BROOKLYN, N.Y. (December 8, 2013) – Two weeks after his 33rd birthday, Paulie “The Magic Man” Malignaggi (33-5, 7 KO’s) picks up his 33rd win in a unanimous decision victory over Zab “Super” Judah (42-9, 29 KO’s) in front of his hometown crowd at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. The fight, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, headlined a four-fight SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING event.
Despite being knocked down in the second round, Malignaggi was able to regain his stride en route to a strong 116-111, 117-110, 117-110 victory which earned him Brooklyn bragging rights and a potentially bright future in the stacked welterweight division. In addition, he was awarded a special Brooklyn’s World Championship belt designed by SARTONK.
“This is an emotional win for me,” said Malignaggi. “It definitely allows me to continue boxing. If I had lost, I don’t know that I would have wanted to continue. But this big win puts me in the right spot to fight in this division for lots of money…lots.
“Walking to the ring was pretty surreal. As a teenager I watched Zab fight and to walk into the ring and fighting against him was very surreal. Not that I never expected myself not to be successful, but it was still something very surreal,” continued Malignaggi. “I felt like this showed that this sport can unify everyone. I looked up to this guy when I was coming up in the sport and he’s one of the greats.”
Judah said, “I came to fight and so did Paulie. It just wasn’t there. This was a great opportunity and a great event. I wanted to be the King of Brooklyn. He wasn’t tougher than me. He stayed on the outside and didn’t engage.”
In the co-main event, Shawn “Showtime” Porter (23-0-1, 14 KO’s) was crowned the new IBF Welterweight World Champion after defeating Devon Alexander “The Great” (25-2, 14 KO’s) by unanimous decision 115-113, 116-112, 116-112. Porter dominated Alexander from the first punch until the closing bell in a hard-fought battle that left both fighters battered and bruised. Porter, a decorated amateur, was able to execute his game plan by being, “aggressive, backing him [Alexander] up, and making him fight.”
After the fight, Porter said, “This is a blessing. We wanted to come out here and establish that I was the better fighter and we made it happen. I think I was able to control the fight because of my experience and I’m the bigger guy. We did what we had to do. I paid my dues. The opportunity was here and I stepped up to the plate.”
Alexander said, “I’m disappointed. I didn’t do what I was supposed to do. I didn’t follow the game plan. He was rushing in and I didn’t capitalize on that. And that’s what we had planned on.”
Erislandy Lara (19-1-2, 12 KO’s) soundly defeated Austin Trout (26-2, 14 KO’s) by unanimous decision in a technical bout. The scores were 115-109 and 117-110 twice. Trout never seemed comfortable in the ring. Lara sent Trout down in the 11th round for only the second time in Trout’s career.
“I did what Canelo couldn’t do. I dominated Trout and I dropped him. Now we have to make a fight that everyone wants to see which is me against Canelo,” said Lara.
“I’m coming right back,” said Trout. “Who can say that they fought such high caliber fighters as Cotto, Canelo and Lara back-to-back-to-back? His style was tricky, but I don’t sign up for easy fights. He was the better man tonight.”
The opening bout of the evening, a thrilling slugfest, had the excitable Barclays Center crowd on its feet at times. Sakio Bika (32-5-3, 21 KO’s) and Anthony Dirrell (26-0-1, 22 KO’s) went toe-to-toe from the first bell and battled to a split draw. Dirrell floored Bika early in the fight, and Bika later lost a point for a low-blow. In the end, the final tally was a split draw: 114-112 (Bika), 116-110 (Dirrell), 113-113. After the scores were announced, Dirrell immediately left the ring without commenting on his performance. Ringside reporter Jim Gray was able to catch up with Dirrell in his locker room shortly after.
“I want to apologize to the fans for leaving the ring like that but I was just disappointed,” said a frustrated Dirrell. “He hit low and head butted. I definitely want a rematch.”