Franchise Thoughts on... Adamek-Arreola, Williams-Cintron, Khan-Malignaggi and More

Dan Rafael of ESPN was nice enough to use his blog entry for today to spell out exactly what HBO had planned for the second quarter of 2010. At this point, just about anything would be better than the network's first quarter boxing schedule, though the cancellation of its biggest fight (Shane Mosley-Andre Berto) was obviously not HBO's fault.

Here are my thoughts on what is supposedly on tap:

April:

I was a little surprised to see that Berto will be matched with Carlos Quintana on April 10. There have been quite a few names kicked around for Andre, including everyone from Paul Malignaggi to Zab Judah. Berto himself sounded off on Twitter about a week ago and didn't seem too interested in either one of those guys. Also on that card will be personal favorite Tavoris Cloud facing Glen Johnson in what should be an action-packed fight. I like Cloud in that one, but Johnson will make it a tough night as always.

The next week on April 17 is planned to be a split-site doubleheader that features Lucian Bute-Edison Miranda in Montreal and Kelly Pavlik-Sergio Martinez in Atlantic City. Miranda is always dangerous and should be good for some entertaining trash talk if nothing else, but the most recent version of Bute we saw was also the best one. He should win. Pavlik-Martinez is a fascinating study in contrasts; I'm withholding my thoughts on the outcome until both guys actually sign on the dotted line.

Tomasz Adamek-Chris Arreola is apparently official for April 24, much to my dismay. Don't get me wrong, because I like the match-up. But Showtime just moved the Super Six fights to that date, and now HBO is putting a card on that date. That is bad for fans and the sport in general. Alfredo Angulo vs. Joel Julio is the co-feature, which doesn't do a whole lot for me.

May:

Paul Williams will be the headliner on May 8. Rafael says his most likely opponent will be Kermit Cintron at 154 pounds. I'm biased toward Cintron because he hails from a town about 30 minutes from the hometown of the BoxingWatchers. Nevertheless, I give the edge to The Punisher if he brings his 'A' game. Assuming Martinez really does face Pavlik, this is a good bout for Williams, so I hope it gets made.

Amir Khan-Paulie Malignaggi on May 15? Yes, please! Frankly, Malignaggi never made much sense to me as a foe for Berto, and even though I was intrigued by the possibility of Khan taking on Juan Manuel Marquez for the obvious "youth versus experience" storyline, this is better. Khan seems to be on the fast track to superstardom, but we've seen what can happen to young boxers who are tagged as the next big thing. Speaking of those guys, Victor Ortiz is likely to be in the co-feature against Nate Campbell. That's not too shabby either.

June:

There's nothing official for June as of yet. But there is growing talk about Miguel Cotto and Yuri Foreman fighting, either on June 5 in Yankee Stadium or June 12 at Madison Square Garden. I wrote about that potential title fight in more detail elsewhere, but to sum up, it should be one of those rare matches where we learn something about both men. If Cotto's losses to Antonio Margarito and Manny Pacquiao took something out of him permanently, Foreman seems good enough to let us know. Regardless, NYC is the perfect spot for this fight, indoors or out.

Posted by The Franchise

Juan Diaz v. Paulie Malignaggi II: Round by Round

The fighters are about to make their entrances. HBO showed a montage of the last fight and its outcome.

Paulie is making his ring now. He looks loose and ready. He is coming out to "We Run It" by 50 Cent.

Juan Diaz comes to the ring now. The fans are certainly behind Diaz as they cheer him on.

This fight is for the NABO junior welterweight championship.

The intros are about to wrap up. Here we go...

Round 1

Nothing doing so far. Paulie counters Diaz with a with a right hand. Diaz catches Malignaggi with a straight right. Paulie is using great movement as expected. A "Diaz" chant begins. Malignaggi tries to counter uppercut but misses. Diaz lands a left to the body. Malignaggi throws a combo and lands a great right hand. Malignaggi is fighting a good fight in Round 1. Now a "Paulie" chant starts and he puts his fist in the air.

Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi
Uatu: 10-9 Malignaggi

Round 2

Malignaggi is trying to wait for Diaz to throw a punch to counter. Paulie throws a fast flurry to the head. He's landing and getting out of the way. Diaz is starting to charge in to land something. Diaz lands a glancing right hook. Paulie lands a right uppercut while Diaz comes forward. This has been a great round for Malignaggi and he knows it.

Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi
Uatu: 10-9 Malignaggi

Round 3

A cut has opened over the left eye of Diaz. Malignaggi lands a left hook. Paulie lands a two-punch combo. Diaz lands a couple of punches to the body and one more upstairs. Now they trade shots in the center of the ring, and Malignaggi waves him in. Paulie lands a double right hook and the blood continues to run over Diaz's eye. Diaz misses with a right hook. Paulie lands three jabs. Malignaggi and Diaz trade left hooks to end the round.

Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi
Uatu: 10-9 Malignaggi

Round 4

Malignaggi continues to make Diaz miss. Paulie is countering very well. Diaz gets a straight left in. Paulie lands a double jab. Diaz starts to go to the body now and lands two shots. They trade a few punches on the inside in a clinch. Paulie lands two hooks to end the round. Another good round for Malignaggi.

Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi
Uatu: 10-9 Diaz

Round 5

Diaz gets Malignaggi in the corner and starts to let his hands go. Diaz connects with a big right hand and Malignaggi sticks his tounge out. Paulie has stopped moving around and is now just trading. Paulie lands two hooks to the body and one more upstairs. Diaz gets three hooks in to the body. A better round for Diaz.

Spartan117: 10-9 Diaz
Uatu: 10-9 Diaz

Round 6

Paulie lands a left hook. Diaz lands two straight left hands. They trade a couple of jabs. Diaz catches Malignaggi with a body shot and two hooks upstairs. He's starting to come into his own. Paulie lands a right hook. A "Paulie sucks" chant starts. Malignaggi lands a right hook on the button and Diaz is hurt. He taunts Diaz rather than trying to close the show. He lands a few more punches but does more taunting in the last 20 seconds.

Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi
Uatu: 10-9 Malignaggi

Round 7

Diaz's corner tells him to take this round off to fight harder in rounds 8 to 12. Questionable advice. Malignaggi lands a left-right combo. Diaz looks to be taking his corner's advice and isn't doing much. Malignaggi isn't doing too much this round either, but he's doing more than Diaz. Malignaggi lands a left hook. A few of his jabs get blocked.

Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi
Uatu: 10-9 Malignaggi

Round 8

Malignaggi lands a counter right. Paulie starts winding up his punch to taunt. Diaz comes forward and lands two punches to the body. Diaz gets in a shot that was a little low, and Paulie gets time to recover. He takes about 30 seconds and gets back in. Malignaggi gets backed against the ropes, and Diaz goes to work to the body. Malignaggi fires back with some hooks. He gets off the ropes and Paulie gets two more good shots in as they trade.

Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi
Uatu: 10-9 Diaz

Round 9

Malignaggi goes back to the game plan of jabbing and keeping his distance. Diaz continues to try to come forward. Diaz gets in but misses with a left hook. Paulie fires a jab, then another. Paulie gets a right hook blocked by Diaz. Paulie counters with a right. Diaz gets a straight left in. The cut opens up over the eye of Diaz again. Another good round for Paulie.

Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi
Uatu: 10-9 Malignaggi

Round 10

Paulie knocks Diaz off-balance with a right hook. Paulie staggers Diaz with a straight jab. Paulie gets in a left uppercut. Diaz lands a right hand that grazes. Paulie lands a left jab. Diaz misses with a straight right. Paulie misses with a wide right hook. Diaz gets hit with a right hand and Diaz stumbles hard. The ref calls it a knockdown. It didn't look like his glove touched the mat. This is going to be a 10-8 round for Malignaggi.

Spartan117: 10-8 Malignaggi
Uatu: 10-8 Malignaggi

Round 11

They meet in the center of the ring and trade punches. Diaz goes to the body and Paulie lands a couple jabs. Now Paulie moves back and starts to counter again. Diaz is starting to throw hard hooks to go for the knockout. One looked like it landed, but Paulie holds his glove up to show that it was blocked. Maglignaggi lands a left and slips a punch from Diaz. Diaz gets clocked with two stiff jabs. Paulie lands two hooks to the body. The blood starts to flow over Diaz's eye.

Spartan117: 10-9 Diaz
Uatu: 10-9 Diaz

Round 12

Malignaggi goes back to work with the jab. Diaz misses with a wide right hook. The ref warns Malignaggi for pushing with his elbow, which he has been doing a lot. Paulie starts to throw right hooks, but Diaz blocks them easily. Diaz gets a right hook in. They are trading punches in the center of the ring. Diaz is landing the better power shots. The crowd starts to chant for Diaz. They meet back in the center. They trade shots in the final seconds with no defense at all. Good last round.

Spartan117: 10-9 Diaz
Uatu: 10-9 Diaz

Spartan117: 117-110 Malignaggi
Uatu: 115-112 Malignaggi

All three judges score the bout 116-111 for the winner by unanimous decision, Paulie "The Magic Man" Malignaggi.

Paulie says, "I told you so. All I needed I was a fair shake."

He says Diaz didn't pressure him and his hands were faster than Juan's. Malignaggi wants Juan Manuel Marquez, with the winner to fight Ricky Hatton.

Posted by spartan117

Live Diaz-Malignaggi II and Bradley-Peterson Round By Round Updates Tonight, Plus Vic Darchinyan, Vitali Klitschko and More

The 2009 year in boxing pretty much closes out (except for you, Kelly Pavlik) tonight, but at least it goes out with a bang. HBO and Showtime both have cards that, at least on paper, look like they should be fun.

Showtime's broadcast kicks off first, with Vic Darchinyan taking on Tomas Rojas. Then in the main event, two talented young junior welterweights collide when Timothy Bradley and Lamont Peterson go at it for Bradley's WBO title.

You'll be able to watch a good bit of that card before switching over to HBO 90 minutes later for a rare Boxing After Dark tripleheader. Victor Ortiz tries to return to his winning ways against Antonio Diaz and a rematch awaits for Juan Diaz and Paulie Malignaggi, plus there's a heavyweight title defense for Vitali Klitschko brought to us via the magic of tape delay.

This would be a good night to have two TVs set up in the same room, or at least one of those DVR contraptions. Failing that, you can watch your card of choice and bookmark us here to get live round by round updates of the other fights (except for Vitali, whose fight will already be in the past when you see it - spooky!).

In any case, spartan117 and I are going to split up blogging duties and do live posts for each televised fight, because that's just the kind of guys we are. Visit our main page to find the round by round posts, which should start shortly after 9 pm Eastern (for the Showtime bouts) and 10:30 pm Eastern (for the HBO card) tonight.

Posted by The Franchise

Predictions: Pascal-Diaconu II, Diaz-Malignaggi II, Bradley-Peterson and More

Though boxing doesn't have an offseason like the stick-and-ball sports, it does take a de facto holiday recess each year from roughly mid-December to mid-January. It's not that there isn't any boxing during that time, but you won't see any championship bouts either.

This year's schedule is no exception, but at least fans are getting treated to one last action-packed weekend before the sport goes on hiatus. The next 48 hours will see title fights taking place in the U.S., Canada and Switzerland, plus what promises to be an exciting sequel in Chicago.

On Friday night, Jean Pascal and Adrian Diaconu meet for the second time this year to do battle for the WBC light heavyweight belt that Pascal claimed by decision in the first fight. Though Diaconu lost by at least three points on all three official scorecards, he put up a good battle most of the way, especially when he got off the canvas to rock Pascal late in a wildly entertaining fifth round.

Here's what I wrote about Pascal following that victory:

I'd never seen Pascal fight before, and he struck me as a really poor man's Roy Jones Jr. He carried his hands low, using his reflexes and movement to dodge punches, often at the last possible moment.

He also flashed some quick hands on offense, though he didn't seem to have a ton of power behind all of his shots. You definitely got the feeling he was flirting with disaster even as he was winning rounds, which may not be the safest way to have success but does provide a good show for fans.

I still feel the same way going into the rematch. As far as making a pick, I learned a long time ago not to pick the loser of the first fight to win the next one unless there is some kind of extenuating circumstance.

That doesn't seem to be the case here. Diaconu is a tough guy and a solid boxer, but Pascal is faster and more talented and should retain the title by decision.

Pascal-Diaconu II is just an appetizer to the main course on Saturday, as HBO and Showtime serve up dueling cards which should both be worth watching. HBO has Victor Ortiz returning to action attempting to shake off his first career defeat and a rematch between Juan Diaz and Paulie Malignaggi in the main event.

The first battle between Diaz and Malignaggi was certainly memorable. Paulie spent much of the time before the fight complaining that he wouldn't get a fair shake from the judges fighting in front of Juan's hometown judges in Houston, and he turned out to be partially correct: after a tight, back-and-forth affair, one judge saw it 118-110 for Diaz.

They'll meet in Chicago this time around, so bias shouldn't be an issue. We know what to expect from Diaz, who comes straight forward and throws punches until either he or his opponent give out.

