Danny Garcia vs. Paulie Malignaggi: Winner, Recap and Reaction

Danny "Swift" Garcia (31-0, 18 KO) punished Paulie "Magic Man" Malignaggi (33-7) for nearly eight rounds before referee Arthur Mercante Jr. rescued the game, but clearly overmatched former two-time champion in Brooklyn, New York, on Saturday.

Officially, Garcia prevailed by a ninth-round TKO. ESPN.com's Dan Rafael tweeted the result:

Malignaggi might have won one round—the second—or perhaps he might have just taken less damage in that round. For almost every second of the fight, Garcia chased Malignaggi and missed a lot of punches, but he was hit very little by a offenseless opponent during the entire fight.

CompuBox tweeted statistics that showed Malignaggi's decreased output compared to his previous bouts:

Rafael wasn't impressed with the punches Malignaggi was able to land:

Before the final round began, Mercante said, "I'm not going to let you take much more, Paulie," per the ESPN broadcast. True to his word and in his best judgement, Mercante called a halt to a fight that wasn't serving much of a purpose. As the fight was stopped, Malignaggi's face showed emotion as he grabbed and hugged Garcia.

Per the ESPN broadcast, Mercante said, "I've seen enough, Paulie. I've seen enough." One look at Malignaggi's face was proof that the referee made the right decision. During the post-fight interview, Malignaggi acknowledged that the decision to stop the fight was the right one.

Garcia was humble and respectful of Malignaggi when it was over, calling him a great fighter. 

During a special SportsCenter interview just after the fight concluded, Malignaggi was asked the inevitable question: Was this his last fight?

"Probably," he said. "I started my career in Brooklyn, and if it just ended in front of you guys, then that there couldn't be a better place."

Malignaggi made a decent account of himself all things considered. He's clearly past his prime at 34 years old, but armed with wit, guile and heart, he nearly went the distance with a hard-punching, undefeated fighter bent on knocking him out with almost every punch.

He was fortunate he didn't take the same amount of punishment he took in his last fight with Shawn Porter. That said, he did endure damage that left him battered and scarred on both sides of his face. 

He has a great full-time career waiting for him as an analyst. Hopefully he realizes he doesn't have anything else to prove. His work ethic and desire have already taken him to levels many probably never imagined he'd reach.

That said, it's time to trade in the gloves for a microphone for good.

Mary Altaffer/Associated Press

Garcia has to start taking on tougher competition. Aside from his controversial win over Lamont Peterson in his last fight, Garcia has taken and won fights that many in the boxing community would call soft. Saturday night's triumph was no exception.

There's a number of intriguing fights Garcia could take under the PBC banner. A rematch with Amir Khan, or fights with Porter, Keith Thurman or even Adrien Broner, would be compelling. 

Obviously, Garcia would love an opportunity to take on Floyd Mayweather Jr., but quite honestly, if a 34-year-old Malignaggi can make Garcia miss as often as he did, a fight with Money would seemingly be a one-sided exhibition in favor of the pound-for-pound king.

Garcia might be best served waiting on Mayweather to call it a career.

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