Many of the big name undercard fighters from the Bernard Hopkins vs. Chad Dawson pay-per-view in a few weeks recently held a conference call to discuss their bouts, their training and so forth. On the call were Kendall Holt and Danny Garcia, who are facing one another, and also on the call was Paulie Malignaggi. Here’s the full transcript of what they had to say and what their teams at Golden Boy had to say as well.
“I’m excited to prove to the world that I’m still the same Kendall Holt that I was when I won the world title.”
-Kendall Holt
“I’m young. I’m fast. I’m strong. I’m hungry and come October 15th I’m going to show the world. I’m going to knock Kendall Holt out. “
-Danny Garcia
“I just plan to win and I plan to dominate Orlando Lora.”
-Paulie Malignaggi
Monica Sears
Thank you very much, Krista. I want to thank everyone for taking the time out of your day to join us for today’s call. On the line we have Kendall Holt as well as Danny Garcia and Dave Itskowitch of Golden Boy Promotions, as well as Gary Shaw of Gary Shaw Productions.
After the beginning portion of this call we will be joined by Paulie Malignaggi who will be facing Orlando Lora on the card as well. After all of that we will get him on the lines. Without further ado I’d like Dave to take it from here. Thanks.
David Itskowitch
Thanks a lot, Monica. Thank you everyone for joining us here today for a show that all of us at Golden Boy and Gary Shaw Productions are very proud of, very excited about top to bottom a great Pay-Per-View event headlined by Bernard Hopkins versus Chad Dawson. Underneath that will also be: Antonio DeMarco and Jorge Linares for the vacant WBC Lightweight World title. Of course as we have on the call today Kendall Holt versus Danny Garcia for the NABO Junior Welterweight title. As Monica mentioned, Paul Malignaggi versus Orlando Lora—October 15th Staples Center live on Pay-Per-View.
Also though good seats still available. We urge everyone in L.A. to come out—get your tickets. It’s going to be a great night of boxing starting at just $25—you can’t really go wrong. Also want to acknowledge and thank our sponsors: Cerveza Tecate, AT&T, and Ripley’s Believe It or Not.
Now I’d like to turn the call over to say a few words about Kendall Holt and introduce Kendall, our co-promoter and my friend, Mr. Gary Shaw.
Gary Shaw
Thank you, Dave. Thank you to the reporters that are on this call—really appreciate you coming in. It will be a great night of boxing as Dave said. The Kendall Holt/Danny Garcia fight will have a seasoned veteran and a former world champion fighting with a young guy that’s up and coming and is looking to make a name for himself or for Kendall Holt.
I don’t think it will happen. I’ve seen Kendall and know how he trains. He trains hard. He’s a single parent that donates all his time … boxing to his son and there is a lot to be said for that. He’s had a real rough life coming up. He won the world title and he had some trouble defending it. His team has changed completely; Kendall has changed completely and I think you’ll see a new Kendall Holt on October 15th.
I’d like to turn it over to Kendall just to say a couple of opening remarks.
Kendall Holt
Yes, I’d like to thank everybody during this conference call. I’m excited about this fight. I’m excited to prove to the world that I’m still the same Kendall Holt that I was when I won the world title and I’m anxious to get in there and face a young lion to prove that.
David Itskowitch
Thanks a lot, Kendall. Now I just wanted to say a few words about Danny Garcia. As Gary alluded to he’s a young fighter trying to make a name for himself. He’s 23 years old; he’s undefeated, rated number eight in the world by the WBC and number 11 in the world by the IBF. In addition to being an NABO title fight, this fight is also an eliminator in the WBC for their number one rating and the number two rating in the IBF. There is a lot on the line in this fight.
Danny is a fighter with a great amateur pedigree. He was a world class amateur and that’s translated into his career in the pros. He has won four of his past five fights by knockout. He’s defeated the likes of Ashley Theophane, Mike Arnaoutis, and former world champion Nate Campbell. He’s got a record of 21-0 with 14 KO’s, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Danny “Swift” Garcia. Danny, do you want to say a few words?
Danny Garcia
Yes, I just want to—October 15th, man, first of all I want to thank Golden Boy. I want to thank Al Hayman. I want to thank HBO for giving me the opportunity to shine. I’ve been training since a young kid for this opportunity. I’m young. I’m fast. I’m strong. I’m hungry and come October 15th I’m going to show the world. I’m going to knock Kendall Holt out.