What isn't as certain is which version of Malignaggi will show up, as Paulie has been maddeningly inconsistent over the last two years. He has the faster hands but even less power (only five knockouts among his 26 career wins), so he'll need to be able to outbox Diaz for 12 rounds to win.

The educated guess is that Malignaggi will throw the quicker and more accurate shots while Diaz will be busier and have slightly more pop. Picking a winner could be a matter of personal preference, but my gut tells me Diaz will squeak it out on the cards, leaving Malignaggi despondent once again.

Along with the live fights on HBO will be tape delayed coverage of Vitali Klitschko taking on Kevin Johnson in Switzerland. This will be the elder Klitschko's third fight of 2009, as he attempts to make up for time lost to injury a few years ago.

The undefeated Johnson isn't short at 6' 3", but he'll have the same problem that most people do when facing Klitschko. Namely, he'll be too small to box from the outside and face too much firepower if he tries to get inside.

Johnson doesn't appear to have the power to stand and trade with Klitschko even if he does close the range, so I'm not sure how he pulls off the upset. Vitali will keep rolling with a mid-round KO.

Last but certainly not least, Showtime has two title fights on tap for Saturday. Vic Darchinyan drops back down in weight after an ill-fated effort at bantamweight to take on Tomas Rojas, while Timothy Bradley defends his 140-pound belt against undefeated Lamont Peterson.

Bradley has come out of nowhere to give his division a potential star with three solid victories over the past two years, along with a fight against Nate Campbell that was going his way until a cut ended it early. No individual aspects of his game stand out as being truly elite, but he's above average in speed, strength and technique and never seems to tire.

Fighting out of Memphis, Tennessee, Peterson is 27-0 but is taking a significant step up in competition to face Bradley. He can bring it to the head and body, though like his foe this weekend, he doesn't have particularly frightening KO power.

Peterson will have height and reach advantages, but Bradley has faced the same kinds of challenges before and prevailed. Both men have fast hands, so it will be interesting to see who takes the lead in terms of aggression.

This has the makings of a crowd-pleasing scrap between two fighters whose best years are almost certainly still in front of them. Experience fighting top-level opposition could turn out to be the difference, so I'm leaning toward Bradley to win by decision.

Posted by The Franchise

20/20 Hindsight: Houston Home Cooking? Plus Guerrero and Jacobs Look Sharp

It's never boring when big boxing cards are held in Houston, at least recently. It helps that the city has good hometown fighters, and then there's the added fun that comes when controversy breaks out.

In February it was Houston's Rocky Juarez fighting Chris John. I scored that one 116-112 for John and was a bit surprised when all three judges turned in official scores of 114-114. I didn't think that was the worst decision ever, but some of you disagreed.

Before this Saturday's HBO Boxing After Dark card, Paulie Malignaggi suggested he would have to decisively defeat Houston boy Juan Diaz in order to pull out a decision. Since Paulie had virtually no chance of winning by KO, this was an even tougher task, and he didn't get the knockout or the dominating points win he needed.

What he did get was a very close fight that could have gone either way. Our Spartan117 saw it as a draw. HBO's Harold Lederman and Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports liked Malignaggi 115-113. But none of the judges agreed, and Diaz got the unanimous decision.

If only that was the end of the drama. Judge Gale Van Hoy turned in a 118-110 card for Diaz, arguably the most ridiculous score for a televised fight in years. Malignaggi was beside himself after the verdict, and there seems to be a general feeling that something bad went down.

Who's to blame for this foolishness? That depends on who you ask.

Tim Starks of The Queensberry Rules points out that Paulie knew what he was getting into when he signed on. Fellow blogger David Schraub think HBO should speak out against situations like Diaz-Malignaggi, while Iole points the finger at Golden Boy Promotions for creating the conditions that allow it.

Interesting viewpoints all. There's some truth in all of them.

Here's what I know: by itself, I didn't think the John-Juarez decision was horrible. In a vacuum, I still don't. But after what just happened on Saturday, it's not an isolated incident any more.

If I was promoting a boxer with title aspirations, I'd have to think carefully about agreeing to fight someone from Houston in Houston right now. Boxing is hard enough without having to worry about the house edge on top of your opponent.

(As an aside, I don't want to seem like I'm just bashing Houston, because the hometown syndrome can and does happen elsewhere. Montreal comes to mind as another recent example.)

The other two fights on the card had something in common, as both Robert Guerrero and Daniel Jacobs had to dig down and show something while earning victories and continuing their win streaks. Guerrero looked fantastic in the early rounds of his fight with Malcolm Klassen, moving well and letting his hands go. Klassen found something in the middle rounds, though, and The Ghost did a nice job shaking off a cut caused by a headbutt and making sure he didn't let the late rounds go the way of the South African.

Jacobs got the full ten-round tussle from Ishe Smith that I expected, with his veteran foe making things uncomfortable at times. We saw that Danny doesn't need to be the aggressor and that he likes to throw right back after getting hit with a good shot. His defense still needs some tightening up, as Smith landed left hooks throughout the fight.

Just to tie up this post thematically, the judge who gave Daniels a 100-89 win - a shutout since the fight was 10 rounds and Smith was docked a point - also deserves some derision. He (or she) is just lucky that Jacobs unquestionably won the fight and that there was an even crazier scorecard coming later.

Posted by The Franchise

Diaz v. Malignaggi: Round by Round

Here comes the main event between Juan Diaz versus Paulie Malignaggi. There has been some controversy building up to this fight. Malignaggi has complained that "the deck is stacked" in favor of Diaz. Diaz is from Houston, TX and got 3 out of the 4 hometown officials for the fight. Harold Leaderman says that Malignaggi has every right to be upset because there is usually 1 hometown official for each fighter plus 2 other neutral officials. We'll see how the officiating plays out.

Malignaggi has dedicated his fight to Gatti and entered the ring to Thunderstruck by ACDC.

Malignaggi gets welcomed by some expected boo's. The crowd goes wild for Diaz.

Here we go.

Round 1

Diaz, as expected, comes right forward. The magic man looks lighting-fast. He clocks Diaz with some great jabs. He now lands a good flurry. Diaz continues to come forward and tries to get inside. Diaz throws 2 straight lefts. Malignaggi gets against the ropes but slips away. Malignaggi is fighting very well, sticking to the jab and keeping Diaz away. Malignaggi is using some great upper-body movement as well. Diaz is still trying to figure out how to handle Malignaggi's speed. Diaz lands a good counter left. Good round for Malignaggi.

Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi

Round 2

Diaz comes right forward again this time landing a good right hand. Now Diaz puts his punches together and lands his best combo of the night. Malignaggi sticks out his tongue to taunt him. Paulie lands a straight right hand. A cut has opened over the left eye of Malignaggi. Diaz lands a huge left eye and a hook to the body. This has been a great round for Diaz thus far. Diaz gets inside again and lands a double-left. Diaz lands a left to the body and Malignaggi comes back with a right hand. Now a cut has opened over the left eye of Diaz.

Spartan117: 10-9 Diaz

Round 3

The cut is right on the eyelid of Diaz which could cause some major problems. I didn't see any clash of heads and neither did the ref. The Magic Man catches Diaz coming forward with two great straights. Malignaggi uses his reach and keeps Diaz at a distance again. He knocks him off balance with a good right hand again. Paulie's jab is working overtime. Diaz barely misses with a good left hand. The two clinch and Diaz frantically tries to punch out of it. Malignaggi is the busier fighter but Diaz is getting him with some good power shots.

Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi

Round 4

Paulie keeps the footwork going and lands two great left hand. Diaz catches him with a left hook. Malignaggi lands two more lightning-fast jabs. Diaz rocks him with a right hand that looked to stun Malignaggi. This has been Diaz's best round so far. He landing some great power shots but Malignaggi is taking it well. Diaz is pawing at his cut. Diaz's cut is getting worse and the blood is pouring into that eye. Let's see what his cutman can do between the rounds.

Spartan117: 10-9 Diaz

Round 5

Malignaggi gets in trouble with the ref for pushing Diaz away. No warning yet. The two fight in close quarters now. Diaz continues to land more on the inside. Diaz lands a 3-punch combo. The crowd is going crazy for even blocked punches from Diaz. Diaz is really going to town with the left hook. Malignaggi gets a second warning for pushing with the elbow but I don't remember warning number 1. Malignaggi lands a great right hand and the blood pours again from Diaz's eye.

Spartan117: 10-9 Diaz

Round 6

There is a different cut over the same eye for Diaz that's causing even more problems for Diaz. The cut is said to be caused by an accidental headbutt. Malignaggi is fighting well again and is honing in on that cut. Diaz is fighting with some urgency now and knows that the fight could be stopped at any time because of that cut. Diaz tries to work the body now and Malignaggi gets a few right uppercuts in there. Diaz gets 2 left hands in that knocks Malignaggi back. Paulie sticks with the jab. Diaz lands a good left hand right before the bell.

Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi

Round 7

A doctor comes in to take a look at the cuts over the eye of Diaz. The doc says that he can keep fighting. Diaz tries to get inside again but misses with some wide punches. Malignaggi goes back from the jab. His trainer is telling him to stay away from fighting on the inside. He seems to be listening well and has a lot of success when he's keeping Diaz back with the jab. Diaz gets inside again and shows some great body work. Paulie keeps throwing the jab. Close round but I call it for Diaz.

Spartan117: 10-9 Diaz

Round 8

Paulie comes right out and throws the jabs. Diaz lands a left to the body. Malignaggi hasn't been throwing his right nearly enough and that's the punch that would be landing on the cut. Diaz gets Paulie against the ropes but the Magic Man slips away again. Malignaggi lands a good combo. Diaz gets inside again. Malignaggi's trunks are falling off. There's a lot going on on his trunks too: All kins of crazy tassels etc. Despite the trunks distraction he still fought well.

Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi

Round 9

Diaz is clearly landing the more damaging punches but Malignaggi is staying busy. The Magic Man is now letting his right hand go with occasional success. Some of Malignaggi's braids are coming loose now from punches. This has been a great round for Diaz. He's been getting inside and landing some great hooks to the body and the head. Malignaggi keeps the jab coming though.

Spartan117: 10-9 Diaz

Round 10

Diaz is chasing The Magic Man around the ring. Now the two square off in the center and trade shots. That was some of the best action in the fight. Malignaggi lands a jab followed by a great right uppercut. Paulie is yelling something over to the commentators. I'm not quite sure what he's saying but he should certainly focus on Diaz. Now Malignaggi is getting into a shouting match with someone in press row as he walks back to his corner.

Spartan117: 10-9 Diaz

Round 11

Diaz is trying to get on the inside but Malignaggi is staying with his quick jabs. Good straight right hand from Malignaggi. His speed has not diminished. Paulie is still having trouble with his trunks. This has been a better round for Malignaggi. It will be interesting to see how this pans out on the scorecards. A lot of these rounds have been extremely close. The ref stops the action to pull up Malignaggi's trunks, something I've never seen happen in all of my years watching boxing.

Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi

Round 12

Harold Leaderman has Malignaggi up by 3 rounds. I think he may be compensating, being from New York. The two fight with all of their heart for the last round. Diaz gets some good hooks in and Malignaggi comes right back and lands a great flurry. Blood is coming down the left side of Diaz's face. Malignaggi isn't stopping. He's moving extremely well and landing some crazy-fast punches. This will be a very difficult round to score now as Diaz lands a handful of hard hooks to the body and head. They trade punches to end the fight.

Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi

Spartan117: 114-114

The judges score the bout 116-112, 115-113, 118-110 all for the winner by unanimous decision Juan "The Baby Bull" Diaz

The HBO team comments on the 118-110 scorecard and say that that score is inexcusable and certainly bias. In the post-fight interview Diaz says that he answered all of his critics and showed that he can fight with a cut. He says he has a lot to learn and is looking forward to get back in the gym and work on some things. He says that he wants a rematch with Marquez no matter how his fight with Mayweather ends up.

Malignaggi is fired up in the post-fight interview. He yells at the crowd and at Max Kellerman and says that "he knew he would have to deal with this" and adds that "Texas has never given anyone a fair fight when someone comes to Houston". The Magic Man says that he knows he'll never get the rematch he deserves and adds that it's "not fair that Diaz gets to call out the winner of the Mayweather-Marquez fight but I have to be hoped that I get picked as someone's opponent". He yells that "boxing is bullshit" and that he "used to love this sport" but now "can't stand it".

Posted by spartan117

Juan Diaz vs. Paulie Malignaggi Live Round By Round Updates Tonight

We're back in effect. How's that?

After taking last weekend off to celebrate Uatu's destination wedding, it's time to get reacquainted with the sweet science in the form of a three-fight card on HBO. Headlining the show from Houston is hometown boy Juan Diaz, who takes on Paulie Malignaggi in a bout where both men could really use the victory.

Also in action is Robert Guerrero, who tangles with South African titleholder Malcolm Klassen, and Danny Jacobs, looking to stay undefeated against Ishe Smith.

