Malignaggi and Jacobs Count Down To Aug. 1 Fights in Brooklyn

Published

10 years ago

July 8, 2015

You still see some elements of old-style NYC when you’re in the Village, as you walk the streets, as the summertime waft of settled garbage assaults your nostrils, but can’t defeat the pleasant aura brought about by the shining of the sun and the sight of the ladies in their summer dresses flouncing down the sidewalk.

You’ll see a snatch of graffiti, or a moldy but intriguing vintage shop, with a poster of Fat Elvis, looking bloated but sexy, still, in the smudged window.

But the signs of new New York are more prevalent as I walk to Via Della Pace, a cozy Italian eatery in the East Village, to meet and greet and question two of the guys topping the Aug. 1 boxing card at Barclays Center, because I see swankier shops, and folks in better brands of clothes and fewer nodded off eyelids attached to zombified junkies as you might have seen decades ago.

New New York…and the same goes for boxing…things change.

Barclays Center has become home to more bouts, more big cards, as disruptor in chief Al Haymon seeks to re-brand the sport. Brooklyn is a buzzy borough, and it figures that he siphons some of that buzz which can attach to his fights, such as the Danny Garcia-Paul Malignaggi tangle which will unfold the first week of August.

Barclays boss Brett Yormark, tucking into a grilled chicken salad with balsalmic dressing, and tossing back an espresso, was there, along with Malignaggi, who still has fighter/analyst on his business card. At 34 he is seeking to prove he’s still got fight left in him, that his fists are his primary weapon, that his mouth is still a secondary threat. Also in attendance was middleweight titlist Danny Jacobs, ever amiable, unfailingly polite while being asked about when he might step up to fight Gennady Golovkin, though he has a stern test, in Sergio Mora, staring at him Aug. 1. The promoter of the event, Brooklyn’s Lou DiBella, was making the rounds, also repping some old and new vibes. He was on the outside looking in when Golden Boy, the old Golden Boy, snagged a deal to be the sole promoter to stage shows at Barclays, back in 2012, and he let loose with his distaste for the move in the press back then. But on Wednesday, he spoke warmly of Yormark, who he declared to be a vibrant pusher of boxing product, a committed proponent of holding a marquee card a month at his building. They are working well together, he reported.

Malignaggi, but of course, did what he does second best, talk, and he told us he’s dialed in, in training, feeling good, and confident that he can beat Garcia, in the Philly fighters’ first fight at 147. The Brooklyner told us that he is feeling good weight-wise, because he has enlisted Memo Heredia to aid in supplement advice, as well as what and when to eat. Yep, he’s 34, and he admits that part gets harder as you get older. “I feel good, I feel really good right now. We had back to back camps and we’re working really smart, more so than working hard,” he told me. He had a show set May 23, but got cut and that got scratched. A better opp presented itself, as Danny O’Connor got replaced by Danny Garcia.

“Yeah, I’m with Memo…he’s actually going to come in this weekend,” he told me. Memo was in his corner working to that May date, he said, and he’s been taking the supplements Memo has advised him to. Basically, he thinks the taking of the supplements is mostly mental, unless you’re cheating, but he’s open to listening. Paulie said he’s doing testing, via USADA, and so he’s fine with having Heredia, who has a controversial past, in the fold. “He’s an intelligent guy, I think he gets a bad rep, because of certain past things,” but he thinks Memo is on the up and up, and he’s enjoyed the advice he gets on weigh loss. He said he wonders why Heredia gets more scrutiny than, say, Victor Conte, being that have cloudy pasts.

The boxer said he’s not willing to go all in, and over-tweak his regimen. He’s brought himself to this dance and his way will be the highway he travels all the way in this journey, he said.

Jacobs took questions about his tangle with Mora, the slick, smart Cali boxer. Jacobs said that Mora is a tough out, intelligent, crafty, “a tough test for anyone.”

The hitter said that he was happy with his last outing a TKO12W over Caleb Truax, and gave himself a B plus. This time, we could see something different, which I take to mean maybe he’s going to look to set down a bit more, look to land nastier, earlier. Jacobs didn’t want to give much in the way of hints, though…

If he does get past Mora, it’s feeling like a showdown with fellow New Yorker Peter Quillin could be in the cards for the fall. That seems a natural fit for Barclays, eh..

Readers, your thoughts on both those matchups, please. Weigh in, in our Forum!

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Here is the release which went out, with quotes:

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PAULIE MALIGNAGGI & DANIEL JACOBS DISCUSS THEIR UPCOMING SATURDAY, AUGUST 1 FIGHTS LIVE ON PBC ON ESPN FROM

BARCLAYS CENTER IN BROOKLYN

BROOKLYN (July 8, 2015) – Former two-division world champion Paulie “The Magic Man” Malignaggi, middleweight world champion Daniel “The Miracle Man” Jacobs, President of DiBella Entertainment Lou DiBella and CEO of Barclays Center Brett Yormark took time today to discuss the upcoming Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN fights taking place Saturday, August 1 at Barclays Center.

Malignaggi (33-6, 7 KOs) will face undefeated Danny “Swift” Garcia (30-0, 17 KOs)in the headlining event on ESPN.

