Paulie "Magic Man" Malignaggi will have his hometown fans behind him on Saturday when he defends his WBA welterweight title against a brash, young challenger in the form of Adrien "The Problem" Broner. Despite Malignaggi's advantage, Broner appears to be the man to beat in this one.
Broner has been installed as a heavy favorite at -1200, according to Bovada, so the betting public fully expects him to walk away from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. with the title around his waist. Beating Malignaggi won't be as easy as some are making it out to be, but he has the tools to make it happen provided he follows a few simple keys.
Here are the biggest things that Broner must remain cognizant of throughout the fight in order to take down Malignaggi on Saturday.
Go for the Knockout
Despite the fact that he is only 23 years of age, Broner has already gained a reputation as one of the most powerful punchers in boxing. The statistics certainly back up that notion, as Broner boasts a 26-0 career record with 22 of those victories coming by way of knockout. Knocking out Malignaggi is no small feat, but it is one that Broner should try to accomplish nonetheless.
Broner has scored six knockout wins in a row, and he fully intends to make it seven if his comments at Thursday's press conference are any indication:
I’ll be a three-time world champion on Saturday at the age of 23. With that being said, let Paulie talk his little BS. At the end of day, I’m knocking him the (expletive) out. He’s never been knocked out.
Malignaggi has twice lost by way of technical knockout due to stoppages, but he has never actually been put on the mat and knocked out the hard way. That is something that seems to give Malignaggi confidence, as he scoffed at the hype surrounding Broner's punching power, according to Dan Rafael of ESPN.
Perhaps, Broner's power isn't quite as prolific as some believe it to be, but he's going to be aggressive regardless. Broner has never gone to the scorecards in a 12-round fight, and it doesn't seem like he has any plans to do so on Saturday. Broner wants to make a statement, and he can do so by knocking out The Magic Man.
Utilize Quickness Advantage
One of Malignaggi's biggest strengths is his quickness, but Broner is likely in a totally different league in that regard. It can be argued that Malignaggi has an advantage over Broner since The Problem is moving up in weight for this fight, but Broner doesn't seem worried about that, as per his comments on Thursday:
I went from 120 to 135 pounds. I’m moving up to 147, two weight divisions, and that has not been done. I’m looking to make history and be the first current American three-time champion, so make sure you [Malignaggi] tell the public he is truly a good fighter.
Moving up 12 lbs. across two weight classes is a difficult thing to do, but Broner looked to be in excellent shape at Friday's weigh-in, so the odds are that he won't miss a step. Broner was a quick fighter at 135 lbs., but his quickness will be even more apparent against a guy like Malignaggi who isn't used to fighting natural lightweights.
Even if Broner's quickness is compromised to some degree, it is still an asset that he can pull from his utility belt and use at any time. Malignaggi will try to slow down the pace of this fight and make it a grind-it-out affair in all likelihood, but Broner must use his quickness to ensure that doesn't happen.
Get Under Malignaggi's Skin
One thing that Broner seems to do better than most fighters today is talk trash ahead of his fights. He hasn't been shy about doing so in recent weeks, and it has clearly bothered Malignaggi to some degree. Malignaggi is no stranger to trash talk himself, but he has been much louder than usual and even admitted that Broner baited him in during Thursday's press conference:
It’s gotten a little bit crazy, we’ll admit that. I can take some of the blame, but I can’t take all of it. I can only apologize for my end, but at the end of the day, this is how the creation of Adrien Broner happened, in my opinion. They put everything that’s wrong with boxing in one room, did everything that’s wrong with boxing in that room and gave birth to Adrien Broner and you people are eating it up.
If Malignaggi truly feels that way, then Broner has done his job. Many boxing observers have compared Broner to Floyd Mayweather because of the way he conducts himself prior to a fight. Malignaggi seems to feel that way as well and even told Broner that he should be himself instead, according to Steve Bunce of ESPN.
Perhaps, Malignaggi has a point, but he seems too worried about his opponent rather than himself. That is probably by design on Broner's part, and he should continue to get under Malignaggi's skin even during the bout itself.
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