As always, if you can't watch the fights, you can follow our live round by round posts to see what's going down. Just look for new posts on the home page starting around 10 pm Eastern time tonight and refresh periodically for the latest.

Posted by The Franchise

Juan Diaz vs. Paulie Malignaggi, Malcolm Klassen vs. Robert Guerrero, Danny Jacobs vs. Ishe Smith: Predictions

The Franchise says...

There's no such thing as a "must-win" bout in boxing, but we are going to be seeing a "damn-close-to-must-win" fight for both sides of HBO's main event this Saturday.

Juan Diaz gets to fight before his hometown fans in Houston, trying to right the ship after going 1-2 (and the one win was by split decision) in his last three fights. Smart, articulate and offensively talented - but defensively suspect - the Baby Bull was Victor Ortiz before Victor Ortiz, and has even more soul-searching to do at this point.

His opponent Paulie Malignaggi has actually seen his rise through the sport stopped twice: once after losing to Miguel Cotto in 2006 and again after his TKO loss to Ricky Hatton last November. There's certainly no shame in having those two gentlemen hand you your only two defeats, but the Magic Man seems to go to the back of the line more than most after taking an 'L.'

I think it's pretty well established at this point that Diaz only knows one way to fight. He's going to come forward and throw lots of punches. If that doesn't work, there's no Plan B. His chin is probably the best part of his defense, though as Juan Manuel Marquez proved, it has its limits.

Malignaggi is the bigger question mark. He's known as a light-hitting slickster (and that's being generous, as under 20 percent of his wins came via KO), but he curiously allowed Hatton to out-box him for most of their fight. He's naturally bigger and taller, though it remains to be seen if those qualities do him any good keeping Diaz out of his face.

It's not like Malignaggi can't win this fight, especially if he's able to consistently outmanuever Diaz or withstand an early barrage and pile up points down the stretch. It's just that his margin or error is so slim that the odds are against him being able to pull it off.

Diaz has found out that against the very best competition, what he does best isn't quite good enough. But Paulie is a step down from the likes of JMM and Nate Campbell, so I like the Baby Bull to win by late TKO.

In the co-feature, Robert Guerrero attempts to take the IBF super featherweight title from Malcolm Klassen after making a slight lightweight detour his last time out. After fighting just once in 2008, The Ghost has been a busy man, as this is already his fourth fight this year.

Klassen will make his first appearance in the U.S. after fighting all but one of his previous bouts in his native South Africa. He's fought just good enough competition to suggest he's not a stiff, and though he has four career losses, they've all come by the scorecards.

It's hard to break this one down having never seen Klassen fight, but the consensus opinion among boxing writers is that this will be the best guy Guerrero has faced to this point. Still, there's no reason to think that if he brings his 'A' game, he won't come out on top, and he's been fairly consistent in that regard in 2009. Guerrero wins by late KO.

HBO is also giving us a rare treat with a third televised fight, as undefeated Danny Jacobs tangles with Ishe Smith.

Fans have been waiting to see the 22-year old Jacobs take a step up in competition, but this may not qualify in that regard. Once upon a time Smith seemed to be a future title challenger, but that was probably five years ago, even before his unsuccessful attempt to win the first season of The Contender.

Jacobs got a little testy defending this fight on his Twitter feed, but he certainly appears to be taking the fight seriously, even if it isn't likely Ishe will have the power to hurt him. What Smith may have is enough veteran craftiness to go the distance.

But that's okay because the Golden Child has never gone ten rounds, so we may learn something about him in the process. Smith will learn that the younger man is too fast and too strong, and Jacobs will roll to an easy decision.

Posted by The Franchise

Franchise Thoughts: No Summer Blockbusters, But Still Some Good Boxing Coming Up

Here's a list of some pretty talented boxers: Floyd Mayweather, Juan Manuel Marquez, Kelly Pavlik, David Haye, Fernando Montiel and Amir Khan.

What do all of those gentlemen have in common? All of them were originally scheduled to fight in late June or July. Now, none of them will be in action until this fall at the earliest.

The summer boxing schedule may not have been able to keep up the pace of excellent fights we've seen so far in 2009, but after a tight contest between Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey this past weekend, it at least had a chance. Now injuries have robbed us of a fight between two of the top guys in the sport at any weight (Mayweather and JMM) and the most intriguing heavyweight bout in quite a while (Haye and Wladimir Klitschko).

On the plus side, the fall lineup will probably end up loaded, especially if Mayweather-Marquez is rescheduled for September and Cotto really ends up fighting Manny Pacquiao in November.

In the meantime, it's not all bad. Here are three fights I'm still looking forward to this summer:

Chris John-Rocky Juarez II - June 27, HBO - It's not too often I come away impressed with and feeling like I learned something about both boxers in one fight, but that's the way I felt after John and Juarez battled to a draw in February. I scored the first fight for John, but I didn't think the decision was a ridiculous case of home cooking like some people did.

That shouldn't be a problem this time, since the fight is in L.A. instead of Rocky's hometown of Houston. I expect these guys will battle the same way they did before and provide us with a more definitive winner.

Also on that same card is a trendy pick to be the Next Big Thing, Victor Ortiz, so it's a broadcast that's well worth watching.

Joseph Agbeko vs. Vic Darchinyan - July 11, Showtime - The Raging Bull has been impressive as of late, and he's moving up a few pounds in weight to challenge for the IBF bantamweight title.

We all know Vic can slug, but he's been showing more wrinkles to his game as he goes. He'll need them against Agbeko, who is aggressive, super tough and has never been knocked out.

I expect it to be a bit of a challenge for Darchinyan. And if it's not, that pound-for-pound love he's starting to get is even more appropriate.

Juan Diaz vs. Paulie Malignaggi, August 22, HBO - This one was just confirmed last week and should be a lot of fun. Diaz is entertaining to watch win or lose, and Malignaggi has something to prove after getting smoked by Ricky Hatton last November.

The catch weight between lightweight and junior welter should add to the intrigue as well. Diaz already wasn't a big KO artist at 135 and Paulie could be drained by cutting the extra weight, so it will be interesting to see how that aspect plays out.

Posted by The Franchise

Paulie Malignaggi as Little Mac?

Short post.

I was watching ESPN today when the new "Punch Out" commercial for the updated version of the old Nintendo boxing game came on, and I am almost 100% sure that in the fake mockumentary style commercial that the Magic Man Paulie Malignaggi is playing the part of Little Mac. Paulie does a great job and it's a funny commercial.

Check it out at www.punchoutcomeback.com.