Monica Sears
Okay, thanks guys. Krista, can we open it up for media questions?
Gary Shaw
The weather must be crazy in Philly if Garcia thinks he’s going to knock out Kendall.
Danny Garcia
It’s going to happen, Dave.
Gary Shaw
There must be a lot of smog there.
Danny Garcia
The weather is beautiful.
Q
My first question is for Danny. You sound very confident obviously, but can you talk about in terms of where Kendall Holt ranks in stature compared to the opponents you’ve faced and in terms of name recognition what a win over him would do for your career?
Danny Garcia
I mean Kendall, he’s a good fighter. He had a lot of good fights. I respect him for that. I feel he had his chance. He was champion, but now it’s a new era. It’s time for new faces. It’s time for the next generation to come up and take control of the boxing world.
Q
Can you—you predict a knockout. Obviously that can be perceived as just talk, but what do you base that on, his fight with Mabuza? What are you looking at in saying that?
Danny Garcia
I’m not looking at no other guys he’s fought. I’m looking at myself. I believe in myself. I believe in me. I believe in my team and my speed, my power, my athleticism. I just feel like I have the complete package to do what I want to do in the ring.
Q
My next question is for Kendall. When you hear talk like that and being a former champion seeing somebody who drops Tim Bradley and Time Bradley looks back and always talks about your fight as the fight that basically made him. To go from that to hearing what you’re hearing from Danny, what goes through your mind when you hear that kind of talk?
Kendall Holt
Nothing. I look at it as he’s never been on this level before so he’s saying what he’s heard other people saying. He’s trying to get everyone to believe in him. He’s just trying to get all that energy up to make—I don’t know what he’s trying to do, but I don’t think he believes he’s going to knock me out. He’s basically saying that to get himself excited, get his confidence up. October 15th he’s going to realize that it’s different watching great whites on TV opposed to being in the ocean with them.
Q
Can you put us in the ring with you? I know you’re not going to give away too much, but somebody who’s been there. Give us the tangible things—you’re saying he’s going to experience against you that he hasn’t experienced before.
Kendall Holt
Well, let’s take the conference call. I’ve been on conference calls before. I’ve been on big shows like this. I’ve been on network TV. I’ve headlined. I’ve done it all. Anything you can see that goes on TV, I’ve done it. He’s coming in as a young kid, a young lion, trying to make a name for himself and trying to accept his failure. I’m not trying to do anything. I’ve done it already. I’m going to continue to do it.
Q
My first question is for Kendall. Apparently you had some bad luck in 2009-2010. Obviously you lost back to back to Timothy Bradley and Kaizer Mabuza. You took a year off; you came back. This is going to be your third fight in 2011. You looked great in your two fights this year.
The only question that a lot of people are asking is, in both those fights this year lasted less than four rounds combined. Is there any concern that considering you’ve had so few rounds this year in the ring that you might not be ready to get in there with a younger kid like Danny Garcia who has a little bit more stamina? Have you done anything in training camp to help keep you sharp, to help shake some of that ring rust off, maybe some extra sparring?
Kendall Holt
You know I don’t think I have any ring rust for the simple fact that even though my fights have lasted less than four rounds, each fight I’ve prepared to go ten rounds. I’ve prepared myself to go 12 rounds. I’ve prepared myself to the fullest extent. That’s why these fights haven’t gone the distance.
You know what? This fight I prepared the same exact way. Not only physically have I prepared, I’ve been prepared mentally so I’m going in there. There is nothing Danny is going to be able to do that’s going to surprise me that I haven’t seen.
He talks about how he’s a strong fighter; he’s fast. Guess what? I’ve been in there with some strong fighters. I’ve been in there with some fast fighters. Has he ever been hit by somebody who hits as hard as I do, who throws punches as fast as I do? That’s why he’s saying he’s going to knock me out because he’s trying to get his confidence up. He knows he has a mountain to climb once October 15th comes and that bell rings.
Q
Thanks a lot, Kendall. Danny, this question is for you. Kendall is a veteran who knows how to handle every situation, as you know. He just said it himself. He’s been in with some pound-for-pound fighters and despite this KO ratio, Kendall has deceiving knockout power. We’ve seen him stop a lot of guys in the first round. We’ve seen him drop Timothy Bradley flat on his back.
