Paulie “The Magic Man” Malignaggi, and Daniel “The Miracle Man” Jacobs, took time today to discuss the upcoming Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN fights taking place Saturday, August 1 at Barclays Center.
Malignaggi (33-6, 7 KOs) will face undefeated Danny “Swift” Garcia (30-0, 17 KOs)in the headlining event on ESPN. Jacobs (29-1, 26 KOs) will defend his title against Sergio “The Latin Snake” Mora (28-3-2, 9 KOs) in the televised opener on ESPN beginning at 9 p.m.
PAULIE MALIGNAGGI
“I feel good, really good right now. This has been one of the best camps I have ever had in my career. We have not only been working really hard, but also really smart. I am coming off back-to-back camps and I truly feel great.
“We have some tricks up our sleeves for this fight. I am very happy with that way I am looking and feeling. Everyday I am going in there and just putting in the work. I’m not overthinking this fight, I’m just putting in that work at the gym, and with the way I feel and look, I’m very confident. I have a strong self-belief. I truly believe in myself and my abilities. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here.
“I want to live and die by my own decisions, and that is how I have structured this camp. I am listening to my body and listening to myself. We are working on different things in both my boxing training and my strength and conditioning.
“I have seen strengths and weaknesses all over Danny [Garcia]. When I watch a fight, I see it a lot deeper than most people. So when I watch Danny, I see a lot of different things. I don’t want to get too much into it, but there are definitely things we have seen that we are working on specifically in this camp to implement and capitalize on August 1st.
“Barclays Center in my home. Fighting here gives me that extra motivation. Fighting at Barclays, in front of all my friends and family, it just doesn’t get better than that.”
DANIEL JACOBS
“This is a great camp and we are ready to put on a great show come August 1st. I feel comfortable as a champion. Don’t get me wrong, when I first won my title it was totally surreal, but I always felt like a champion deep down inside. There is something that burns inside of me that has allowed me to overcome every obstacle in my life, and to me, that’s what makes a champion.
“I love being a part of PBC. There is no doubt in my mind that my popularity has grown since my first appearance on a PBC card. We are reaching a much younger and different crowd and demographic than before, and it is just great for the sport of boxing.
“This is a tough fight. Mora is a proven guy and I know he is very hungry for this opportunity. He is awkward and he is slick. He has good speed and a good jab. We have to be cautious and stick to our game plan. People are saying that this could be the toughest fight of my career and we are training with that mindset.
“With a win in this fight, I truly believe that the sky is the limit. There are a lot of big fights out there to be made in the division, but obviously, the main guy for me would be Peter Quillin. It is a fight that I have wanted for a long time, and it is a huge fight for boxing, but especially for New York.
“My legacy is in my own hands. Some of the biggest fights in the sport are in the middleweight division right now. At this particular point though, the Quillin fight is the most lucrative option for me. I am not looking past any man, especially not Sergio Mora, but that is a fight I want, the boxing world wants, New York wants and Barclays Center wants.”
LOU DIBELLA
“In addition to these two great fights, we are proud to announce that we have added Brooklyn’s own undefeated heavyweight prospect Adam Kownacki (10-0, 9KO’s) to the card, as well as one of the top prospects in the game right now, The Brooklyn Rocky, Frank Galarza (17-0-2, 11KO’s). We are also excited to announce the addition of highly regarded up-and-coming Puerto Rican prospect Prichard Colon (14-0, 11KO’s), who will be great additions to the undercard, which already features undefeated female star Heather “The Heat” Hardy, and a clash of undefeated light heavyweight prospects, Brooklyn’s Travis Peterkin (15-0, 7KO’s) against Olympian Lenin Castillo (12-0, 7KO’s).
“It’s an honor for me to be promoting another card at Barclays Center, which in my eyes has become the preeminent venue for boxing and music in the entire country. It is a great pleasure for me to work with Brett and everyone on his team. They are the best in the game.
“The public is going to have a real opportunity to see two very good, competitive fights. Look, this (Danny Garcia vs. Paulie Malignaggi) is a very tough fight. Danny has looked a bit vulnerable in his past few fights, and he is moving up in weight to fight a real deal welterweight. Say what you want about Paulie, but you cannot question his heart or desire to win. Paulie is comfortable with being an underdog, he has been an underdog his whole life. With Paulie, you know you will never get anything less than 110 percent. Fourteen years ago yesterday he made his pro-debut on one of my cards, and I am proud of that fact. It is truly an honor for me to be promoting his fight against Danny Garcia on August 1st.
“The co-feature match-up is a very intriguing fight. You have two of the best middleweights in the world in Danny Jacobs and Sergio Mora. Just like the main event, this is a very tough fight. Sergio is extremely hungry. He has been waiting for this shot for years. Danny’s story is just remarkable. How hard he has worked to get here, and win a world championship is just extraordinary. He is a champion both inside and outside of the ring, and it’s truly an honor to be working with him. That is the great thing about promoting these PBC events. I have the opportunity to work with and promote some of the greatest and most talented fighters in the sport, in exciting and competitive fights.”