Posted by uatu

Round by Round: Hatton v. Malignaggi

It's time for the main event between Ricky Hatton and Paul Malignaggi. The Ricky Hatton followers are in full effect tonight. Their band music and chants can be heard loud and clear. Malignaggi comes to the ring first to a chorus of boos from the pro-Hatton crowd.

Hatton now enters. It is said that he had to trim 40 pounds for this fight due to his bad habits between fights. Hatton does not enter to his trademark remake of "Blue Moon" but trades to a song made for him called "Ricky Fatton." He is wearing large pads to make him look 50 pounds heavier. As he enters the ring, "Ricky Fatton" ends and "Blue Moon" comes on.

David Beckham is in attendance.

Malignaggi is 25-1 with five KO's and Hatton is 44-1 with 31 KO's. The intros are finished and it's time to fight.

Round One

Hatton starts off establishing the jab. Malignaggi lands a jab and dips away from the counter punch. Malignaggi is using good movement and getting out of the way. He lands a jab and a right hook. Hatton hasn't landed anything big yet. Hatton catches Malignaggi with an uppercut on the inside, but Malignaggi responds with two good jabs. Hatton misses with a jab. Hatton has clinched a few times in this round.

Spartan117: 10-9 Malignaggi

Uatu: 10-9 Malignaggi

Round Two

Hatton throws a combo but Malignaggi dodges all of it. Malignaggi lands a jab and feints away. Malignagge tags Hatton with a right hook as Hatton comes forward. Malignaggi lands another jab followed by a right hook. Hatton lands a big left that snaps the head of Malignaggi. Hatton lands a right as they break from a clinch. Malignaggi gets tagged with a huge right hand and has to hold on. Hatton lands a left-right combo and Malignaggi looks hurt. He gets his legs back and makes it out of the round.

Spartan117: 10-9 Hatton

Uatu: 10-9 Hatton

Round Three

Malignaggi goes back to the jab. Hatton is throwing big bombs but missing with most of them. Malignaggi starts to throw the double jab. Hatton lands as Malignaggi tries to duck away. A cut is opened on the bridge of the nose of Malignaggi. It doesn't look like anything serious. There is a lot of clinching in this round and a lot of punches being thrown in the clinch. Malignaggi is the one starting the clinching rather than Hatton, who was expected to hold. Hatton lands a big left hook and the crowd cheers.

Spartan117: 10-9 Hatton

Uatu: 10-9 Hatton

Round Four

Malignaggi lands another jab, but Hatton is coming through them and tagging Malignaggi with stronger shots. Hatton is chasing Malignaggi while he is backing up. Hatton lands a good left hook - he's really landing the stronger shots. The crowd starts to boo because of the clinching. Malignaggi throws a big left uppercut but misses by a lot. Malignaggi has been holding like crazy.

Spartan117: 10-9 Hatton

Uatu: 10-9 Hatton

Round Five

Hatton comes forward with his jab and Malignaggi clinches so he doesn't take punishment. Malignaggi doesn't look like he has any way of slowing Hatton down. Ricky leads with his jab and tries to follow with more but his opponent clinches again. Hatton lunges with an uppercut but Malignaggi dodges. Hatton is choosing his punches wisely. His hand speed looks good. Hatton lands a right hook as they fight out of a clinch. Malignaggi needs to do more if he wants to win this fight.

Spartan117: 10-9 Hatton

Uatu: 10-9 Hatton

Round Six

Hatton comes right out and lands a stiff jab and a right hook. Malignaggi lands a jab. He is now using more movement and clinching less, but he is throwing one jab and that's about it. Hatton lands two good lefts that look like they hurt Malignaggi. Now Malignaggi clinches again. Hatton is trying to get in and trade but Malignaggi either dips away or holds.

Spatan117: 10-9 Malignaggi

Uatu: 10-9 Malignaggi

Round Seven

Hatton comes forward again. Malignaggi lands a good right uppercut. Hatton is now throwing big combos and landing a lot of lefts. Malignaggi is taking the most punches in this round. Malignaggi goes back to work with the double jab; Hatton answers with a good jab. Hatton measures up a power right but Malignaggi dodges. Hatton doesn't look like he's getting tired, and he lands a big left hand before the bell.

Spartan117: 10-9 Hatton

Uatu: 10-9 Hatton

Round Eight

Malignaggi is using better movement in the beginning of this round. He lands a great right hand and Hatton staggers. Hatton comes forward again but Malignaggi clinches. Hatton backs him up with a big left hand. The two clinch again. Hatton is fighting out of clinches well. Hatton rocks Malignaggi with a left and uppercut. He looks shaken up. Malignaggi recovers to land a left-right combo.

Spartan117: 10-9 Hatton

Uatu: 10-9 Hatton

Round Nine

There is a bruise under Malignaggi's eye. Hatton lands a good left hook and Malignaggi sticks his tongue out. The ref stops the clock to fix the tape on Hatton's gloves. Hatton comes back throwing haymakers. Hatton continues to land the left, while Malignaggi keeps clinching to stop the punishment. Hatton comes forward with a right that scores. Malignaggi's legs look a little shaky.

Spartan117: 10-9 Hatton

Uatu: 10-9 Hatton

Round 10

Malignaggi is sticking to his jab and not throwing any right hands. Hatton tags him with a good combo. Hatton looks like he wants to end the fight. Malignaggi looks more tired at this point, and he goes back to clinching. Hatton is doing his best to push him away so he can get back to boxing. Malignaggi is not doing anything to score. He is clinching now more than ever.

Spartan117: 10-9 Hatton

Uatu: 10-9 Hatton

Round 11

Malignaggi is now really running away from Hatton. Hatton comes forward and lands two big left hands. Malignaggi isn't doing anything except clinching. Malignaggi's trainer, Buddy McGirt, is now on the ring apron, and he throws in the towel! Malignaggi pushes his trainer away and complains about his decision.

The winner by TKO at 0:48 of Round 11... Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton.

Hatton laughs in the post-fight interview and says he enjoyed this fight much more than his last one. He says Floyd Sr. got him out of his old bad habits. He gives Malignaggi credit and says he's a tough fighter. Hatton says that he had Malignaggi discouraged early on in the fight. He says he would like to see the winner of De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao.

Malignaggi says that not much surprised him about Hatton. He says Hatton used good movement to get out of the way of his jabs. The British fans start to boo Malignaggi. He applauds the fans and says they make the festivities more fun. Malignaggi says that he was hurt worse in the Cotto fight and he didn't want to see a KO on his record.

Hatton-Malignaggi: Live Round By Round Updates Tonight

Ticket sales may be lagging at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, but the BoxingWatchers would be there to see Ricky Hatton square off against Paul Malignaggi tonight in an interesting contrast of styles if we could. Since we can't, we'll be watching on HBO and sharing our observations live. Where? Right here, of course, or more precisely on the main page at www.boxingwatchers.com.