You’re young. You’re undefeated. You have a great future in front of you, but are you ready for an opponent like Kendall yet? Your biggest win is over Ashley Theophane—that was a split decision when Kendall is much more accomplished. Is there something you and your team are seeing in Kendall that makes you feel right now not only are you going to beat him, but you’re claiming you’re going to knock him out? What is there in Kendall Holt that you see that makes you so confident this is going to happen?
Danny Garcia
I’m ready. I have the speed. I’m young. I just believe in myself. I’m not looking at Kendall Holt and his flaws or whatever he does wrong because you can have a game plan and you can watch tapes all day and you could do this and do that and then you go in there and it’s a completely different story.
I believe in me and what I can do. I’m going to jump to the fight. Whatever happens—happens. I just know it’s going to be one hell of a fight and I’m going to raise my hands at the end of the fight.
Kendall Holt
He’s kind of comical. He’s saying he’s going to knock me out October 15th. He says he’s going to knock me out.
Danny Garcia
It’s going to happen. You’re going to be looking at the lights.
Kendall Holt
Oh, man. I’ll be looking at the lights? What are you going to do with a robot? How are you going to knock me out? Are you a robot?
Danny Garcia
This robot is going to knock you out, baby.
Kendall Holt
… says get a body bag baby.
Q
Okay, you guys—
Danny Garcia
… retire. He’s a bum. Don’t let him hype you up.
Monica Sears
Okay, Eddie, let’s go ahead with your question.
Q
Let me ask Kendall a question first. Kendall, you talked about how you’ve turned some things around in your career where you did have a title and then you lost it and you took some time off. How have you turned things around? What did you do to improve yourself with this stage of the career?
Kendall Holt
At this stage of the career, well I lost my title not because of anything that I did wrong. I lost my title because my hand had a real bad contusion and I didn’t get a lot of time to let it heal up and then I re-aggravated it in the first round with that big left hook.
From here to the Mabuza fight and the Mabuza fight I wasn’t properly prepared mentally for that fight. I took some time off because I was going through a lot of contract negotiations and things like that. I just wasn’t prepared to come back to the ring just signing any contract because people who saw I lost two in a row and I just wasn’t prepared to sign anything.
I took my time, negotiated back and forth with John Binanatti and Gary Shaw and that whole instance, that whole period I didn’t take any time off the gym. I was still in the gym. I still was training with a bunch of young up and comers like Danny. I was staying with one of the guys that he fought in the amateurs that he tried to bite because he got so frustrated. I hope if he gets frustrated on October 15th he doesn’t try to bite me. I’ve got to keep doing what I do—
Danny Garcia
I didn’t try to bite nobody.
Kendall Holt
Aw, dude, you let me … my time. You’re going to get your chance. You’re going to get your chance. Basically I just stayed in the gym working on things that I needed to improve on. While I went through the contract negotiation I stayed in there and seeing what I can do when I’m in shape against a bunch of young up and comers and some former champions. I was in there. I just got my confidence back and my old swag came back and I was ready and prepared to go back in the ring and do battle.
Q
Do you feel that if this goes to a decision that you’ll be able to get a fair shake from the officials?
Kendall Holt
That has nothing to do with it.
Gary Shaw
One hundred percent. That’s 100%. That’s a silly question.
Q
Well, I mean watching some of the recent fights I had to ask that. Let me ask a question for Danny. Danny, you’re obviously somebody that’s younger than Kendall, although you’ve beaten some experienced fighters recently, I think Nate Campbell. Nate had had a couple of losses going in. Tell us why you think you’re ready for Kendall. Kendall is older; he’s 30, and he’s coming off a couple of knockout wins. Tell us why you’re so confident that you’re going to be able to beat him.
Danny Garcia
It’s time to step it up. If you want to be the best then you’ve got to fight the best. That’s what I’ve been told since I was a little kid. Kendall Holt is one of the best. I want to fight the best. I want to challenge the best and I just want to help the sport of boxing. I want to give the sport of boxing great fights. I feel like I’m ready. That’s what I’ve been training for my whole life and I’m just anxious and I’m excited to show my skills on a whole new level.
