Paulie "Magic Man" Malignaggi is set to defend his WBA Welterweight Championship against Adrien "The Problem" Broner in his hometown of Brooklyn on Saturday night, but first the fight must be made official on Friday afternoon as the two parties weigh in.
While weigh-ins are generally a mere formality, this one could be a bit more important than most. That is because Broner has moved up two entire weight classes from lightweight at 135 pounds to welterweight at 147 pounds. His weight is definitely something to keep an eye on as it could affect his stamina against a guy like Malignaggi who is used to fighting at 147 pounds.
If Broner is nervous, he certainly hasn't shown it to this point. He has initiated the brunt of the trash talk. With both men trading verbal barbs in recent weeks, it wouldn't be a surprise to see tempers flare on Friday.
Here is your complete guide to the Broner vs. Malignaggi weigh-in, including live streaming video as well as what to watch for on Friday and in Saturday's fight.
When: Friday, June 21 at 12:30 p.m. ET
Where: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Watch: YouTube
Keys to Broner vs. Malignaggi
What Effect Will Trash Talk Have?
The 23-year-old Broner is no stranger to trash talk, but he has seemingly taken it to another level as he prepares for the biggest fight of his career. Whether it's a defense mechanism or simply his true personality, Broner hasn't been shy about speaking his mind as evidenced by Thursday's press conference.
While Malignaggi doesn't usually engage in such shenanigans, he has stooped to Broner's level to some degree and joined in as well. Malignaggi said that while he takes some of the blame for the trash talk that has been hurled back and forth, Broner is what is wrong with boxing right now, according to East Side Boxing:
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.
Despite what the trash talk suggests, both men are professionals who should be able to put it behind them. Once they step into the ring, it will be all about proving who is the better boxer rather than the better talker, so look for them to put everything to rest on Friday.
Can Broner Go 12 Rounds?
While Broner is nine years younger than Malignaggi and appears to be in impeccable shape, there is concern among boxing fans about Broner's ability to go 12 rounds against the champion. Not only could adding 12 pounds cause Broner to tire earlier than he has in other fights, but Malignaggi recounted something Broner told him before a fight against Daniel Ponce de Leon back in 2011 at the press conference:
You remember in that locker room at Wild Card Gym a couple of years ago when you were getting ready to fight (Daniel) Ponce (de Leon) and we were in the locker room and you were all nervous about going the distance? You think I forgot that conversation you had with me? I had to explain to him how to go 10 rounds without mentally killing yourself. He gets to the fight and throws about 16 punches for 10 rounds and gets the decision. My man, you’re going 12 Saturday. I’m going to beat your ass.
That 10-round decision victory over Ponce de Leon was the longest fight of Broner's career as he has only gone the distance on four occasions. If he goes wire to wire against Malignaggi, it will have to be in 12 rounds, so Broner may enter uncharted territory on Saturday night.
How Will Malignaggi Handle Broner's Power?
What Broner lacks in experience, he more than makes up for with explosive punching power. Broner is 26-0 and 22 of those victories have come by way of knockout, so he is always looking to put his opponent on the mat. Doing that to Malignaggi seems like an extremely difficult proposition, but Broner is determined to make it happen:
All I want to say is, I HAVE to put on a hell of a show on Saturday night. Like I said before, I’m not here to bad (mouth) Paulie. You’re a great champion, you’re a great Italian, I’m dead serious.
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.
While two of Malignaggi's four losses have come by way of technical knockout against Ricky Hatton and Amir Khan respectively, he has never actually been knocked out. His trainer threw in the towel in the Hatton fight and the referee stopped the Khan fight, so Malignaggi has proven many times that he is unwilling to quit. He may have no other choice if Broner comes out firing, though.
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