Spartan117 will be handling the live round by round, so if you can't see the fight in person or on TV, bookmark us and we'll tell you how it's going down. The action begins at 10 pm EST with rising star James Kirkland, followed by Hatton-Malignaggi.

Predictions: Hatton-Malignaggi

The Franchise says...

There will be quite a bit of intrigue Saturday night when Ricky Hatton takes on Paulie Malignaggi in Las Vegas, but alas, probably not the same atmosphere as the last time The Hitman fought in the States.

That time, of course, was his December 2007 loss to Floyd Mayweather, and at times you would have thought Hatton was fighting at home. I just returned from Vegas on Thursday, and one of the lead sports stories in the Las Vegas paper talked about how only a few hundred Hitman fans waited for his arrival this time compared to a few thousand back then.

Economic woes aside, Hatton is unlikely to meet the same fate he met on that night as Malignaggi has one of the lowest KO percentages of any top boxer you'll ever see (five in 25 victories). What the Magic Man does possess is enough slickness and movement to give Hatton fits as he comes forward - and you know Ricky will be coming forward.

The big question is which Malignaggi will show up. Will it be the guy who breezed to easy decisions in three of his four fights in 2006 and 2007 (with the lone loss to Miguel Cotto - no shame there) ? Or will it be the man who struggled to a split decision win over Lovemore N'dou the last time out, making more news for his in-match haircut than his ring prowess?

If Paulie has his head screwed on straight, and if he can stick to his game plan, and if he can avoid getting suckered into a brawl, and if he can avoid getting discouraged that his shots aren't slowing Hatton down, then he can win this fight. But man, that's a lot of "ifs."

I think Malignaggi may give Hatton more trouble than casual fans might expect, but I don't feel like that's enough reason to pick him to win. After a few rounds of frustration, I'm going with Hatton to grit his way to a close decision.

Uatu says...
Actually, right now, he says nothing. He is going to wait until after the weigh-in just in case there's any Hatton shenanigans on the scales. There's been a mixed bag of internet chat over whether or not Hatton is/was going to be able to make the weight properly.

Spartan117 says...

Malignaggi will be slick enough to get out of Hatton's way. Hopefully this will mean less clinching. We saw how good movement gives Hatton problems when he fought Mayweather. I think Hatton will show more boxing skill with Floyd Mayweather Sr. in his corner, but he'll drift back to his brawling ways. If Malignaggi stays away from slugging it out with Hatton he'll be able to score enough for a unanimous decision. Malignaggi by unanimous decision

Uatu says...

Abracadabra! Voila!

It's Magic time.

The amazing thing about these two malinged-at-times gentlemen is that between the two of them they only have two losses. On top of that, their losses are against two of the top ten fighters in the world. In Hatton's case an all-time great. In Paulie's case, he lost in highly competitive fashion with a gutsy performance against Miguel Cotto. Yet, these two fighters are not thought of as being among the truly elite of the game.

Hatton has been a grabbing, mauling, brawling, and honestly a tad boring of a fighter over the last few years. Paulie has a tiny KO%, bad hands, and has had a few boring fights on his resume as well. So what will happen tonight?

Hatton has a new trainer, but rumors abounded that he may have had some weight issues between fights. At the weigh-in, he still looked ripped and lean. But looking the part and making weight is one thing, having the cardio to go with the weight loss may be another.

One thing about Paulie is that he has always been in 100% good shape for his fights. Uatu thinks that that makes the difference. It is of course possible that Floyd Sr., could make a big difference, but Paulie has incredible toughness and heart to go with the speed and skill, so that results in Malignaggi UD 12.

Live Vegas Odds on Hatton-Malignaggi and De La Hoya-Pacquiao

Normally we poach some odds with a link to a website. But BW's own Franchise is actually in Vegas as we speak! He is staying at the Planet Hollywood Casino, so presumably that's where these odds are from:

Hatton - 250
Paulie +200

Oscar -220
Manny +180

Once again, these aren't the official predictions, but betting strategies.

Paulie +200 is very attractive. It is not inconceivable that Paulie could outbox Hatton all night long. If you consider his inspired performance against Miguel Cotto, and if you consider Cotto to be the superior boxer to Hatton (which Uatu does), then there you go.

Manny +180 is also attractive for similar reasons, in that he has a really good chance of winning.

These are two fights, at least in Uatu's opinion, that will be highly contested and could go either way. So betting both underdogs would be his play. And right now, he is leaning towards actually predicting both men to win anyway.

Round By Round: Paulie Malignaggi vs. Lovemore N'dou

Manchester, England is the site for Ricky Hatton's homecoming fight, but first up is Paulie Malignaggi's rematch with Lovemore N'dou, a fight that wasn't exactly competitive the first time around. A video package takes us inside the head of the Magic Man, who promises to excite the crowd with flashy combinations. He'll have to hope that's enough to do it, because he doesn't get it done with his power.

The announcers discuss the fact that Paulie's trainer wasn't thrilled that Malignaggi moved his training camp to Sicily. Michael Buffer is ready to start the introductions, bringing N'dou to the ring first. The tale of the tape shows Paulie is nine years younger and has small height and reach advantages. Malignaggi is wearing what looks like a luchadore (Mexican wrestler) mask. The fans don't seem to be digging it, but that may be the point.

Round 1

Paulie comes out working the jab. N'dou trying to throw the right in response. He's actually landing more in the early going. Now Paulie flurries and a jab lands flush. Flurry along the ropes by Malignaggi. Quick shots to the body as they tie up. Sloppy exchanges along the ropes; Paulie is clearly quicker but doesn't look super sharp yet.

Franchise: 10-9 Malignaggi
Uatu: 10-9 N'dou

Round 2

The announcers are really giving Paulie crap for his long hair. He's jumping in with the jab again. Nice short lefts both ways. Lots of wrestling in close that the ref is letting go. A couple of left hooks by N'dou and more grappling. Big swing and miss by Malignaggi coming in. Right hand by N'dou; flurry in response by Magic Man. Neither fighter got too much done in that round.

Franchise: 10-9 Malignaggi
Uatu: 10-9 Malignaggi

Round 3

More wild swinging and missing right out of the gate. Paulie goes back to the jab. N'dou trying to load up but can't find the range when he throws. Left and a right by N'dou and the announcers think Paulie's glove touched the canvas. Malignaggi feinting but not always finding any openings. Tough round to score but N'dou may have won it off of one exchange.