Q
Do you see any weaknesses in Kendall’s game that you could take advantage of?
Danny Garcia
I know I don’t have any weaknesses and I’m going to come in there with a lot of speed, power, explosiveness, so he’s going to have to try to match me. Whatever the fight brings I’m going to adapt. I’m a chameleon in there.
Q
My question is for both of fighters. I was wondering you guys are fighting on the Hopkins/Dawson Pay-Per-View. Obviously they play you on the undercard—that’s obviously a big important fight, but it’s the kind of fight that a lot of people might not think will be so huge on Pay-Per-View. So from your point of view as fighters on the under card in terms of exposure, would you guys prefer the fight to be on regular HBO or is Pay-Per-View right where you guys want to be?
Kendall Holt
I’m going to let Danny have a chance to answer first.
Danny Garcia
I’m grateful. I’m just happy to be on this level. I’m happy with this opportunity—HBO, Pay-Per-View HBO, it doesn’t make a difference. I’m ready. I’m happy and I’m excited.
Gary Shaw
What’s the point is why would you get on the conference call? What’s the point of that question? You’re asking two guys that are on the under card of a main event that is on Pay-Per-View that didn’t have a choice. Both are grateful for being on TV.
Q
I’m curious if they’d prefer to be on regular HBO just in terms of exposure.
Gary Shaw
It’s to stir up controversy. It’s a dumb-… question.
Q
It’s certainly not to stir up controversy. It was an honest question.
Gary Shaw
Well, what’s the point of the question for two fighters that are on a conference call about their fight?
Q
Very good.
Monica Sears
Krista, sorry, that’s just the end for Kendall and for Danny, so if they have any closing comments or if Dave and Gary would like to make some comments before Paulie comes on the line.
Kendall Holt
I’d like to see you knock me out.
David Itskowitch
I’ll just say we hope everybody tunes in. Like I said earlier it’s a great top to bottom show. People at the Staples Center should come out. Gary, I don’t know if you have any closing thoughts or if you just want to turn it over to Kendall and have him say his closing words.
Gary Shaw
No, I just want to thank everybody for being on. Danny, I tried to recruit you when you were an amateur, but all I can tell you—you’re a great fighter. You’re going to be a champ one day. This October 15th will not be your night.
David Itskowitch
Kendall, any closing remarks? All right. Danny, do you have any final words before we roll forward?
Danny Garcia
Yes, I just want to thank everybody. I want to thank the whole Golden Boys team, Monica, Dave, Oscar, Richard Schaefer, my whole Team Garcia, my whole training camp, Al Hayman. October 15th is going to be a great fight, me versus Kendall Holt and I’m here to show the world a great fight and I’m going to be victorious.
David Itskowitch
Thanks a lot, Danny.
Danny Garcia
All right. Thank you.
David Itskowitch
All right everyone we’re now going to go to Part 2 of the call, which will feature a young man from Brooklyn, New York, the former world champion will be fighting on the show against Orlando Lora, and that’s Paul Malignaggi. Any media member out there really doesn’t need an introduction to Paulie; he does most of his talking for himself. You all know him from his talking, but he also is an extremely skilled fighter, lightning fast, quick combinations and he’s ready to continue his assault on the 147-pound division on October 15th.
Without any further ado I’d like to introduce Paulie the “Magic Man” Malignaggi.
Paulie Malignaggi
What’s up?
David Itskowitch
Paulie, do you want to say a few words about the fight October 15th?
Paulie Malignaggi
Yes, just really not too much to say. I’m excited. I want to thank Golden Boy for getting me the fight, getting me on the show. As usual Golden Boy never leaves me disappointed, making all the right moves for me and I look forward to getting this win so I can get a big fight next year. That’s always what I’m craving. That’s always what I’m working to is those bigger fights, the spotlight, the main event type fights.
I’m looking forward to getting this win on this big Pay-Per-View. I feel happy to be able to fight on the Pay-Per-View in L.A. where I’m training at now so all my friends can come out and check me out live. I look forward to the 15th.
Monica Sears
Okay, thanks, Paulie. Krista, can we open it up for media questions?
Q
Tell us about this fight. Tell us what you know about Lora and how you plan to approach this fight.
