Ten of the boxers who will fight on the eagerly awaited Paulie “The Magic Man” Malignaggi vs. Adrien “The Problem” Broner fight card this Saturday, June 22, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., worked out for the media Tuesday at a jam-packed Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn.
Hometown favorite Malignaggi (32-4, 7 KO’s), of Brooklyn, will defend his WBA World Welterweight Championship against undefeated current WBC Lightweight and Two-Division World Champion Broner (26-0, 22 KO’s), of Cincinnati, Ohio, in what should be a hotly contested main event of a tripleheader on SHOWTIME.
Here’s what the fighters said Tuesday:
Paulie Malignaggi
“We’re ready. Come get it. There’s not much more you can say to that. The harder he tries, the more ass whoopin’ he’s going to get. I want him to bring it. I want him to think nothing’s going to happen. He’s never been through what the deal is…deep water. He’s never been 12 rounds. He’s been 10 rounds once, and he struggled. He better try real hard to get me out of there early and he better succeed, because he’s going to end up in deep water. I’m ready for that kind of fight.
“I had a good camp. My legs feel good. You’ll see. It’s part of the plan. It’s one of the main things we’re doing. We’ll show him just how we live and show him just how weak he is. His power is overrated. I could have knocked out 20 garbage men or laundromat workers too, but I chose to fight real opponents in my career.
“I could care less about the odds. I could care less about anything. They’re going to ring a bell on Saturday night and it’s going to be me and Adrien Broner. He’s saying he’s coming to kick my ass. I’m coming to kick his ass. I think he’s looking at it too much like one-way traffic. We’re coming to beat each other’s ass. It’s not just him coming to beat my ass. He’s forgetting one thing: I’m coming to beat his ass and, that’s the plan on Saturday night.
“A few years ago I might have been saying, ‘man, why does everybody think I’m going to lose this fight? You know, I don’t understand it. I thought I was a good fighter. I feel like I’m a good fighter.’ Literally now, I could care less. I fight for myself and that’s the one thing I told myself I would do after the Amir Khan loss because nobody was going to think positively about me after that loss, and you know what? I’m going to stop trying to make everyone happy and just fight for myself. I have yet to lose a fight since and there’s reason for that.”
Adrien Broner
“Paulie is Paulie. You know, I’m gonna be honest with you, if you’re not on you’re A-game against Paulie, he can slip away from you. He’s a guy with some tricks up his sleeve, but we’re not here for a circus day. We’re here to fight.
“At the end of the day, Paulie’s going to fight the same. I don’t study tape. I don’t care what he brings, but whatever he comes to do Saturday night, we will be equipped and ready.
“There are some great fights out there, but we’re going to take it one at a time. The most important fight for Adrien Broner today is Paulie Malignaggi — Paulette. Paulie’s first on Saturday, then after that I really want to let the fans pick who I should fight next.”
