The boxing world is no stranger to trash talking, but if the upcoming battle in the ring, between Adrien ‚”The Problem” Broner (26-0 22KO’s) and Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi (32-4 7KO’s) is half as good as the verbal battle leading up to the fight, fans are in for quite a tussle. Both fighters have recently exploded in a flurry of trash talk in press conferences and online.
Malignaggi began by saying Broner has been shielded from tough fights by his promoter Al Haymon, stating, “Broner hasn’t… earned his way to the top” and “…he has gotten to this level on a free ride.”. Broner showed up to the May 4th press conference in Las Vegas, rocking a ‚ “Hey Paulette‚” t-shirt. Malignaggi countered by commenting, “Your mom named you Adrien, because she thought you were a bitch”. In front of the press, in a tactic designed to get under Malignaggi’s skin, Broner got Malignaggi’s ex-girlfriend on the phone, where she admitted that she has had “relations” with the former Lightweight Champion, Broner.
Broner is jumping two weight classes to try and take the WBA Welterweight title from the current champion Malignaggi. In the past he’s been criticized (not just by Malignaggi) for not fighting the most optimal opponents. However, many acknowledge that he was in a class of his own in the lightweight division and that to get big name fights, Broner had to move up in weight.
The results have been mixed. In Broner’s bout against Gavin Rees, he showed patience and the ability to make adjustments and pull off a win. Broner started slow but picked up steam as the fight progressed, overwhelming Rees in five rounds. In arguably Broner’s biggest test to date, he fought Antonio Demarco. Demarco was TKO’d in the 8th round. However, Broner has shown weakness. In a 2011 bout against Daniel Ponce De Leon, many fans had him losing, but he received a unanimous decision nonetheless. The fight against Malignaggi will put Broner in deep water. He will not only be moving up two weight classes but he will be entering the ring to face a fighter with arguably the best resume of anyone he has faced before.
Paulie Malignaggi has been in the ring with world class fighters like Miguel Cotto, Amir Khan, and Ricky Hatton. He won the WBA title against Vyacheslav Senchenko after the fight was stopped in the 9th round. But while, Malignaggi clearly has fought better fighters than Broner, he has also lost many of his high profile fights.
Malignaggi has also been criticized for not having the hardest punch. Only seven of Malignaggi’s 32 wins were by KO. Broner has taunted Malignaggi for this, stating Malignaggi will bring pillows into the ring. Malignaggi fired back with, ‚”Adriana said I’m bringing pillows to the fight? He also forgot to mention I’m bringing the mattress and matching blankets.”
Malignaggi wants to defend his title and keep his name at the top of the sport, while Broner is trying to prove to the boxing world that he is a world class fighter. Whether you’re a fan of the trash talking or not, the buildup to the fight has not been short of theatrics and has been fun to watch. Neither fighter has been shy about how they feel about each other. Malignaggi and Broner are extremely optimistic about the outcome of their upcoming bout, but on June 22nd at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, both fighters will need to back up all their talk.
