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Broner vs. Malignaggi
Teleconference
By Barbara Pinnella
Before the main event players Adrien “The Problem” Broner
and Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi (32-4, 7 KOs) came on the
call, Dave Itskowitch greeted the media and reminded us that
also on the SHOWTIME televised card and in the co-main
event, there will be heavyweights Johnathon Banks and Seth
Mitchell for the NABO and WBC International heavyweight
championship. Opening the broadcast will be Sakio Bika
against Marco Antonio Periban fighting for the vacant WBC
super middleweight championship.
“But first, he is the undefeated current WBC lightweight and
a two-division world champion; he is charismatic and
incredibly talented, and only 22 years old. He is getting
better with each fight. He won his first world championship
at 130 pounds he is jumping up from135 to 147 in an effort
to become a 3-time world champion in three weight classes.
If he gets this done, he will join Roberto Duran, Roy Jones,
Jr., and Robert Guerrero to be the only fighters ever to win
a world championship jumping over a weight class. So here is
Adrien “The Problem” Broner (26-0, 22 KOs)”
“It’s gonna be a hell of a show” Broner said. “I’m just
gonna go in and do what I do best, and I’m not worried about
jumping weight classes. He’s bringing pillows to my fight
and I’m bringing bricks, so you’re gonna see a lot of blood
and a lot of bruises.”
Asked if what he said about never boxing Floyd still stood,
and he kept saying “Next question.” Already the call was
getting out of control.
As for the weight, “For me, it’s not a problem. I really
didn’t have to do anything different, that’s my regular
weight. I walk around above 145, 150, so no problem. But a
lot of people don’t understand that you can’t do anything
about power – you have it or you don’t. God gave me power.”
He was asked what pluses he felt Paulie had. “He’s great,
he’s a great commentator. No, he’s a world champion, but in
the end he’s fighting Adrien Broner. I don’t study tapes. As
long as I’m in shape, I’ll be ready. I know he’s a slippery
fighter, so you have to be on you’re a game. But it doesn’t
matter who I beat, as long as I win in the fashion that I’ve
been, that’s all that matters.”
The issue of the trash talking came up – will the fight live
up to the hype? “Of course, I always do more than what I
say. He thinks I look like a Ninja Turtle, but Jessica
doesn’t think so. Nothing is personal, at least not on my
side.”
Then we started to hear Paulie, who said over and over, “I’m
gonna beat the s**t out of you!” among other things.
Shouts of “Paulie! Adrien! PAULIE! PAULIE! We’re gonna stop
the call!” The call did not stop, and Paulie continued to
holler. Finally, Paulie either left or his mic was cut off.
“He needs to stop all the cussing,” Broner said. “because at
the end of the day he’ll be back to a 9-5. His commentary
job will be the one. He’s a good commentator. What he’s
doing here isn’t doing him any good.
“I will be victorious June 22. It’s gonna be a hell of a
fight, however long it lasts. I’m gonna f**k Paulie up. I’m
not a commentator, so I’ll f**k him up!”
There were a few moments while they were trying to get
Paulie on the line. While they were waiting for him, Kelly
was giving the fight week schedule, and when she got to the
public weigh-in, her comment was “That should be a lot of
fun!” Yes, to put it mildly.
Now the call went to Paulie, introduced by Itskowitch. “Here
is the current WBA welterweight and two-division world
champion with a never-say-die attitude and style that
epitomizes the fighting sprit of all fighters from Brooklyn.
In response to Broner’s closing comments, Malignaggi had
nothing to say, instead asking for questions.
Paulie was asked whether or not Adrien had gotten under his
skin. “It doesn’t really matter, we have a job to do on
Saturday night, no talking has ever gotten me out of my
game. Some of it is a little bit of shtick and some is
because I’m a little bit irritated. I don’t care if we get
along after the fight. I don’t box to make friends, I fight
to make money.
“Once it gets harder to get these kinds of fights or my body
blows it, I’ll quit. I don’t expect to be fighting much
longer. This fight was offered to me, and I felt it was the
one that would pay the most. You always want to have big
fights. You’re working so hard in the gym and you dream of
moments like this. So it is a motivating factor.
“It’s the main event, being on the big stage, it’s these
kind of fights that makes the fight that much bigger. It
could have been another opponent. And the young versus the
old has always been big in boxing.”
“He’s a little guy, and I don’t think that the move up two
classes was a good choice his team made for him. He will
have a bloody face when we’re done. If you look at my
opponents, they all look different at the end of the fight.
“We’ll see have bad he really wants’ it; he’s gonna go
through a lot of pain. The guy’s he’s been fighting have had
nothing at all. With regard to fighting at home; “I don’t
know who the crowd will be behind, but it doesn’t matter.
But I won’t be surprised if I get robbed. If I beat his ass
and don’t get the decision, you will all know why!”
As far as his training goes, he said that they did not
prepare specifically for Broner; they trained to get really
sharp.
In closing, Paulie said, “I have no closing comments. See
you all next week.”
Alright then, a little bit of everything in here. Fight week
should be quite interesting.
Malignaggi vs. Broner, a 12-round fight for Malignaggi's WBA
Welterweight World Championship, will take place Saturday,
June 22, 2013 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The
event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and R & R
Promotions, supported by Golden Boy Promotions' sponsors
Corona and AT&T and will be televised live on SHOWTIME
CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
In the co-featured bouts, Johnathon Banks will look to
repeat his 2012 upset win over Seth "Mayhem" Mitchell as he
defends his NABO and WBC International Heavyweight titles in
a 12-round fight presented in association with K2 Promotions
and number one rated WBC super middleweight contender Sakio
Bika faces number four rated WBC super middleweight
contender Marco Antonio Periban in a 12-round fight for the
vacant WBC Super Middleweight World Championship. SHOWTIME
CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is available in Spanish on secondary
audio programming (SAP). Preliminary fights will air on
SHOWTIME EXTREME® at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West
Coast).
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