Paulie Malignaggi
Lora—I don’t know too much about him. I know he’s got a 28-1 record and he’s fought as high as Junior Middleweight and Welterweight. He’s probably a man bigger physically than me, but my style of fighting is not really of the physical kind.
I guess he may try to bring a physical kind of fight, but in any video that I’ve watched of him he tries to box, so I don’t know. I don’t know what to really expect from him because he may see a small guy in front of him and try to be a bully or he may just think what he really wants to do is box so I’m preparing for either thing. I’m always trying to prepare myself mainly and get myself sharp and then I’ll have the opponent really worry about me more so than me worry about the opponent. That’s the plan. That’s usually what the plan is and that’s the plan now for this kind of fight as well.
Q
Where do you think you are as a fighter now in terms of your career? Obviously you guys are around the same age as Lora, but you’ve had a better career. You’ve had better titles and things like that. Where do you think you are in terms of eventually getting a title shot against somebody?
Paulie Malignaggi
I don’t think I’m too far off. Between my ability to win fights and the strong team I have behind me with Golden Boy Promotions and Anthony Cantanzaro, my manager, I think I’m very close if not for a world title or at least for a big fight that could lead to a world title. One way or the other I’m knocking on the door for something.
Like I said before I feel like I still belong because guys below the world class level I tend to still dominate them. I need to be competing at a world class level and I look forward to getting back there.
Q
Is this weight fighting at Welterweight, how has that affected you? Do you feel that really suits you the best at this point?
Paulie Malignaggi
Yes. Just with age it got tough to make the Junior Welterweight limit. Making Welterweight I feel like I have more spring in my legs. I’m not going to say I’m going to hit harder, but I definitely feel stronger at Welterweight just because I don’t have to struggle as much to make the weight. Definitely the biggest improvement is the spring in my legs and just the energy level I’m able to maintain and keep because I don’t have to waste it on making weight. When I get in the ring I can still have that mental spunk and just be able to box the way I want to box.
Q
Do you want to make a prediction for this fight?
Paulie Malignaggi
I don’t really have a prediction. I just plan to win and I plan to dominate Orlando Lora. If I don’t dominate Orlando Lora I’ll be disappointed in myself, obviously. Not taking anything away from Orlando Lora, but it’s just that I’ve seen … in my career than him. Like I said before anything not at the world-class level I have been dominating and Lora, although he’s 28-1, has not fought at a world class level. The plan is to dominate him and that’s pretty much, I guess, the prediction.
Q
I had a question too, about the weight, but you already answered that so I just want to ask about a change in getting out of Brooklyn and training in L.A. How much of a difference has that made for you?
Paulie Malignaggi
It’s pretty cool. Sometimes I get homesick for back East, but it’s pretty cool. The Wild Card Gym is definitely a place I don’t regret coming to train, I’ve got great sparring, I’ve got a great trainer, Eric Brown. The weather in L.A. is great; it’s a chill place.
I enjoy being out here. Don’t get me wrong, there is only one New York and I do a lot of times get homesick and stuff, but I don’t regret coming out to train here. It was a great move for my career. I’ve made some new friends out here as well and I plan to continue to train out here.
Q
I understand. I lived in New York, too. Living down South it’s a huge change of pace for me so I can only imagine someone who lives 1000 miles an hour like you, it’s got to be tough. You must feel like you’re living in slow motion out there.
Paulie Malignaggi
Yes. The pace of life is definitely slower even out here. That was hard for me because I figured like L.A. would be a city like New York and everybody would be in that rush mode. Although L.A. is exactly the opposite—it’s a city, but that’s about where the comparison ends to New York. New York is a rush—everybody trying to get somewhere, do something. L.A. is more of a laid back chill atmosphere where nobody really has anything to do. At least it feels that way a lot of times.
Sometimes I’m in that New York mentality where I want to get somewhere and I can’t get anywhere because this L.A. traffic is hard. I guess that sometimes it does get frustrating. One thing I will say in L.A, they have the worst drivers I’ve ever seen in my life—in my life. No one compares to L.A. as the worst drives in the world.
Q
You’ve got to come down South for that.
Paulie Malignaggi
They’re able to drive off the road going two miles an hour. At least if he’s going fast that’s one thing, but if you’re able to rear-end somebody or drive off the road going five miles an hour, you’ve got a problem.
