KOs) is proving that, at 33, he’s still one of the top welterweights in the world.

Winner of six of his last seven bouts, with the only loss coming via split decision to Adrien Broner last June, Malignaggi was in top form when he defeated Zab Judah last December, and on April 19, he has the opportunity to become a three-time World Champion.

Hopkins vs. Shumenov, a 12-round fight for the IBF, IBA and WBA Light Heavyweight Championship, will take place Saturday, April 19 at the DC Armory in Washington, D.C.

The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona, AT&T and Casamigos Tequila. In the co-features, Peter Quillin puts his WBO Middleweight Title on the line against Lukas Konecny in a 12-round bout and Shawn Porter faces Paulie Malignaggi in a 12-round welterweight bout for his IBF title.

The live Showtime Championship Boxing telecast will begin at 9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast, and will be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP).

Tickets priced at $25, $50, $75, $200 and $300, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, are on sale now and available online at http://www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations or by calling (800) 745-3000. The DC Armory Box Office will be open on fight night only from 3 p.m.-10 p.m. ET.