Tonight at 9:00 p.m., Adrien Broner, the heir apparent to Floyd Mayweather Jr. as boxing's brashest and possibly most talented fighter, will step into the ring against Paulie Malignaggi, in a match that has had one of the more volatile promotion cycles in recent memory. The fight will be shown on Showtime and can be live streamed here.
Broner and Malignaggi have engaged in verbal warfare for months that has extended far beyond anything that occurs in the ring. At a recent press conference, Broner alleged he had slept with an ex-girlfriend of Malignaggi's and told a tawdry tale about how Malignaggi "hit" her for asking why he can't knock anyone out.
Broner went on to put the girl on speakerphone, drawing Malignaggi into a childish rant about athletes and their "weekend activities" with women who don't mean a lot to them.
The two have mocked each other's hair, style, looks and even names. At one point Malignaggi told Broner his mother named him Adrien, a feminine name, because she knew right away that he was a "b***h." Meanwhile, Broner and his crew have been seen wearing shirts adorned with the phrase "Hey Paulette."
In the ring, Broner is a budding superstar, while Malignaggi is likely past his physical peak. He enters with 32 wins and four losses, but has been unable to score wins against elite opponents, such as Miguel Cotto and Ricky Hatton. Broner carries himself in that mold, but he is untested against championship competition.
Malignaggi is the reigning WBA welterweight belt holder, and Broner is moving up two whole weight classes with no primer fight in between. The step up in competition and weight could become a big deal, but Broner has prodigious power likely to translate no matter what class he's fighting in.
Malignaggi, though, has just seven knockouts on his ledger, so Broner may feel brave in the ring to stand and trade, hoping to outland his opponent.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.