After failing to secure a fight with WBO lightweight champion Ricky Burns, WBC champion Adrien Broner decided to move up two weight classes to welterweight in order to challenge WBA welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi. On March 10, 2013, the fight was made official for June 22 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.[2]
The build up to the fight was marred by an excessive amount of trash talk, with the pre fight press conference featuring comments by both fighters. [3]
Malignaggi entered the ring as a 15 to 2 underdog.
The fight
Malignaggi started the fight fast and aggressive, throwing many punches and applying his jab often. Broner found his timing by the middle of the fight, effectively timing Malignaggi with lead right hands and counter left hooks.[4] Throughout the fight, Broner taunted Malignaggi repeatedly telling him, "You can't hit me." At the end of 12 rounds, Broner defeated Malignaggi in a split decision, with one judge scoring the fight 115–113 for Malignaggi, and the other two scoring 117–111 and 115–113 for Broner, making him a 3 weight world champion at just 23 years of age.[5][6] The Associated Press scored the bout 117–111 for Broner. CompuBox had Broner landing 246 (47%) of his total punches while Malignaggi landed 214 (25%) punches.
Aftermath
During the post fight interview, Broner did show some respect, "He's a world-class fighter, and I respect him. To come to somebody's hometown and beat them on a split decision, that's saying something. This was a tremendous win for me. I mean, who's doing it like me? Nobody." He then went on to say, "I came into town, and I got his belt and his girl." Malignaggi claimed there was corruption and that Al Haymon had New York judge Tom Schreck (117–111) "in his pocket". He also threatened to quit boxing. He said, "In my hometown, as the defending champion, I felt like I should have got it."[7][8]
