Hatton-Malignaggi Results & Discussion Nov. 22, 2008

[10-8]

I'm in complete agreement with Ron regarding the stoppage. Buddy McGirt warned him going into the round that he was going to stop it if PM didn't start fighting. My take was that Buddy threw in the towel both in frustration and to keep his word. He proved to PM that he certainly wasn't bluffing.

All in all a shit fight through no fault of Hatton's who tried to make it a fight and ended up winning 9 rounds. I gave PM the first.

I'd love to see Pac vs Hatton. Too likeable guys who would produce an action packed fight at 140.

[gazot]

I can't see why McGirt stopped it either. Malignaggi was never going to win but a fighter has a certain pride in never having been stopped and he should have been allowed to hear the final bell, which he surely would have done. I can't remember a stoppage like this one, with a fighter in no trouble, not busted up or anything, just no real reason to stop it. Maybe I'm being harsh but I think it was a little bit of showboating by McGirt to show he was the 'caring trainer' saving his fighter. He didn't save Paulie from anything other than losing a points decision.

[TheSentinel]

If Jeff Lacy had McGirt in his corner when he faced Calzaghe in 2006, maybe he wouldn't be so damaged now. I still don't know what Dan Birmingham was thinking that night.

[diggity]

I agree.

I think the stoppage was more of a personal move for McGirt. It wasn't a great stoppage but this is the way I see it. Paulie stunk the fight out & he had no chance of winning whatsoever. Paulie talks the talk & he has some talent but the way it all adds up, he just isn't that good. He cannot win the big fights & does not have the arsenal to do so. All in all, who really cares about the stoppage anyway. The one reason I don't like the stoppage is because I feel it was spiteful to Paulie, not to really save him from punishment & I don't like McGirt.

[Ron Lipton]

I agree.

I think the stoppage was more of a personal move for McGirt. It wasn't a great stoppage but this is the way I see it. Paulie stunk the fight out & he had no chance of winning whatsoever. Paulie talks the talk & he has some talent but the way it all adds up, he just isn't that good. He cannot win the big fights & does not have the arsenal to do so. All in all, who really cares about the stoppage anyway. The one reason I don't like the stoppage is because I feel it was spiteful to Paulie, not to really save him from punishment & I don't like McGirt.

Reply: Good points and good points from others too about stopping any fight when there is too many head shots and overall punishment. This stoppage though in my opinion was absolutely unnecessary in the realm of pro boxing and given the magnitude of the event with some professional tradition of what is expected in a title fight when you are being paid big bucks.

Richard Steele stopping Meldrick Taylor with 2 seconds left is ridiculous, this with one round left while Malignaggi was still boxing, sticking his tongue out, and had mobility was not merited.

Paulie's robe was horrible, the hood slipping over his eyes while he bounced to the ring, having to correct it every half second, the white toilet tissue decorations or whatever that white paper was made out of was designed by "Not that there is anything wrong with that gays are us fruit shop" in the West Village, the haircut etc, man it just was not his night, and almost crying in the ring too.

Joey Giardello, I miss you.

[10-8]

Joey Giardello, I miss you.

Hell, right about now I'd even settle for Jorge Paez.

[Ron Lipton]

He was one tough little acrobat with flair, I hear you.

Hell, I know Paulie tried, its just that he was so insulting to Hatton before the fight and every quote was worse than the previous one, while Hatton did not shoot his mouth off. Then at crunch time, he did not walk the walk.

[Crold1]

Hatton's right in the second just blew Maliganggi's game up. I think, unlike Cotto, he wasn't mentally prepared ofr a Hatton who could hurt him. He listened to the hype about how Hatton couldn't really punch to the head. This was a lot like the Caballero fight in that one guy got his eyes opened early and then went deer in headlights.

[kikibalt]

Hell, right about now I'd even settle for Jorge Paez.

Hell, at this point even Manny Lugo looks good...

[MSM]

During the UK broadcast Jim Watt kept talking about how he thought PM was surprised by Hatton's strength and power early on.

I ended up sticking some money on Hatton to win by KO/TKO. Feel a little lucky for winning the bet though after that stoppage. Figured PM could have made it to the end of the 12th and was surprised McGirt stopped it.

It's not like this was PBF vs. Gatti in terms of punishment.

Lou DiBella was interviewed next to PM after the fight by Sky and he said he'd have stopped it if McGirt hadn't.

Some post-fight comments from Hatton, Malignaggi and DiBella:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=k4h0okEhH0o

[gregbeyer]

just another word on the stoppage.

boxing careers are short in comparison to a fighters life span and in those years brain cells are at a premium in regards to life quality. paulie malinagi is a distance type fighter. he is going to fight many rounds that a puncher will not have to go through. this is something to be considered in his managements decision to stop the fight when he was hopelessly behind on points and unable to stop an on rushing hatton who was starting to put his shots together in combination in the 11th.

his being saved further punishment, while a blow to his ego, may bode him well in the future.

greg

[Mike DeLisa]

DiBella & other people close to Paulie all seemed to see the same thing -- and agreed to stop the bout.

