Paulie Malignaggi Was Robbed!

Before his bout with Juan Diaz, Paulie Malignaggi brought attention to the fact that he probably wouldn't get a fair shake in Texas. As it turned out, Malignaggi was right.

When I watched the fight live on HBO I thought the fight was extremely close, closer than what it was. I'm sure the home crowd advantage for Juan Diaz had an impression on my judgement. I've since watched the fight 2 times. Each time I have Paulie Malignaggi winning, 7 rounds to 5.

Malignaggi threw more punches, landed more punches, had the better defense and used his style better than Juan Diaz used his style; Malignaggi was the better ring general on the night.

The fight itself was entertaining. The classic boxer vs. puncher.

It's hard to score a fight between a brawler and a pure boxer, because of contrasting styles. What it comes down to is, what fighter can implement his style better; that's what Paulie Malignaggi did.

I've checked a lot of boxing message boards, and the vast majority of fans think Malignaggi was robbed, or at the very least, thought he should have gotten the decision. I would agree.

To the few fans (most likely living in Texas) who still think Juan Diaz won, I would suggest watching the fight again, without bias.

As an aside, I was seriously impressed with Malignaggi. I thought after the fight with Hatton and the poor performance Paulie put on, he was done. It looks like getting rid of Buddy McGirt was the right thing to do. Paulie should be granted a rematch with Juan Diaz or even Ricky Hatton. No matter, Malignaggi still has a lot of options open for him. It will be interesting to see who he fights next.