Yesterday afternoon undefeated junior welterweight Paul Malignaggi told Boxingtalk.com, "I saw Mike Michael's press release and I had to laugh because he went around all of the facts and tried to downplay me every way he could. He didn't admit that they don't want to take the fight because they're scared. If you read between the lines it should be clear that they don't want to take the fight because he's scared. He says I'm not big enough of a name and his fighter is ranked and his fighter fights on National TV. His last four opponents have been chumps that nobody knew. If he could fight the bums he's been fighting he could fight me but the fact of the matter is they're threatened by The Magic Man. Like I said before when you mess with The Magic Man you disappear from them rankings and I think they understand that.

"I told Ray Campbell when he was interviewing me, I said one of two things would happen with this interview. They're either going to take the fight or they're going to try to minimize me and downplay me. They chose the second option because if they fight me they don't wind up against Miguel Cotto. I hope he beats Miguel Cotto because I'm going to be on top in six months anyway. My name is going to be right up there. He's the mandatory so eventually he's going to get Cotto, but then just like he did a year ago he's going to have to call me out because he needs my name, but I'm going to tell him to go f**k himself."

"I could be just as dirty as he is and I don't play like that. The only reason I'm saying all this is because they tried to punk me last year. The only reason the fight never happened is because I had bad hands. I had two fights in twenty months and it's impossible to make fights with broken hands. And I don't know what they're putting in the gyro meat over there but HBO would only take him if he's fighting me. Nobody knows who Mike Arnaoutis is. It's my date, not his date. I told Lou DiBella to get on the phone with HBO and tell them that I want Mike Arnaoutis. The network already wants me so in reality I'm the one giving the opportunity to him.

"Arnaoutis ain't shit. He's just some ugly motherf**ker from Greece that nobody knows shit about. Just because some people hate on me doesn't mean I'm more popular. More people hate on me than know who he is period so what does that say about him?"

GL: Would it make a difference if he were handsome?

PM: (laughs) "No it wouldn't make a difference. He would still wind up getting his ass kicked anyway. Mike Michael is a bum, you can't compare me and Mike Arnaoutis. Other than being a better fighter, I have straight teeth, a straight face and I can speak English and I look good in pictures. I just bring this up because Mike Michael brings up marketability like his fighter could ever do what I do. He doesn't have the personality, he doesn't have the charisma and he doesn't have the look."

GL: You're talking about Aranoutis and HBO but you're fighting Donald Camerena. Are you focused on the task at hand?

PM: "I'm as focused as it gets...And speaking of Camerena, this guy didn't want to fight Camerena either. He called him Frighty Mike Arnaoutis and I have to agree with him. They're scared to fight anybody. After he got a gift against Santa Cruz they haven't put him in with anybody because they're scared. It's a good thing Santa Cruz forgot boxers are supposed to throw punches for the first two rounds because otherwise his undefeated record would be gone and he'd be slicing Gyro meat somewhere.

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