Paulie Malignaggi is more than ready for his weekend clash with Zab Judah, as he eyes a possible rematch with rising megastar Adrien Broner.
Pride is at stake for both men, who will be looking to take away bragging rights by being crowned Brooklyn’s top dog. And Malignaggi, who hails from Italian stock, has compared the contest to one of football’s fiercest rivalries – Rome’s famous ‘Derby della Capitale’.
“Hometown pride is at stake, so you definitely want to win. It’s a turf war – a battle – you want to have that pride of being the best in your region.
“It definitely has a derby feel to it, so to speak, like two teams who share the same stadium. If you’re familiar with football, it’s kind of like Roma and Lazio in Italy who share the same ground and when they play one another it’s a big rivalry – that’s how it feels with me and Judah.
“The fight has a different feel to it but it still has a big fight feel and I know how to approach big fights, so in that regard, it’s different but still similar – the approach remains the same.
“I expect that kind of Zab [that showed up against Danny Garcia]. I think if anything he can gain confidence out of the way he finished strong in that fight, so I think he’ll take that momentum and bring it to the early part of this fight – that’s what I anticipate.
“But I’m ready, I’m sharp and I’m focused. I expect that particular Zab Judah, the aggressive, explosive, confident Zab Judah, but I have a lot of the answers myself.”
One thing that has been leveled at Judah in the past is his motivation going into fights, but Malignaggi feels that it is once he eats leather that truly disheartens his fellow New Yorker.
“I think Zab is always motivated, I think he always gets in the best shape that’s just excuses people want to make for him not living up to his talent.
“I’ll tell you the problem with Zab is when you punch him in the mouth he tends to lose the belief that he can win the fight.
“It’s not a matter of him being out of shape or a matter of him not being focused – he loses focus when you punch him good in the mouth. So the trick is to make him respect you, make him realise that you are of a high calibre, high level, and from there you take away his self belief.
“He starts every fight very confidently, very sharp, it’s up to the opponent to take that belief away from him.
The two-weight world champion is coming off a split decision loss to one of boxing’s rising pound-for-pound aces in Broner.
Malignaggi is keen to try and avenge his defeat after disputing the decision which saw him lose his WBA welterweight world title, with Broner now defending it against the sturdy Argentine Marcos Maidana.
“I want the rematch with Broner, or even Marcos Maidana, because it’s not a full gone conclusion that Broner beats Maidana.
I think it’s an interesting battle between the two of them. It’s a technically skilled fighter against a fighter who is raw, rugged, very strong and determined. It’s a clash of styles and also mentality,” he said.
“I think Maidana is a very dangerous opponent but if I could get the winner of that fight I would be very happy. But first things first, I have to focus on Zab Judah.”
