Paul Malignaggi: (Cutting in) Hey man all of a sudden everybody wants to fight Paul Malignaggi. Meanwhile Paul Malignaggi was suppose to be this faker, a poser, but now everybody wants Paul Malignaggi now. I tell you what Bojado can do man. I will let him fight my lil sister first. She is 15 years old, and if he can get past my lil sister then I will give him a shot at me. First he has to beat Forbes, and I don’t even know if he is going to beat Steve Forbes. If he can get past my lil sister Maria then we will let him fight me.
RC: Many times, fighters call out one another and many times their handlers don’t like the fight or there is always something that prevents a fight from taking place. Two weeks ago, not only did Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. call you out after his fight, but his promoter went on the record saying “Bring on Mailinggi”. So in this case, here is a fight that can actually be made. Since then has there been any further discussion?
PM: Chavez Jr. is a typical guy that is just living off of his name. He has fought all bums. Nobody he has fought has ever tried to even in a fight against him. Everybody came to lay down. Its horrible, it really is a shame that he can live off of his last name like that. So if they want to get the guy beat tell him to go ahead and step their game up. Don’t talk about it, be about it. All you have to do is sign on the dotted line. Paul Malignaggi is ready willing and able to fight him even at welterweight, so lets make it happen.
RC: Has there been any actual formal discussion about this fight taking place?
PM: I believe my promoter Lou DiBella has been talking with his team. So unless they are bluffing, they have showed interest in fighting us. Paul Malignaggi is ready to fight. It is just about Chavez and his team stepping their game up, and actually proving that they are not just talk and that they are willing to do this.
As for Bojado, all of a sudden he is trying to make a come back. He tried to play himself a few years back when he and I got into it. He tried to play like I didn't’t deserve to fight him, or I didn't’t deserve to be in the same sentence, or mentioned in the same breath as him. But now, when you really narrow it down, all Bojado wound up being is a generic brand of Fernando Vargas, that’s all he is.
RC: You have two yoong very well known Mexican fighters calling you out. Obviously the popularity of Chavez is far greater right now, and on paper that’s the easier match up for you. However many fight fans would probably prefer to see you against….
PM: (Cutting in) they are both easy matches, they are both easy work. They are both easy work. Whichever one wants to get it first, it will be easy work.
RC: Is there a preference between the two fighters. Chavez has his Dad’s last name and an undefeated record which makes that match intriguing. Then you have the doubters out there, that despite you winning a world title feel that you still have a lot to prove, and therefore would like to see you in with a guy like Boja….
PM: (Cutting in again) well you know what it is? It is more personal with Bojado, but Chavez is a poser. Chavez went and called my name out. You can't be a poser, fight bums and then all of a sudden call out a world champion. Because what is going to happen is you are going to be exposed as a poser that you are, once you get in the ring with Paul Malignaggi. When Chavez Jr. gets in the ring with me, he will be exposed as the poser he is.
As far as Bojado? He is a wanna be gangster, west coast Mexican, that wants to get gangsta. I’m from Brooklyn man, I smell a poser from a mile away. We got real thugs out here in Brooklyn, that’s why I called him out back in the beginning I knew he was a faker right from the start.
(At this time. As we sit in his Brand new, rimmed up, fresh off of the lot, 2008 Triple Black CLS 550 Mercedes Benz. Malignaggi’s cell phone starts to ring)
PM: (He continues) Here goes Lou DiBella calling me right now. Look at that...
RC: ( A little anxious to get DiBella's take on the fight taking place, I tell Paulie) Answer the phone, let me talk to Lou
(Malignaggi hits a button on the dash and enables his car to pick up a blue tooth single from his cell phone, and DiBella’s voice can instantly be heard coming through his speakers)
PM: Lou What’s up I’m doing an interview with Ray Campbell...
RC: Lou whats going on? I'm conducting and interview with Paulie. You are on the record right now with the recorder rolling. What can you tell the people out there about Paulie’s next fight?
Lou DiBella: Well umm, as a matter of fact (Bob) Arum (Chavez Jr.’s promoter) just called me tonight, and Paulie is willing to come up in weight to fight Chavez jr at 147lbs. Paulie will beat his ass at 147lbs as easy as he would at 140lbs. So we will be happy to do the fight. Bob wants the fight to be at the Staples Center, obviously I want the fight at the (Madison Square) Garden, btu I think the best way to do this is... I think there will be a huge demand in Atlantic City. It is on neutral territory. Both guys will be huge up there. I think this would be a fight that gets tremendous excitement and it is an unbelievable style match up.
We will be talking to Showtime about this fight, but I don't think that you can get a much better, more interesting fight with two young fighters other than Malignaggi and Chavez. The truth of the matter is, Chavez is 154lb fighter, so Paulie will be moving up from his 140lb title to fight Chavez. That right ther ealone is showing you what kind of fighter he is. He is like a different class of race horse. Chavez has a great pedigree and a great family background but right now he is a puppy in the ring, and Paulie I think would give him a lesson he would never forget.
PM: (Cutting in) I will stop Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Mark my words, I will stop him. Mark my words I will stop that kid Ray. He wouldn't see the last round.
RC: Well Paulie, many might listen to that statement and say that you haven't stopped any of your opponents since Kevin Watts, and that you are just running off at the mouth. What do you have to say to the people out there that ...
PM: (Cutting in again) Hey listen man that's why we have to make the fight. Tell Chavez Jr to sign on the dotted line, don't talk about it be about it. I am telling you this, I will knock his **explicit** out. If he signs on the dotted line and I will KNOCK HIS **explicit** out.
