JUAN DIAZ vs PAULIE MALIGNAGGI

Paulie Malignaggi, never short of a word or two, has been particularly outspoken heading into Saturday’s catchweight 12-rounder against hometown favourite Juan Diaz on HBO from Houston. The flashy Brooklyn junior welterweight says that everything has been done to give Diaz the best chance of winning — from a small ring to the match weight of 138 1/2 pounds. Paulie has slammed the choice of referee Laurence Cole and he has singled out judges Gale Van Hoy and Raul Caiz Sr. as likely to be biased against him.

I haven’t heard anything like it since Larry Holmes, still smarting over a close points defeat against Michael Spinks, launched into a tirade against Las Vegas judges before the rematch in April 1986. Holmes’s intemperate remarks led to him being required to apologise to the Nevada commission before the bout could go ahead — and Holmes lost another tight decision.

Malignaggi’s comments are unlikely to have any effect on the outcome. The officials will do their job, although it does make things a little more difficult for them. If judges give all the close rounds to Malignaggi it could look as if they are trying to appease him after his angry words; if close rounds go to Diaz, it could be interpreted as proving Malignaggi’s “biased” comments were correct. The same with referee Cole’s actions in the ring. The ref and the judges are now in a sort of “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation. All one can hope for is that this is a controversy-free fight, with a clear-cut outcome.

Malignaggi says that his remarks should not be interpreted as ready-made excuses should he lose. He assured the final press conference in Houston that he is not only coming to win but will put on the sort of performance that will shock the doubters.

Maybe so, but I don’t think it sends out a positive message when a fighter talks of losing even before a punch is thrown. Malignaggi’s comments have certainly pumped-up interest in the fight, though: the fuss has heightened my own interest.

Diaz, 25, is returning after a game losing fight against Juan Manuel Marquez, when he started strongly but, handicapped by a cut over the eye, was knocked out in the ninth.

Malignaggi, 28, won his last fight, beating journeyman Chris Fernandez on a unanimous eight-round decision, but he got rocked in the sixth round when, from what I understand, he cockily dropped his hands with his back to the ropes.

Something seems to have gone out of Malignaggi. He boxed beautifully when he outclassed Lovemore Ndou two years ago, but since then he has struggled. He was wobbled in his win over Herman Ngoudjo, barely beat Ndou in their rematch (the fight made notable when Malignaggi’s hair extensions came undone) and then got trampled in 11 rounds by Ricky Hatton.

Malignaggi is now blaming trainer Buddy McGirt for his loss of form (although there weren’t any complaints after the career-best win over Ndou). According to Malignaggi, the trainer took away his best asset — his speed — by trying to get him to fight more in the “McGirt” style of rolling with punches, blocking and countering rather than using Malignaggi’s preferred method of constant movement, in and out, side to side. Malignaggi says he feels he is back to his old self, and much improved, working with his new trainer, Sherif Younan.

What we can expect from Diaz is what we always get: constant pressure and a high workrate. “When Malignaggi fought Hatton, Hatton was putting physical pressure on him,” Diaz’s trainer, Ronnie Shields, said from Houston, “but we’ll be putting punching pressure on him. I want Juan to use the left jab to take away Paulie’s jab. Juan isn’t discouraged by the Marquez defeat. He was winning but he was bending forward too much and he got caught by a great uppercut. He feels he just made one mistake and it cost him the fight.”

Malignaggi will need to box at the same high level he did in the first fight with Ndou if he is to win, but I’m not sure if he can reach those heights again. The first few rounds should give the answer.

Diaz got knocked out in his last fight but it wasn’t as if he took a prolonged hammering. His enthusiasm for boxing seems undiluted.

Malignaggi has the height and reach advantages, and he is a junior welter fighting a lightweight. (I wonder why Malignaggi is complaining about the match weight, since it is just half-a-pound less than he weighed for last November’s fight with Hatton?) If Malignaggi can use the ring and get the left jab pumping he can make this a long, difficult night for Diaz.

As ever, Paulie will have to win by being stylish and smart. His problems with the oft-injured right hand have been well documented and while he is capable of throwing crisp punches he could have trouble holding off the aggressive “Baby Bull”.

When in full flow, Diaz can run right through opponent — as he did most impressively in his fights with Acelino Freitas and Julio Diaz. For the first five or six rounds he was giving Marquez a rough time of it. If Diaz can bring that sort of pace and intensity to this fight — and if he makes sure he uses his jab, which is a jolting weapon when he steps in with it — I can see him breaking through Paulie’s resistance as the fight goes into the later stages.

It is always a possibility that, with a new trainer and a return to the sort of style that he more comfortable with, Malignaggi can put on a sparkling show. I think it is more likely, though, that Diaz proves a bit too strong, busy and insistent for a Malignaggi who simply has looked like a faded fighter in his most recent appearances. I do expect a good, competitive fight — but I think it is Diaz’s fight to lose, and, although on paper a full-distance fight looks likely, I think there is a fair chance that Diaz might be able to wear down Paulie for a late stoppage, in the 10th or 11th round.