Paulie Malignaggi, one of the most colorful characters in the sport of boxing, has been contemplating retirement ever since his defeat against Shawn Porter. It remains uncertain if the “Magic Man” will enter the ring anytime soon, but he revealed via Facebook, he is in the boxing gym incase any opportunity arises in 2015.
Despite winning two world titles and being a 33-year-old veteran, Malignaggi may be experiencing a new peak in popularity due to his outstanding commentary work. He is widely regarded as the one of the best boxing analysts and is only rivaled by a few others in his field such as the recently added member to the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame, Teddy Atlas.
There is always a sense of honesty and sincerity Malignaggi has either on television, or during an interview. There have been many outspoken figures in boxing’s history, but it’s a rare commodity when they are also intellectual, and non-biased. Pundits in boxing’s journalistic field, who follow an ideological partisan agenda are not an anomaly, a prime example is Jim Lampley. Not many people are willing to go against the grain, and share their ideas for the betterment of the sport. This is why fight fans have grown an appreciation towards Malignaggi.
Now in the later stages of his boxing career, he must answer the daunting question all fighters are faced with at one point in time: Is my career truly over?
The only person who can answer the question is the fighter himself. If Malignaggi does in fact return to the ring, it will not come as a surprise. He certainly has incentives to do so.
One of the critical moments in Malignaggi’s career is his recent signing with Al Haymon. Regardless of the positive/negative reception Haymon has undergone this year, he definitely has the power to transform a fighter’s life.
Throughout Malignaggi’s career, he has always complained about the political issues outside the ring. He has blamed these matters on dwindling his passion towards the sport of boxing. Now with Malignaggi’s newfound management, many of the headaches have reportedly gone away. He claims he can finally solely focus on the actual fight in hand. It will be interesting to see if this plays a huge role in his continuation of his professional boxing career.
Whether Malignaggi decides to retire or not, he will certainly remain an imperative figure in the sport of boxing, for many years to come.