Jacobs (29-1, 26 KOs) will defend his title against former world champion Sergio “The Latin Snake” Mora (28-3-2, 9 KOs) in the televised opener on ESPN beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, are priced at $250, $150, $75 and $45, not including applicable service charges and taxes, and are on sale now. Tickets are available at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com and at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. To charge by phone, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, www.barclayscenter.comand www.dbe1.com. Follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @DannySwift, @PaulMalignaggi, @LouDiBella, @ESPNBoxing, @BarclaysCenter and @Swanson_Comm and become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/fanpagedannyswiftgarcia, www.facebook.com/PaulMalignaggi, www.facebook.com/barclayscenterand www.facebook.com/ESPN. Follow the conversation using #PBConESPN and #BrooklynBoxing.

PAULIE MALIGNAGGI

“I feel good, really good right now. This has been one of the best camps I have ever had in my career. We have not only been working really hard, but also really smart. I am coming off back-to-back camps and I truly feel great.

“We have some tricks up our sleeves for this fight. I am very happy with that way I am looking and feeling. Everyday I am going in there and just putting in the work. I’m not overthinking this fight, I’m just putting in that work at the gym, and with the way I feel and look, I’m very confident. I have a strong self-belief. I truly believe in myself and my abilities. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here.

“I want to live and die by my own decisions, and that is how I have structured this camp. I am listening to my body and listening to myself. We are working on different things in both my boxing training and my strength and conditioning.

“I have seen strengths and weaknesses all over Danny [Garcia]. When I watch a fight, I see it a lot deeper than most people. So when I watch Danny, I see a lot of different things. I don’t want to get too much into it, but there are definitely things we have seen that we are working on specifically in this camp to implement and capitalize on August 1st.

“Barclays Center in my home. Fighting here gives me that extra motivation. Fighting at Barclays, in front of all my friends and family, it just doesn’t get better than that.”

DANIEL JACOBS

“This is a great camp and we are ready to put on a great show come August 1st. I feel comfortable as a champion. Don’t get me wrong, when I first won my title it was totally surreal, but I always felt like a champion deep down inside. There is something that burns inside of me that has allowed me to overcome every obstacle in my life, and to me, that’s what makes a champion.

“I love being a part of PBC. There is no doubt in my mind that my popularity has grown since my first appearance on a PBC card. We are reaching a much younger and different crowd and demographic than before, and it is just great for the sport of boxing.

“This is a tough fight. Mora is a proven guy and I know he is very hungry for this opportunity. He is awkward and he is slick. He has good speed and a good jab. We have to be cautious and stick to our game plan. People are saying that this could be the toughest fight of my career and we are training with that mindset.

“With a win in this fight, I truly believe that the sky is the limit. There are a lot of big fights out there to be made in the division, but obviously, the main guy for me would be Peter Quillin. It is a fight that I have wanted for a long time, and it is a huge fight for boxing, but especially for New York.

“My legacy is in my own hands. Some of the biggest fights in the sport are in the middleweight division right now. At this particular point though, the Quillin fight is the most lucrative option for me. I am not looking past any man, especially not Sergio Mora, but that is a fight I want, the boxing world wants, New York wants and Barclays Center wants.”

LOU DIBELLA

“In addition to these two great fights, we are proud to announce that we have added Brooklyn’s own undefeated heavyweight prospect Adam Kownacki (10-0, 9KO’s) to the card, as well as one of the top prospects in the game right now, The Brooklyn Rocky, Frank Galarza (17-0-2, 11KO’s). We are also excited to announce the addition of highly regarded up-and-coming Puerto Rican prospect Prichard Colon (14-0, 11KO’s), who will be great additions to the undercard, which already features undefeated female star Heather “The Heat” Hardy, and a clash of undefeated light heavyweight prospects, Brooklyn’s Travis Peterkin (15-0, 7KO’s) against Olympian Lenin Castillo (12-0, 7KO’s).

“It’s an honor for me to be promoting another card at Barclays Center, which in my eyes has become the preeminent venue for boxing and music in the entire country. It is a great pleasure for me to work with Brett and everyone on his team. They are the best in the game.

“The public is going to have a real opportunity to see two very good, competitive fights. Look, this (Danny Garcia vs. Paulie Malignaggi) is a very tough fight. Danny has looked a bit vulnerable in his past few fights, and he is moving up in weight to fight a real deal welterweight. Say what you want about Paulie, but you cannot question his heart or desire to win. Paulie is comfortable with being an underdog, he has been an underdog his whole life. With Paulie, you know you will never get anything less than 110 percent. Fourteen years ago yesterday he made his pro-debut on one of my cards, and I am proud of that fact. It is truly an honor for me to be promoting his fight against Danny Garcia on August 1st.

“The co-feature match-up is a very intriguing fight. You have two of the best middleweights in the world in Danny Jacobs and Sergio Mora. Just like the main event, this is a very tough fight. Sergio is extremely hungry. He has been waiting for this shot for years. Danny’s story is just remarkable. How hard he has worked to get here, and win a world championship is just extraordinary. He is a champion both inside and outside of the ring, and it’s truly an honor to be working with him. That is the great thing about promoting these PBC events. I have the opportunity to work with and promote some of the greatest and most talented fighters in the sport, in exciting and competitive fights.”

BRETT YORMARK

“All of us at Barclays Center are very excited for this August 1st card. This is a great platform for us and the building promoting yet another wonderful PBC event. I am personally excited for the event. Paulie and Danny are like family to me and I am truly honored to have them in our building. Our goal is to be the premier venue in all of boxing and we are actively making a push for that, with our third major PBC card at our venue this year.

“Boxing is our third franchise, along with the Nets and Islanders, and we are proud of the events we have been able to be involved with and have in our beautiful venue. I love working with Lou and his team, there is no better promoter in the country and we are looking forward to another great event on August 1st on ESPN.”