Glassjaw Chronicles: The Malignaggi Dilemma

For many fans, and for members of the media who didn’t know any better, the first four years of Paul Malignaggi’s pro boxing career were a mirage – the work of a kid who was seemingly all style and no substance.

Of course, others who looked closely knew better – they knew of the training camps and fights conducted with one hand, the work ethic the Brooklynite displayed in the gym, and the single-minded determination that didn’t show up during his mile a minute rants on television and websites.

But in 2006, everything changed. After another surgery on his right hand allowed him to nearly shutout fellow junior welterweight prospect Donald Camarena in February of that year, Malignaggi was given the shot of a lifetime against Miguel Cotto in Madison Square Garden on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade in June. The brash ‘Magic Man’ was the lamb being led to slaughter, the designated hittee for the Boricua Bomber the day before he was to serve as Grand Marshall in the annual parade for his people.

Well, Malignaggi lost, as many expected. But what few did expect was that in defeat Malignaggi would show the heart, skill, and desire that critics said he didn’t have. This was no mirage – this was who Malignaggi truly was. And despite being screwed by a mini-ring and an early weigh-in that put all the advantages in Cotto’s court, the Bensonhurst product fought on and made a name for himself in defeat that none of his previous 21 victories afforded him.

This should have been where the story truly begins. The gutsy New York version of Rocky, this new millennium version of Hector Camacho Sr. survived his Edwin Rosario and instead of getting on his bicycle, returned to battle in the trenches. It was the story you could sell anywhere, not just to the boxing media, but to the mainstream, which loves a tale of redemption, especially when it comes complete with a good-looking kid who has the gift of gab.

But what should have been the greatest year of Malignaggi’s career in 2007 instead became one that really can’t be characterized. Sure, he got back in the ring in February, nearly shutout a good fighter in Edner Cherry, and then won a world title by beating Lovemore N’dou in June, but after that…nothing.

“2007 was a very up and down year,” admits Malignaggi (23-1, 5 KOs). “It was up because I think I proved a lot of people wrong in the way I came back beating quality opposition and winning my first world championship. And the downer was obviously the second half of the year after winning the world championship and not being able to solidify a solid date, a solid fight on a big network with a solid opponent. It got frustrating because all these years you work towards a championship, and then you finally get there and you’re told you’re a star once you get there and you have the total package, you’ve just got to win the title, and then you win it and you find out either you don’t have the total package or for some other reason it’s not happening.”

To put the newly-crowned IBF junior welterweight champion’s mind at ease, it’s not him, it’s everybody else. In any other sport or entertainment field, if you have someone who can compete at the highest levels, can talk up a storm to hype events, can deal with the media like an old pro, can provoke reaction in fans both positively and negatively, and has a marketable story and image, that’s a done deal in terms of stardom. Not in boxing though, and Malignaggi has learned that the hard way.

“I was super shocked,” he said, “especially in my case, where I built an image that is a magnified version of myself. Some of the antics I do in the ring and pull off in interviews is not really me – it’s just a crazy version of me. And I’ve done so many crazy things and gone on so many rants and rambles through the years to create this kind of image, thinking that it was gonna help me when I win a world title. But I don’t know – the problem lies somewhere, I just don’t know where it is. I can only try to be positive because this is also the kind of business where, as a fighter, if you let things wear you down and run you over, you’re not gonna excel in the future. You’ve got to be positive and have that tunnel vision or something else can sneak up on you and pull the rug out from under you, and I don’t want that happen.”

Sneaking up on Malignaggi this weekend in Atlantic City (Showtime 9pm ET/PT) is Herman Ngoudjo, a hard-nosed native of Cameroon. Ngoudjo, 16-1, 9 KOs, is basically a younger version of N’dou (ironically they’re both nicknamed the Black Panther), a fighter Malignaggi barely lost a round to. Two fights ago the Montreal-based fighter lost a split decision to Jose Luis Castillo, and in his last fight in June, he won a controversial 12 rounder over Randall Bailey. In other words, Malignaggi should win convincingly. But a fighter can’t think that way, especially not when holding a belt that his peers dream of.

“I know what it’s like to be sitting in the house and then get that call saying that you’re fighting for a world championship,” said Malignaggi. “I know what it’s like to go through a camp training for a world championship and I know what it’s like to have that excitement and to translate that into a hard training camp and mentally get focused. Whatever qualities – or lack thereof – that Herman Ngoudjo has, I believe that he’s gonna show up with the best version of himself that he can show up with on January 5th – I really expect that. And if he doesn’t, he’s in deep trouble. He’s in deep trouble anyway to tell you the truth (laughs), but if he doesn’t come with his best, he’s in really deep trouble. So I expect the best because anytime a guy is fighting for a world championship, I think you have in your mind that it might be the only shot you get in your career, so you’ve got to make the most of it. In Ngoudjo’s case I’m sure he’s coming with that mentality, so I plan on being ready for him.”

Saturday’s fight is also Malignaggi’s first as a main eventer on Showtime’s Championship Boxing show, this after appearing on the network’s ShoBox in the past, as well as HBO. Many believed HBO was going to be Malignaggi’s future network, especially considering that they aired his comeback fight against Cherry, as well as their long-standing relationship with his promoter, Lou DiBella, but that was not the case, which is surprising given some of the dreck the network has delivered to boxing fans over the last couple instead of young guns like Malignaggi, but that’s another rant for another time. In Malignaggi’s opinion, change is good, and the best revenge is living well – which in this situation means delivering high ratings for Showtime.