I see no problem with the stoppage. Paulie had gone deep into a defensive shell and was getting beaten up. Since gays have so few role models in pro sports I know that his hardcore fans will take it badly.

In terms of "deserving" to go the distance -- considering how little Paulie put up, and how defensive he was, and how often he clinched -- I think we deserved to see better.

I think more fights should be stopped if one fighter ceases competing -- Roy Jones did the same thing -- that fight could have been stopped also.

A fighter who ceases to try to win doesn't deserve the honor of finishing the bout.

'nuff said.

[gregbeyer]

that makes two references to paulie being gay....nothin 4 nothin because i could give a damn less but am i missing something here???

greg

[TKO Tom]

I thought it should have been stopped even sooner.

Malignaggi did so much holding that he should have been disqualified anytime after the 7th.

Malignaggi was pathetic. They should have held his purse for non-effort.

Horrible. Pathetic.

How do I spell Paulie?

D-O-G

[Ron Lipton]

I understand everyone's point here from Mike to the rest about the stoppage, and they are good points and well taken. The way you are looking at it is also true as to having no chance to win, so what the hell. Yet, I saw light fisted Joey Archer getting beat up by Dick Tiger and timed him with a perfect one two and almost did what Hank, Carter, Fullmer and Fernandez could not, came within a whisker of dropping him.

With Paulie Malignaggi I guess it was hopeless in his corner's eyes, but a pro is supposed to try harder espeically a champion, thats all. It is true that Bayliss should have done much more about PM incessant holding.

Mike, is PM really known to be gay, I never heard that?

[diggity]

I have to say, that was a crafty move by Paulie to avoid the KD in the second. Paulie's arm stiffened up like a hook & grappled on to Hatton's neck for dear life.

[Mike DeLisa]

I was referring to some of Paulie's fans, who like his headbands and ring attire.

It was not a matter of depriving Paulie of a chance to win. Paulie had stopped trying. Since he had stopped trying and was getting hit hard, McGirt, as he said he would do, stopped the bout.

I was happy with that because, from my view, the FANS deserve best efforts.

I had the conversation with Brian Adams recently: it matters not to me if a guy has lost or been stopped. It is his performance that I judge. Did he compete? Did he entertain.

WOULD I PAY TO SEE HIM AGAIN?

The answer for me regarding Paulie, Roy Jones, etc is absolutely not.

So, my view was twofold -- (1) understanding that the corner saw something they didn't like and protected their fighter. And (2) my point of view is that I am sick and tired of lousy, pusillanimous performances.

[Ron Lipton]

Mike,
shades of William Buckley, what a vocabulary, are you a lawyer of something?

pusillanimous performances,

well done, I had to look that one up. "Lacking courage," keep em coming.

[10-8]

pusillanimous performances,

I tried repeating that and ended up spitting all over my computer screen.

[Kyoodle]

I had no problem with the refs in both televised fights, and while Bayless can sometimes get awkward with breaks at least he doesn't get intrusive and affect the outcome like Joe Cortez. Excellent stoppage by Drak in the opening bout, too.

Paulie definitely did not expect Hatton to pack that much hurt in his shots; the second round was definitely a pivotal one, as it completely changed PM's game plan. He took a safety-first approach and got inside Hatton's punches, clubbing and clinching, which negated his own talent for fighting at a distance and using his superior jab.

No problem with the stoppage either. Why invite disaster for no good reason when the fight was totally out of reach. You all heard Buddy in the corner before the round, telling Paulie he was going to stop it unless he stepped things up, so I don't feel he was "grand-standing" in any way. In any event, I think we've seen the last of Buddy in PM's corner, and the last of PM being considered among the elite in this, or any weight class.

BTW, speaking of PM and Buddy, why in the world did Lampley first refer to MCGIRT pushing Paulie away after the stoppage? Then, when the replay came, Lampley added "Paulie pushed Buddy McGirt away...and VICE-VERSA" ???WTF! I think it would have added a completely different perspective on things had indeed Buddy pushed his guy, but--as we all saw--he did not. Why can't Lampley just freakin' admit when he's wrong about something?

[wolgast]

I read on another website that Paulie and his promoter cut up $1.7 million. And to think of all the warriors out there who fight their hearts out for a fraction of that. What was HBO thinking?

[Ron Lipton]

I had no problem with the refs in both televised fights, and while Bayless can sometimes get awkward with breaks at least he doesn't get intrusive and affect the outcome like Joe Cortez. Excellent stoppage by Drak in the opening bout, too.

Paulie definitely did not expect Hatton to pack that much hurt in his shots; the second round was definitely a pivotal one, as it completely changed PM's game plan. He took a safety-first approach and got inside Hatton's punches, clubbing and clinching, which negated his own talent for fighting at a distance and using his superior jab.

