“THE MAGIC MAN” OR “THE “RABBITMAN”???
by: Stephen S. Johnson

(INSIDE BOXING) January 5, 2008 - Paulie “The Magic Man” Malignaggi (24-1, 5 KO’s) has many boxing talents but his extremely elevated opinion of himself (in conjunction with SHOWTIME) is a major disappointment as far as boxing fanatics are concerned.

A fight held in (where else) Atlantic City, New Jersey this past Saturday night had the IBF Junior Welterweight title on the line and Herman Ngoudjo (16-2, 9 KO’s), the IBF’s Number # 1 rated challenger, showed just how far from being a true World Champion Paulie Malignaggi is.

Maybe it was that Malignaggi spent a little too much time preparing for his 27th birthday (November 23rd of 2007) and the Thanksgiving turkey that followed as he was very slow, jabbed very little, was not very sharp, ran too often and showed a variety of glaring vulnerabilities.

The wild swinging Ngoudjo was provided numerous opportunities to make the evening profitable for a few (he was a 6-1 underdog) while at the same time acquiring the championship belt, a very distinct possibility.

But constantly chasing the running, grabbing and holding “The Magic/Rabbit Man” had taken its toll and the game challenger was left to return to the pond of other hopefuls.

There was allegedly bad blood between the two during the weeks leading up to the fight that prompted Malignaggi to say, “I’m gonna hurt him bad” and Ngoudjo promising to “mess up his pretty face”.

Malignaggi was the one hurt as grabbing, holding and running became his weapons of choice in the mid to later rounds. He also looked the worse for wear with a swollen left eye and numerous lacerations.

While trainer Buddy McGirt attempted to rally his fighter, (who continually asked, “am I winning?) the crowd became pro-Ngoudjo and a sense of urgency became increasingly apparent.

“Stop falling back”, relayed the frustrated McGirt. “He’s hurting you because you’re not staying in after throwing the jab”.
McGirt was fully aware the scorecards had tightened up and Malignaggi was instructed to “get on his bicycle” which is one thing he does very well with little provocation.

Fatigue would eventually keep Herman Ngoudjo in the group labeled “good opponents” as he could not muster the needed energy to bring down “The Magic Man”.

Scores of 115-111, 116-113 and 117-111 had Malignaggi escaping with a controversial unanimous decision. My scorecard had the bout a draw at 114-114.

Paulie Malignaggi is another in the most recent line of fighters who feel that he has “paid my dues and want to be paid what I am worth”.
Just because he has acquired the title “Champion of the World” means very little in a time where there are many laying claim to the same phrase in a variety of weight classes and divisions.

Fighting in New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey over and over again further demonstrate that Team Malignaggi should reevaluate their marketing strategy.

Taking his “show on the road” with a venture farther than a drive up the New York Interstate is long overdue and now pretty much mandatory.
Enjoying the relaxed atmosphere and comforts of home while having legitimate contenders (see DONALD CAMARENA of Denver, Colorado) make the taxing across country journey seem odd for one who expresses such self confidence.

The junior welterweight division is loaded with fighters that can give Paulie Malignaggi a run (excuse the pun) for his money.

To “talk the talk” was okay for awhile but California, Arizona, New Mexico, Florida and Colorado (to name a few)have adequate venues and are loaded with junior welterweight talent.

The mark of a true champion, in any sport, is to take on and beat the very best.

Right now it is way too soon for Paulie “The Magic/Rabbit Man” to claim he wants to be paid top dollar. He has proven absolutely nothing and deserves to be compensated accordingly.

The current IBF Junior Welterweight Champion, Paulie “The Magic/Rabbit Man” Malignaggi, is just another small fish in an already extremely small (and getting smaller) pond.

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