Don’t Rule Out Paulie Malignaggi Against Danny Garcia

Paulie Malignaggi can’t escape it. The “Magic Man” has carved another productive, exceptional career for himself through boxing, as a color commentator for Showtime. In a very short time he’s become one of the best in the game, but being around boxing tends to gnaw something visceral within him. It’s the fighter that he can’t escape -- and it’s the reason why Malignaggi is climbing back into the ring again this Saturday.

The Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN show from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., will mean as much for the 34-year-old Malignaggi (33-6, 7 KOs) as it will his opponent, Danny Garcia (30-0, 17 KOs), who’s making his first foray into the welterweight class.

Malignaggi is closer to the end than the beginning, and his dream has always been to one day enter the boxing hall of fame. As a former two-time world titlist, a victory at this stage of his career over Garcia adds another huge bullet point to his résumé.

Related » Preview: PBC on ESPN

Malignaggi has already made the post-fight transition, yet the fighter within won’t let go that easily. Why go through the torture of another training camp when he has such a lucrative career sitting ringside for a major network?

“When you’re a competitive fighter, there is a certain fire that burns within you and it doesn’t go out that quickly,” Malignaggi said. “Boxing is something I’ve done for almost my entire life. It’s hard to let go, it’s hard to put down. If I have to analyze myself, and ask myself if this is really what I want to do, it’s something I have to answer. I always tell people when a fighter reaches a point where he fears being hurt more than he fears losing, than he’s done. I ask myself that a lot, do I fear losing than I fear being hurt. After losing to Shawn Porter, and taking some time off, I still fear losing more than I do being hurt. Being competitive and not being a failure supersedes being hurt. The hunger for success outduels being physically or mentally hurt.”

Malignaggi means a lot to boxing. He’s one of the good guys in the game, a true ambassador for the sport. No one would like to see him get hurt, obviously most of all Malignaggi. But there does come a point in time when the body is not able to do what the mind wants it to do.

“I agree with that, but I believe I’m a smarter fighter, and I’ll admit the analyst job has made me sharper; the way I see fights, seeing patterns and how I’m able to detect things in fighters,” Malignaggi said. “As I have gotten older, I’ll admit that I definitely lost some ability. I’m not the fighter that I was seven or eight years ago. But I think I make up for that with smarts. I do have to say I’m a smarter fighter than I was seven or eight years ago. Barring 2008, the year Buddy McGirt trained me, as a youth I was a full-on raw talent. I say 2008, because that year took away a lot from my arsenal. I stopped using my legs, it was just the style Buddy wanted me to use didn’t fit. Watch me for the other years, aside from 2008, and I’m more of a raw fighter who uses his natural speed and athleticism to win. Once I got past my 30s, I tried to improve my fundamentals. I am a different fighter than I was in my 20s. My approach is different and there are still things that I’m trying to master.”

Team Garcia has a lot of respect for Malignaggi. They feel The Magic Man comes with a wealth of experience and still has his legs.

And there is something more important at stake here for Malignaggi, who if he continues his sterling commentator career may enter the hall of fame in Canastota, N.Y., (home of the International Boxing Hall of Fame) one day as an announcer.

“I think Danny and I are catching each other at an interesting time,” Malignaggi said. “I don’t mind being the underdog here. I’ve been accustomed to the role. Sure, people will look at me as faded, but it still gets me big fights. This fight has an interesting feel to it. No matter what I say, or how I feel, it doesn’t matter because people are going to think what they’re going to think. Get the tranquilizer gun and put me out of my misery. I can tell people whatever I want, no one thinks I’ll win the fight. People should learn from a guy like me, I’m resilient. I’ve had a good camp and I’m technically where I want to be. Saturday night we’ll get a lot of answers, even myself.

“If there is not a good result for me, there is a chance this could be my last fight. I want to handle this job first, and then I’ll take a look back. I do feel confident going into this fight. People are looking at my last fight against Shawn Porter. One of the big motivations for me Saturday night is one day getting into the hall of fame. If you look at my resume, I would honestly have to say that it is more ‘no’ at this stage than it is ‘yes’ getting into Canastota. A win over Danny Garcia on Saturday is a huge thing for me. It would be a big help on my résumé. The announcing thing has really taken me by surprise. It would be awesome to enter the hall of fame as an announcer one day, but in my heart of hearts, I’m a fighter. That’s truly where my passion lies and how I would like to one day go into the hall as a fighter. Beating an undefeated fighter like Danny Garcia would help.”

Joseph Santoliquito is the president of the Boxing Writer's Association of America and a frequent contributor to Sherdog.com's mixed martial arts and boxing coverage. His archive can be found here.