Franchise: 10-9 N'dou
Uatu: 10-9 Malignaggi

Round 4

Paulie may have a cut along his right eye. His jab is in evidence once again. Backed into one corner for more ugliness. Paulie goes to the body and N'dou's right hand response is picked off. Magic Man ducking and snapping off quick lefts. Not sure if this is the showcase Paulie hoped for, but he is winning so far.

Franchise: 10-9 Malignaggi
Uatu: 10-9 Malignaggi

Round 5

Nice flurry backs Lovemore all the way up but he shakes his head as if to say he's not hurt. Paulie dancing around in both directions so he's not there to be hit. Rare right hands by Paulie coming in. Quick exchange and Paulie gets the best of it, then N'dou knocks him off balance with a right hand. Thudding left by Lovemore. The ref is getting a little more involved as things progress. More dancing until the end of the round.

Franchise: 10-9 Malignaggi
Uatu: 10-9 Malignaggi

Round 6

Paulie circles but N'dou lands a quick two-punch combo. A right finds the mark as well. Magic Man backs his foe into the corner but can't land clean. They tie up in the center. Paulie goes back to the jab; nothing much of consequence landed in the second half of that round.

Franchise: 10-9 N'dou
Uatu: 10-9 Malignaggi

Round 7

Malignaggi getting instructions to triple up on the jab; that's pretty much all he's been doing. He snaps N'dou's head back with a few more and they tie up again. Finally a right hand by Lovemore. Paulie goes right back to the jab. N'dou has the right hand cocked but he's not letting it go. Paulie lands lefts to the body and head. Nice right hand to the head by N'dou; biggest shot so far. The announcers think Paulie may be hurt but I'm not so sure.

Franchise: 10-9 N'dou
Uatu: 10-9 N'dou

Round 8

After tasting the right last round, Paulie goes back to circling. The ref calls a timeout so Paulie can get his long hair tied back again; the fans aren't amused and let go with some boos. N'dou stalking and Malignaggi not throwing as much in return. Lovemore also landing a few jabs now. Right to the head and left to the body by N'dou. Paulie tries to throw to the body as they wrestle. Quick left hook by N'dou coming in. The challenger laughs a bit as the round comes to a close.

Franchise: 10-9 N'dou
Uatu: 10-9 N'dou

Round 9

No lie: Malignaggi got his hair cut between rounds. He seems to have a bit more spark now and works multiple jabs. Short left by N'dou. Lovemore loads up a right. Nice exchange int he center of the ring. A little better round for Paulie and his corner is telling him the fight is close.

Franchise: 10-9 Malignaggi
Uatu: 10-9 N'dou

Round 10

Wrestling along the ropes, then both guys land lefts in the center of the ring. Neither guy looking too good right now. N'dou still looking for that right hand. Nice combo by Paulie and he dances back out of trouble. Malignaggi trying to make sure he wins this one with a flurry of light punches. Quick jab by Paulie as the round ends.

Franchise: 10-9 Malignaggi
Uatu: 10-9 Malignaggi

Round 11

Neither man can get the upper hand inside. The announcers want to see more from N'dou. N'dou comes firing off the ropes but nothing big lands. The fans are a little louder, but probably because this one is coming to a close. Good quick combo by Paulie. Short rights by Malignaggi and he did enough to win this round.

Franchise: 10-9 Malignaggi
Uatu: 10-9 Malignaggi

Round 12

The announcers are speculating that Paulie has hurt his right hand, a problem that has plagues him before. N'dou lands a right hand that sends Malignaggi stumbling back. Not exactly a final round for the ages. Left by N'dou and Malignaggi fires back. Right to the body by Lovemore; left to the head by Paulie and it's over.

Franchise: 10-9 N'dou
Uatu: 10-9 N'dou

Franchise and Uatu both score it 115-113 for Malignaggi. The judges score it 115-113 N'dou, 116-112 Malignaggi and 116-113 Malignaggi. The winner by split decision, and still IBF light welterweight champion, Paulie "Magic Man" Malignaggi.

Apparently Malignaggi broke his right hand (again) during the fight. He tells Wally Matthews he broke it during the sixth round, and he had to stop jabbing as well because N'dou was timing it. Paulie admits that the hair may have caught him a round or two and will never wear it that long again. He vows he'll be a better fighter with two hands if he gets a shot at Hatton.

Live Round By Round Updates for Hatton-Lazcano Later Today

No Versus? No problem. We'll be bringing you live round by round recaps of Ricky Hatton's return to his native England as he takes on Juan Lazcano. Also Paul "Magic Man" Malignaggi aims to set himself up for a future bout with The Hitman by winning a rematch with Lovemore N'dou.

American fans, don't forget that it's an afternoon card thanks to the time difference between the U.S. and Europe. If you can't see the fights, bookmark us here at BoxingWatchers.com and we'll tell you how it's going down as it happens.

Predictions: Hatton vs. Lazcano, Malignaggi vs. Ndou

The Franchise says...

Ricky Hatton returns home to soak in the adulation of his enthusiastic fans and, he hopes, set his career back on track after getting knocked out by Floyd Mayweather last December. It's tough to tell what to make of his opponent, Juan Lazcano, who hasn't fought since a February, 2007 points loss to Vivian Harris.

The Hitman's home court advantage is likely to manifest itself not only on the scorecards, but also in the way the fight is officiated. If Hatton is allowed to use his preferred roughhousing tactics on the inside without much flak from the ref, that should only heighten his expected edge in strength. Lazcano is taller and has a definite reach advantage, so his best hope seems to be to keep the fight on the outside - no small task against Hatton.

In the end, it really boils down to whether or not Hatton sustained the kind of beating against Floyd Jr. that can alter a fighter's career for the worse. When that happens it's usually pretty clear early in the next fight, so we should know in the first few rounds if that's the case with Ricky.

My gut says it's not. The home fans should provide more than enough energy for Hatton to wear down Lazcano en route to a late-round KO.

On the undercard, Paulie Malignaggi has his heart set on his own possible showdown with The Hitman. He's made that perfectly clear in recent interviews, and he's been just as frank that his career can't progress unless he keeps winning and looks good in the process.

Lucky for him, then, that he's in against someone who should provide the perfect foil. Malignaggi dominated Lovemore N'dou when they met last June, and there's no reason to expect any different outcome this time around. The only thing that would be a shock is a knockout: Malignaggi has never been KO'ed and has scored only five of his own in 24 career wins.

That makes this look like an easy call. The Magic Man cruises to an easy unanimous decision.

Predictions: Paul Malignaggi vs Herman Ngoudjo

Uatu indicates - Malignaggi ud 12