Q
Yes, no doubt.
Paulie Malignaggi
Other than that, like I said I think there are more pros than cons to L.A. at the end of the day, though.
Q
I was going to say do you think it’s kind of a metaphor for where your career is at right now? You’re used to just running fast-paced, but now it’s become like more of a marathon for you, you’re not sprinting towards a world title now, you’re at a proper pace so it’s rebuilding toward the championship run.
Paulie Malignaggi
Yes, yes. Actually that’s a good point. It is kind of like a metaphor where I have to like—slow and steady wins the race kind of thing, you know? That’s kind of the mentality that my team has for my career at the moment I think, that slow and steady eventually wins the race instead of the rush, rush that I always felt I needed to do and be. Yes, it’s sort of a metaphor in a way because L.A. definitely is slow and steady instead of rush, rush.
Q
Right, no doubt. All right, if you’re going to use it just make sure you give me credit for it, all right?
Paulie Malignaggi
All right.
Q
Hey, Dave, I just want to know—you and Paulie worked together back when both of you were with DiBella, I just wanted to know if you had a feeling to be reunited with your old Brooklyn buddy?
David Itskowitch
I’m sorry, can you just repeat the question again?
Q
I just want to know how it feels for you to be reunited with Paulie. Both of you having worked together with DiBella and now you’re together with Golden Boy.
David Itskowitch
Paulie, I’ve known Paulie since I guess 2001 so it’s been quite a long time. It’s great to be working with him again. We obviously didn’t lose touch while I was at Golden Boy and he was with DiBella. We worked on a few shows together. He fought Diaz twice and Ricky Hatton so we still came into contact with each other. It’s great working with him. Looking forward to what the future has to offer for him in Brooklyn and everywhere he fights.
Q
Believe it or not I’m getting ready to make a post off of our interview in Las Vegas. Going back to that, you kind of touched on it in your two previous answers; you seem really mentally more relaxed at this weight class. I have to think that it has to do with the fact that you don’t have to suck so much weight over the last couple of weeks to get down to weight.
We talked about your fight against Amir Khan, obviously he’s a good fighter, but it factored in that you were having to lose so much weight. Can you talk about the freedom of not having to do that and how much it allows you to concentrate more on your skill closer to the fight as opposed to concentrating on losing the weight?
Paulie Malignaggi
Yes, well, first of all it has more of a positive effect on me in that my moods are better and I’m just a happier person. As the fight comes along I can be more focused on the fight because I know even if I’m above weight I know I’m not going to have trouble making it. Obviously knowing that, I’m able to really put pieces together to the puzzle better as far as solving my opponent and concentrating on a game plan and just all that other stuff.
Really though, more than anything is, like I said, it’s the energy level, the energy level that I get to keep and maintain. Because when you have nothing to lose and you’re losing an extra five, six, seven pounds, on top of having nothing else to lose, it gets difficult. It’s difficult to maintain the energy level. Knowing I’m going to have that and then just being in a much better mood for not having to suck out that weight.
It allows me to be able to focus and concentrate better. It’s definitely a move that I needed to make and it’s definitely a move that I’m glad I made.
Q
Your last fight you beat Jose Miguel Cotto, who some people might say you had an easier time against him than Canello did. Do you make that comparison and how much emphasis do you place on the way that you beat Cotto as far as the way you’re going to fight in this division?
Paulie Malignaggi
I don’t really emphasize or compare how I beat one opponent to how another guys beats an opponent. I just kind of just go out there and do my job. I know when I dominate an opponent when I look good and when I have to—what it is for my style to do it. Me and Canelo have sort of different styles so Canelo dominating an opponent may mean something else as opposed to me dominating an opponent, or anybody else dominating an opponent that I’m having.
I don’t really make that comparison. I felt like I dominated my opponent Cotto once we got past the first round I got timing down. I was able to box his ears off. If I hadn’t hurt my hands I think I could have actually stuck it out more to really at least—he’s got a good chin, but I could have at least upped the tempo of the fight to where it might have forced a stoppage. My hands were just killing me there. I actually hurt both of my hands in the last fight. They were hurting so bad that the second half of the fight I just lowered them. I basically was on a budget for my hands and I lowered the tempo.