“At the end of the day, no matter what the problems are, I believe I’m made to be a superstar in this sport and to cross over,” he said. “People say, ‘oh, people aren’t watching boxing that much anymore,’ but when you don’t build up a guy like Paulie Malignaggi to be a crossover star, you can look no further than that to see why nobody watches boxing. Yeah, inside our sport there are guys who are big punchers and big guys who are stars, but they don’t have what it takes to be crossover stars. Maybe I won’t be a star inside boxing, but I can bring fans from outside the sport and make myself a superstar outside the sport of boxing, using boxing as my platform. I know I’m not always the most exciting fighter, but using boxing as my platform, I have the character, the look, and the way of talking that I can draw other fans to the sport. And once you see me, you’re obviously going to watch the rest of the fighters as well and become a fan of the sport. That’s been a big problem, but now I look at Showtime as my new platform, and I want to thank (Showtime boxing boss) Ken Hershman because he didn’t have to do this for me, and he did. I plan on thanking them even more by giving them high ratings, and hopefully it will develop into a nice relationship.”

As for those who question whether a flashy speedster with no punch can compete with the Arturo Gattis and Kelly Pavliks of the world in terms of fan interest, he has – surprise - a quick retort.

“People say, ‘Paulie doesn’t get on TV, he doesn’t have enough power or knockouts, and people want to see knockouts.’ That’s BS,” he said. “My TV ratings are higher than most guys’ TV ratings. I did higher ratings than (Joe) Calzaghe and (Mikkel) Kessler, and I do higher ratings than most guys that get on HBO or Showtime.”

Malignaggi’s situation mirrors that of former super featherweight titlist Mike Anchondo, who, while under the promotional banner of Golden Boy Promotions, seemed tailor made for stardom. The girls loved him, he could fight, and he had charisma that made it impossible not to like him. In other words, like Malignaggi, when Anchondo was in the room, you knew it. But then after he won the title against Julio Pablo Chacon in 2004, nothing. Golden Boy didn’t push him to the mainstream, Anchondo split with the promoter and then he lost his focus. He has only gone 2-2 since winning his title, getting stopped in both losses.

Malignaggi doesn’t want to follow that road, so he’s gritting his teeth, continuing to do what has got him here, and he’s hoping for the best, which means winning on Saturday night, and then campaigning for a big fight later in the year against Ricky Hatton.

“I’ve been hearing a lot of rumors since (Floyd) Mayweather knocked out Hatton (on December 8th) and that I may be next for Ricky,” said Malignaggi. “I should put it that Ricky may be next for me because I’m the champion. I don’t want anyone to misunderstand that – I’m the champion of this weight class, I’m the best junior welterweight in the world, not Ricky Hatton. But yeah, I’m hearing that Hatton might be next for me and I’m trying not to let those distractions get to me because I have Herman Ngoudjo first. And before I can deal with Ricky Hatton and think about that scenario, I’ve got to take care of business on January 5th with a great performance against Ngoudjo.”

If Malignaggi can secure a bout with the division’s current Golden Goose in Manchester’s ‘Hitman’, it could be the break he needs, not only to get that crossover attention, but to get on the track towards his real goal – longevity in the sport and respect as one of the best in the world. Because for all his flash and trash talk, Malignaggi has always chased after history. He doesn’t want to make a bucket of cash, become famous (though that would be nice), and then fade into oblivion. He wants his grandkids to open up a boxing history book one day and see his name. That’s what separates him from other shooting stars in this game, past and present.

But if no one knows who you are outside of a certain niche group, is greatness even possible these days? If 2007 never happened, would Floyd Mayweather be the most recognizable and relevant fighter in the game today? No, but being on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” and HBO’s “24/7”, and fighting legitimate superstars of their respective countries, Oscar De La Hoya and Hatton, has allowed Mayweather’s acclaim to match his talent. Without 2007, Mayweather is a just a once in a lifetime talent in a niche sport with niche appeal.

Maybe 2008 will be Malignaggi’s 2007, or at least the start of a new chapter in his career. He’s keeping his head up to the world, his nose to the grindstone in the gym, and the mouth is still flapping to the media. In other words, it’s still Paulie.

“You can’t get bogged down by the negatives because in this sport if you do and you step into the ring, you get beat by somebody you shouldn’t get beat by,” he said. “So I think I’ve gotten used to putting the negatives aside and trying to focus on victory. I’ve gotten in the ring with broken hands, so if I can put a negative like that aside and still go for the win, I think I can do anything. It doesn’t make what I go through right, but at the same time I look at 2008 as a possibly positive year. I don’t want to overlook Ngoudjo, but getting a Ricky Hatton fight and beating Ricky Hatton would be another chance to become a superstar, and that’s the direction where me and my team are headed and I can only hope for the best.”

“If you put me out in the public, I will actually draw people to boxing that don’t watch boxing,” he continues. “At the end of the day, a lot of things sell – controversy sells, sex sells, big mouths sell - and I have that whole package. I’m good looking so I’ll attract the female viewership, I’m controversial so people are gonna love me or hate me, and I talk a lot so people are gonna want to hear what I have to say. So people may not necessarily watch fights, but they’ll watch Paulie Malignaggi.”

If superstardom happens, and Malignaggi fulfills his end of the bargain in and out of the ring, then great, the sport will have gotten something right. If not, and this kid, like Anchondo, sees his talent and marketability squandered, then this is truly a black eye for boxing.

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