LB: Ray there is nobody that is involved in this fight is an idiot. Jr. has the advantage of having watched his old mans career, and you can't get anymore crafty than the old man Arum. The Sheik is a legend, so you gotta understand.. And I am not an idiot I know what I am doing, there is a reason why this fight is so intriguing and interesting. If Paulie had 15 knockouts on his record, believe me Arum wouldn't be calling me about this fight. After Paulie fought Cotto, everyone even the people in the Puerto Rican and Latino Community acknowledge that Paul Malignaggi is a warrior and proved it by coming back and becoming a world champion. But Arum is no fool. My guy is much smaller than Chavez Jr. and to them can't punch. Well lets see, lets make the fight. I got the smaller guy but I got the champion.
PM: (Paulie shouts out in the background) EXACTLY!!!
LB: (DiBella continues) I got the champion and I know that my guy is going to fight like a champion. The truth of the matter is, no disrespect I think Chavez has big balls for asking for this, but the kid doesn't know enough to beat Paulie Malignaggi.
PM: Listen man, At the end of the day I look at it like this. I have been getting writen off my whole entire career, and it was almost like a spit in the face that they can even think he can beat Paul Malignaggi. I am so willing to prove them wrong again, I look at it now as just another opportunity for me to keep proving the naysayer's wrong. For anybody that even think that Chavez Jr. can beat me I am going to prove them wrong in style by knocking his ass out.
LB: And you know what? There is an interesting trade off Ray, because look there is no question Paulie has fought the better competition, and there is no question that Paulie has proven more at this stage of his career. There is no question that Chavez is physically bigger. Chavez has to shrink to be a Weltewrweight. Paulie has to expand to be a welterweighgt. One guy is moving up and the other is moving down, and meeting in the middle. Paulie is the one that is taking the size risk, but you gotta give Chavez credit. He is getting in there with a **explicit** who has forgot more about fighting than the kid knows yet.
PM: I will ltell you one thing, I was better than Chavez in my pro debut than he is now. That is the negative thing about it. everyone that talks about Paul Mallignaggi and always have something to say. I was a better prospect than this guy coming up. Yet nobody wanted to take a look at me, nobody wanted to talk about it. There was always negativity coming up until I proved everybody wrong. All the people keep talking about Chavez Jr. and how great he is going to be and how great his father is and that he is going to be just like him. Trust me, thats not the case, put hi-m in the ring and I will show you.
LB: You know one of the reasons that this fight is so facsinating and and why it will be a huge betting fight and a fight that I guarantee will do a good rating. If ShowTime does it, it will do one of the best ratings of the year. You have two extremly popular guys, and people are going to be divided as to who wins. There is no question that Paulie is more skilled, faster, the world champion, the more polished fighter and the other guy is much bigger. In my mind, we hava a huge skill adavatange and the other guy fights two weight classes above so he clearly has the size advantage.
Now to them, they are getting in there with a guy that doesnt have a lot of knokcouts at his weight and they are making him come up in weight. So from their prospective they have the advantege of not fighting a puncher. If the kid got in there with Mayweather he would get shut out. And Paulie knows I mean this as a compliment, Paulie is Mayweather like. Thats what Paulie is style wise. He fights more like Floyd than anyone else out there, and no one is claiming that he is Flo....
PM: (Cutting) I take that as a compliment because in my opinion Floyd is the best fighter to ever to put on a pairt of boxing gloves.
LD: If you match up the styles, it is a bad fight for Chavez. But Chavez is huge, it isnt like Paulie hasnt been in there with guys bigger than him. Paulie was in there with Cotto and quote me on this, Cotto is like the best 154lb fighter in the world. Look Bob Aurm and I have never failed to make a deal that we wanted to make, and if someone is smart enough, some network is going to get a huge huge event.
RC: What happens with some of Paulie's other obligations such as his mandatory and his rematch against....
LD: (Cutting in) I am sure we can work something out with the Herman Ngoudjo fight so that we fight him in our next fight because if we move up to 147lbs Paulie isnt putting his title at risk. There is no T.V. for the event, but if he feels he can get a fight coming out of that I think that we can work that out. Paulie has an iobiligation to fight N'Dou that we have to work out, but I am sure we can work something out, and I am sure this fight can happen.
RC: You mentioned that a network is going to get a HUGE event, and you also mentioend ShowTime .. But it clear its not solidified. Does that mean HBO is possibly still in the running to stage teh event?
LD: Arum contacted me about December 1, 2007, and that strikes me as a showtime date. To tell you the truth, we met with ShowTime and we will be very happy to do this event on ShowTime if they deliver the date. I think that we are going to have a huge success with it. I want to say something that I am very proud of. Winky Wright and Jermain Talyor could have been a Pay Per View. It was one of the biggest events of that year, it had the biggest HBO ratings in years and years and, it was live on HBO. Pavlik and Taylor is becoming an enormous fight in Atlantic City. The tickets are flying out, and that event could be the best fight of the rest of the year, and can certianly be on Pay Per View Again it is going to be on HBO. So if someone is smart enough to grab Malignaggi-Chavez and put it on Regular T.V.... that is a big event and thats the kind of fight the fans are salivating for.
Everyone knows this, if there is anything Chavez got from his old man, he inherited his old man's balls. You know that... you knwo that he has a pair on him, there is no way in the world his father didnt pass those down to him. Paulie has already proven his balls in the ring. He doesn't have to prove them anymore. You saw the Cotto fight and then you also saw him walk out there ahead 11-0 bleeding like a stuffed pig and try to still take N'Dou's head off in the last round. So you know what you have in both fighters. You have two warriors. They are both young kids, they can have a great fight and they both can go on to continue to have more great fights no matter what happens in that ring.