I was happy with the performance, all things considered. I outboxed him. I outboxed him very well. I’ve got to credit my trainer Eric Brown and Wild Card Gym while we work on a lot of new things and also we get a lot of great sparring. Being out West and training out West also helps out.
Q
How are your hands?
Paulie Malignaggi
My hands felt good so far. Honestly in the gym I don’t really have too many problems with them because I get to wear big gloves and I get to wrap them the way I want to. Obviously in a fight you can’t pad the hands as much as you have little aeon plugs so that’s sometimes where I run into problems, but so far so good. Hopefully everything remains fine and dandy on the 15th.
Q
I have a question—you said you felt like if your hands weren’t hurting you could have knocked him out. Your first fight at Welterweight you scored a knockout and it was pretty impressive against Michael Lozada. Do you feel like you’re able to somehow sit down more in your punches? What is your power a function of at this weight class?
Paulie Malignaggi
I don’t know if I’m sitting down more on the punches. I do think my trainer has imposed—to implementing a little bit of a more of an offensive approach to it. I think that comes more from training out West. I know this Wild Card Gym is a very offensive minded gym so I think it just kind of starts to rub off on me, just training out here.
Having said that I think it’s just more of a matter if I’m at a world-class level and I’m fighting non-world class opponents there is always the potential to stop them as long as my hands are healthy because you start putting punches together and ripping off combinations and you kind of overwhelm people.
I don’t know how many one punch knockouts you’re going to see me get, although I have had those in the past as well, but just because somebody is not on your level—it doesn’t matter how many knockouts you’ve had you’re going to stop them just on the beating.
I think that’s what happened with the Mike Lozada fight and I think had I not hurt my hands it would have happened in the Jose Cotto fight. It’s hard to stop a world-class opponent, but when you’re fighting sub-world class opposition and my hands are healthy, I think I get a bad rap for the power and the KO ratio because a lot of it has to do with the injured hands. Early in my career I had many more problems than I do have now. That was really affecting the KO ratio at the time where why shouldn’t we get more stoppages?
Q
Paulie, I’ve got a question for you. We pretty much talked about everything with the weight issues, your hands, and everything. In 2009-2010 you had a lot of up and down moments. People were starting to write you off, a lot of people questioned why would you even go to Welterweight feeling that was a division you were way too small for, but thus far you’ve been great with your last two wins.
Do you feel any pressure that every win or every bout that you have now you have to win in like a dominant, very convincing fashion to have people starting to talk about you again and consider you a genuine threat in the title mix at that weight class? Or are you just willing right now just to slow it down, take it one fight at a time and just let things come how they are?
Paulie Malignaggi
I did put a lot of pressure on myself to try to make everybody happy and try to win a certain way and make sure I was doing and make sure I was doing that and all that stuff, but honestly man, I don’t really think about that anymore.
I don’t really read too many magazine articles or web sites or anything. I kind of just—so I don’t really—it’s not even that I made a conscious effort I actually just lost interest in doing that stuff. If everybody wants to have an opinion on what I’m supposed do and what I’m not supposed to do I’m really not hearing it. The way I look at it is this, Golden Boy is my promoter; they get me the fights.
They line them up and if I can keep knocking them down then eventually something good is going to happen—a world title shot is going to come my way and then hopefully everything works out. I’m just looking at it more like I’m doing my job and my team does their job and together we move forward.
I don’t really have to look at the criticism or the compliments even. I can just go forward and do my job. Boxing is my job. It’s how I make my money so it’s more so that’s how I look at it. I have a job to do when I get in the ring. It’s my responsibility to go out there, put on a show, and win fights. I try to do that to the best of my ability every time I go out there.
Monica Sears
Paulie, that was our last question for today so if you want to say any closing remarks before getting off the line.
Paulie Malignaggi
No, basically I’ll close it out the way I started it. I look forward to being on the show October 15th. I’m glad Golden Boy put me on the TV portion so thanks to Golden Boy; thanks to my team. I’m really happy I signed with them and I’m glad the more opportunities they give me the more I hope I can show my gratitude to you guys by continuing to win.
Monica Sears
Thanks, Paulie. Thanks for all the media on the call today and we will keep you informed of all of the upcoming activities for Believe It or Not … October 15th.
Paulie Malignaggi
Thank you.
Monica Sears
Thanks everyone.
