Danny Garcia vs. Paulie Malignaggi: Fight Time, Live Stream, TV and Ticket Info
Danny "Swift" Garcia (30-0, 17 KO) is officially making his run at the welterweight division. He takes on veteran and former 140- and 147-pound champion Paulie Malignaggi (33-6, 7 KO) in the feature fight of Saturday's Premier Boxing Champions event in Brooklyn, New York.
When: Saturday, August 1 at 9 p.m. ET
Where: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York
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TV: ESPN
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
Ticket Info: Score Big
Tale of the Tape
| 27 | Age | 34 |
| orthodox | Stance | orthodox |
| 5′ 8½″ | Height | 5′ 8″ |
| 68½” | Reach | 70″ |
| (17 KOs) 30 | Won | 33 (7 KOs) |
| 0 | Lost | 6 (3 KOs) |
| 0 | Drawn | 0 |
| 57 percent | KO Percentage | 18 percent |
Fighter Speak
Garcia is undefeated, and he's coming off a long reign as the lineal junior welterweight champion, but few titleholders in the sport got less respect from the boxing community. Despite wins over the likes of Amir Khan, Lucas Matthysse and Kendall Holt, Garcia has the reputation of a fighter who hasn't proved himself.
His recent matchmaking—this fight included—hasn't done much to quiet the critics.
“In the sport of boxing, you’re going to have your critics no matter what you do, so you might as well ignore them and focus on training hard and fighting to win,” Garcia said, per Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports. “I think I’ve proven what I can do. I go out and fight hard and win. And I do win."
Garcia does win, but many of the victories are viewed as empty triumphs. Quite honestly, if he beats a 34-year-old Malignaggi on Saturday—even in the Magic Man's hometown—Garcia won't earn a new legion of followers. Malignaggi is a smart, tough and well-known former champion, but his lack of power makes him a somewhat safe opponent for the sport's elite within the weight range.
Malignaggi hears the whispers, and in typical Magic Man form, he's outspoken and opinionated about the public perception of his career and this fight. He breaks down the matchup and why he chose to come back after a long layoff in this interview with Marcos Villegas for the Boxing Channel and Fight Hub:
Both men are fighting for a little respect. Unfortunately for Garcia, he's in a no-win situation. A victory still won't impress the masses. A win for Malignaggi will keep him relevant, but many would use the result as a way to de-validate Garcia as opposed to celebrating the Brooklyn native.
The Last Time Out
Neither man looked particularly good in their last fight. Garcia was awarded a majority-decision win over Lamont Peterson in April, but many—including yours truly—thought he was given a gift.
Peterson's superior movement, jab and counterpunching saw him get the better of Garcia, but he didn't get the nod from the judges.
Malignaggi's last fight was even worse than Garcia's. In what looked like the last time we might see him in the ring, Malignaggi was battered and stopped in four rounds by Shawn "Showtime" Porter in April 2014.
In what will be his first fight in over a year, Malignaggi will be looking for a better result.
What's At Stake
A loss for Garcia would be devastating. Malignaggi doesn't punch hard, and he's past his prime in general. If Garcia can't beat him—despite the fact that it would be just his first loss—the outcome would kill any buzz or momentum he's attempting to create.
He could hang up any chance he had of getting a big fight any time soon. A win won't move the needle for Garcia much, but it's clearly better than the alternative.
A loss is expected for Malignaggi, but a competitive defeat would keep his career alive. That could be bad in the grand scheme of things. Malignaggi is the best boxing analyst on any network. You just hope he knows when to call it a career and move on to the next level of his time in the sport.
Sustaining more losses like the one he had against Porter could be detrimental to his long-term health.
Strategy and Prediction
Garcia is largely a flat-footed counterpuncher. His style is reminiscent of former 140-pound kingpin Kosta Tszyu. Both fighters threw/throw hard power shots off their opponent's misses and connecting shots.
With impeccable timing and underrated power, Garcia is a formidable foe for any fighter who will stand in front of him. Malignaggi won't do that, but he will have some issues creating enough offense to win rounds.
He's excellent at creating game plans to beat undefeated fighters. He created the blueprint to beat Adrien Broner in his loss to him back in 2013. Malignaggi attacked Broner's body and wouldn't allow him to set the tempo of the fight.
Marcos Rene Maidana and Porter used similar tactics, only they had the power to earn victories with the approach.
Malignaggi will probably run into a similar issue in this one. He'll have some solid rounds, but at the end of the day, Garcia's punches will have more effect and Malignaggi will look worse for wear when the final bell rings. He won't get the stoppage, but Garcia will win a comfortable unanimous decision.
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