Porter vs. Malignaggi: Winner, Recap and Analysis

Updates from Sunday, April 20

Stephen Espinoza of Showtime Sports confirms Paulie Malignaggi will be released from the hospital:

Original Text

There were no tricks in Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi’s (33-6) bag on Saturday night at the DC Armory in Washington D.C. IBF welterweight champion Shawn “Showtime” Porter (24-0-1, 15 KO) demolished Malignaggi to defend his title successfully with a fourth-round TKO.

The Boxing Advocate colorfully describes Porter’s onslaught:

Porter’s speed and power were too much for Malignaggi. The champion first hurt the former two-time world champion in the second round, but Malignaggi would be dazed multiple times during the fight. 

When the end came in the fourth round, Porter landed a hard right hand that sent Malignaggi reeling.

The champion began to tee off as Malignaggi hung almost helplessly against the ropes. Referee Sam Williams stepped in to call a halt to the bout, and Malignaggi nearly fell out of the ring.

Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole took exception to what he thought was a late stoppage:

Because Porter was missing a lot of the shots he threw, the stoppage wasn’t the worst in history, but Williams probably could have stopped the action a second or two sooner. 

When the fight was over, Malignaggi was taken to a local hospital, per ZombieProphet of FanSided and Al Bernstein of Showtime during the broadcast:

Showtime’s jab was perhaps the most effective punch of the fight. He used it to close the distance well.

Porter clearly had no fear of Malignaggi’s power. He charged in without worry of being buzzed.

His physicality and athleticism kept Malignaggi off balance throughout the short night.

With the win, Porter now has victories over Devon Alexander and Malignaggi in successive bouts. The champion’s resume is looking better with each outing. Max Boxing’s Steve Kim is impressed:

After the bout, Malignaggi was emotional and disappointed. Per Ryan Bivins of Sweet Boxing, the Magic Man is pondering hanging up the gloves:

He did have one wish for Porter in a long post-fight embrace between the two fighters. Fight Ghost has the quote from the Magic Man:

The 33-year-old Malignaggi has had a solid career. Not many fighters can say they have won two world titles. To think he’s accomplished so much with little to no punching power is impressive. 

He has a great job with Showtime as a boxing analyst, and most would say he’s one of the best at the gig. Perhaps it’s time to focus his attention there and on other endeavors.

JR Sports Brief has some harsh advice:

On the other side, Porter’s future is looking bright.

He’s with Showtime, where most of the well-known fighters in his weight class fight. A bout between him and up-and-coming contender Keith “One Time” Thurman could be great. Thurman takes on Julio Diaz for the interim WBA title on Saturday, April 26.

If One Time wins, it seems like a logical next step for Porter.

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@BMaziqueFPBR