Exclusive Interview: Paulie Malignaggi

By J. Aguirre

06/09/2004

Exclusive Interview: Paulie Malignaggi

"I'm going to keep winning my fights and I'm going to do it my way."

Jose Aguirre: How are you and how have things been going? "Everythings alright. My hands are coming along a little bit at a time. I have to obviously be patient with it. I'm never really patient enough to let it heal a hundred percent. I'm just trying to be a little extra patient. I've finally started some high impact shots. I'm hitting the bag at high impact now and sparring. It's feeling a little sore but it's a work in progress. It's getting better everyday."

JA: When did your doctor give you the go ahead to begin training using your hands?

PM:"He said it's really up to me. Basically what he told me is that the hand needs rest. What I have right now is overdeveloped scar tissue on the scars where my hands have been injured. Where I had the surgery. I have to massage the scars alot, rub them down and give it enough rest where hopefully it won't be a problem. Eventually I'll probably have to have the scar tissue removed, in the near future. I'm just trying to get a few extra fghts out of deal before I have to have that little process done."

JA: Mentally does it affect you knowing that you can hurt hands at any given moment in a fight?

PM:"You know, it's hard not to let it affect you but I don't really  think about it until I actually feel the pain. Like I know the pain is going to be there but I believe in my mind that I'm not thinking about it. When I'm going to fight I'm a hundred percent focused. It's just once I actually land a punch and I feel the pain then of course I start to second guess throwing it a little bit. It is tough mentally but I'm a mentally strong fighter so I try not to let it bother me too much. I try to keep my focus and do what I got to do to win the fight."

JA: When your hands were injured did you continue doing other aspects of training or did you just rest altogether? And what are you doing now as opposed to when your hands were injured?

PM:"Well, when I was injured I never really stopped going to the gym. I took about a week off after the Cano fight back in June. I been back in the gym ever since but not in very high impact. I did alot of shadowboxing, jumping rope, slip bag and stuff like that. Then after about a month or so. Four or five weeks later I started hitting the speed bag. Eventually a little bit at a time I started bringing the impact back into it. Finally this past week I started sparring. That one was of the last things I left out that I started doing this week. I'm back a hundred percent but I got here a liitle bit at a time and I still have to continue to be patient with it and go according to how much pain I feel in my hand."

JA: When can we expect to see you back in action?

PM:"We're trying to schedule something for early November. We want to plan something real nice in early November. I'm not going to say anything. I'm going to let DiBella Entertainment do the announcement. We want to announce something real cool in early November and for all my fans out there it's going to be a step in the right direction for Paul Malignaggi."

JA: Any hints on possible oppositions?

PM:"There's a few names but I'm not in a position to talk about the opposition until it's finalized. I don't want to mess up any talks between my promoters and whoever they are talking to. It's going to be something big. It's going to be good and it's going to be a step forward in the right direction. I'm moving pass all these bums calling me out and wanna-be prospects like Al Gonzalez saying that I was going to host his retirement party by the summer time. Maybe this guy no speaka inglish but I said I would have retired him ONLY if he stayed undefeated until after I beat Cano. This guy went and lost so obviously he lost his shot. He likes to take my quotes out of context and I don't really appreciate that so I feel I got to make a point about that real quick. I don't want to give the guy too much press because he sucks and he knows he suck. Like I said I told Gonzalez, I said in my interview, you stay undefeated once I beat Cano I got you. Instead he went and got beat. He lost his shot. I don't need Al Gonzalez right now. Like I said we got something big coming up in early November. Everybody is going to find out in the near future."

JA: Alot of people don't really like your flashiness and your bravado, how do you stay grounded and stick to your game and do you?

PM:"I do me.Sometimes alot of fighters could let that bother them. Alot of negative talks from the fans and the media and maybe they'll change the way they are. But that's Paul Malignaggi. I'm me and I'm going to be myself. I'm not changing for nobody. Whether you like me I'm cool. If you hate me, whatever. It's all good to me. I do what I got to do to get the maximum positive effect out of my style. The bravado, the showmanship, it affect my opponents, it gets the crowd involved whether it be positive or negative. I'm just looking to stand out. Whether you like me or hate me it don't matter to me. I'm going to do me and be myself."

JA:What are thoughts on the 140lb division as a whole?

PM:"I think we got the best weight class in boxing right now. Hundred fourty pound division is definitely the deepest and got the best fighter in the weight class. We also might have a few extra pretenders but for the most part we have alot of contenders and prospects and good top notch fighters. I think within the next few there are going to be alot of dream matches to be made and the fans are in for a treat in this division because there are so many possible mega fights and I think they're all going to happen in the next few years."

JA:Give us an idea of where you see yourself in the near future say maybe two, three years?

PM:"In two, three years I expect myself with a world title. I'm going to expect Paul Malignaggi to be on top of the jr welterweight division. I got a hundred percent belief in myself and I haven't come close to losing a fight. You got to win round against me. Doesn't matter if people knock me or whatever but there are not enough people that could fight good enough to take rounds from me. Whether I stop you or I beat you, at the end of the day this is boxing. I'm going to keep winning my fights and I'm going to do it my way. In two years, three years you're going to see Paul Malignaggi with a world title."

JA: Anything you want to say to your fans in closing?

PM:"I love my fans. Just keep supporting me. I appreciate all the support. Alot of love from all the fans. All the haters, whatever. You can say what you want to say and do what you want to do but Paul Malignaggi is here to stay. You're going to have nightmares about me."

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