No problem with the stoppage either. Why invite disaster for no good reason when the fight was totally out of reach. You all heard Buddy in the corner before the round, telling Paulie he was going to stop it unless he stepped things up, so I don't feel he was "grand-standing" in any way. In any event, I think we've seen the last of Buddy in PM's corner, and the last of PM being considered among the elite in this, or any weight class.

BTW, speaking of PM and Buddy, why in the world did Lampley first refer to MCGIRT pushing Paulie away after the stoppage? Then, when the replay came, Lampley added "Paulie pushed Buddy McGirt away...and VICE-VERSA" ???WTF! I think it would have added a completely different perspective on things had indeed Buddy pushed his guy, but--as we all saw--he did not. Why can't Lampley just freakin' admit when he's wrong about something?

Reply: Amazing you wrote that about Lampley's comment. Everyone that saw the fight with me said the same thing, what the hell is he talking about?
Then when they played it back, he said the vice versa thing and Buddy clearly did not push PM at all.

I watched the corner work very closely on how they administered to each fighter, what the advice given is during the fight. Hatton's cut man Mick is good, no Al Gavin or George Mitchell but good.

[Off The River]

I am beginning to think that having the HBO brodcast in Korean is far better than in English.

[doomeddisciple]

Ron - I daresay that's cause Mick's had plenty of practice with Ricky's skin over the years.

OTR - We in Oz NEVER get the HBO team in fights, it's a two edged sword becuase we still had to pay for the fight yesterday (I didn't, I did it Aussie style and went and watched it at the Pub) - But on HBO Fights we always get the Showtime Intnerational Broadcast team with Bob Sheridan and a crew of others.

Bob is an excellent colour man and I always enjoy reading my US buddies going nuts over the HBO commentary after the fights and the HBO crews commentary or scoring.

Bob and the Showtime crew are usually spot on with their scoring, and tend not to be biased toward either man.

Hatton looked in complete control yesterday, but I personally couldn't help think how much shallower the 140lbs pool has gotten in recent years. If Pauie M is the second best 140lbs fighter out there then Hatton is kind of stuck waiting for the winner of Pac V DLH - However his talk of going back to 147 didn't fill me with any confidence in his future.

[walshb]

The fight was a stinker and Mal was a disgrace.. Hatton wasn't great either; but could only do what Mal allowed. Mal was so so negative . He had nothing to offer. I will never make another fight prediction again, except in the fantasy section

BTW, Ron, I think Steele made a split split second decision that may well have saved Taylor's lIfe in the 1990 bout with JCC

[Off The River]

Doomed. Sheridan is indeed a great colour man. The good thing over here, is the fact that I don't have to pay for any of the fights! Of course, it means watching them at around noontime, but I'll take what I can get.

Hatton seemed to want to throw more combo's but PM wouldn't let him with all that holding. Maybe with all this gay talk, Paulie forgot he was in a boxing match and wanted to get a little closer to Ricky

[diggity]

Stupid or not, Hatton is a true dude.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/boxing/7745478.stm

[darkknight718]

I guess this turned out about as one might have thought. Hatton rushes in, throws one or two punches, clinches, and tries to rough the guy up on the inside, and Malignaggi runs a lot and doesn't have the pop to keep Hatton off him. The stoppage was a bit of a surprise, but I don't really have an argument with it. If Paulie was so concerned about his reputation and finishing the fight, maybe he should have been trying to win a little more.

I've at least respected Malignaggi since the Cotto fight. This wasn't his best night, and I agree with those who said maybe it was him getting buzzed in the second round that put him in to a defensive shell that he wasn't able to pull himself out of. He's a good boxer, and he could have run rings around Hatton, who was as one-dimensional, straightforward a plodder as he's ever been.

Hatton's surely near the end of his career. No one can keep putting on and taking off fifty pounds in between fights and expect to last much longer. He reminds me a bit of Fernando Vargas in that respect. Every time anyone interviewed Vargas between fights, it looked like someone had found an air valve on him and pumped him up about three sizes. I think Manny P would run through Hatton. Just eat him up.

[KOJOE90]

I guess this turned out about as one might have thought. Hatton rushes in, throws one or two punches, clinches, and tries to rough the guy up on the inside, and Malignaggi runs a lot and doesn't have the pop to keep Hatton off him.

I thought Malignaggi was doing a lot more clinching than running and was clinching a lot more than Hatton was in this fight.

[gregbeyer]

jim lampley being confused on the whom pushed whom thing did not surprise me in the least.

however much this guy pontificates and professes to be a boxing expert he continually makes mistakes in his broadcasting. several times over the years,in every fight actually, i have seen him credit a fighter who has just received a blow as the one landing it. that always drives me nuts as i just do not think the guy has the eye for the game that the average fight fan has.

i think he is a stuffed shirted phony and listening in korean might be the way to go.

greg