All three judges saw a 116-111 fight in favor of Paulie Malignaggi, in a battle of feather-fisted junior welterweights. Diaz, 35-3 (17) stalked Malignaggi, 27-3 (5) all night, but landed only when Malignaggi stopped long enough to let him. The night, and the fight, belonged to Malignaggi.
From the opening bell, Malignaggi, the taller, faster, more skilled fighter punched when he wanted to--first in, first out. He often threw a short right hook and stepped to his left, leaving Diaz to stumble to his right, unable to set his feet fast enough to counter. Not that counterpunching is what Diaz does best. From the looks of the Houston native's waistline, what he does best is eat.
Malignaggi controlled the pace, using superior ring generalship to keep Diaz one-dimensional. Occasionally, Diaz did get inside to throw his signature flurries, but he could never sustain his attack in the way that defined his earlier career, when he managed to defend his world title belt seven times in a row. After the fight, a disappointed and frustrated Diaz headed straight for his dressing room, dismissing any opportunity to be interviewed.
Not that Diaz didn't have his moments. In rounds four and five he mounted a surge and pressed Malignaggi enough to win those rounds outright. Diaz was winning round six too, until Malignaggi shook him with an uppercut. Inexplicably, Malignaggi didn't press an obviously hurt Diaz, but preferred to stick his tongue out and make faces. An opportunity for a sixth KO lost to showboating.
A dubious knockdown call against Diaz in round 10 gave Malignaggi a point he didn't really need, though it did anger Diaz enough that he took the last two rounds handily. Maybe he should have gotten a little angrier a little sooner.
No Controversy in Malignaggi Versus Diaz Rematch
While their first meeting last August ended in some controversy over the scoring, especially a lopsided score of 118-110 for Diaz from Gale Van Hoy, there is no room or reason for controversy tonight. Malignaggi won.
Victor Ortiz Stops Antonio Diaz
On the undercard, Victor Ortiz, 24-2 (19) stopped Antonio Diaz, 46-5-9 (29) with Diaz unable to answer the bell for round seven. A deep gash opened up in Diaz's left eyelid from a quick, straight left from Diaz early in round six. The much fresher and quicker Ortiz knocked Diaz down in round three when Diaz landed flush on Ortiz's face during an exchange, then stopped to admire his work, giving Ortiz just enough time to put Diaz on his butt.
The win gives Ortiz, a ballyhooed GoldenBoy Promotions prospect, a much-needed boost after his TKO loss to Marcos Maidana last June .
Bill Scherer - Bill Scherer has written for RingSports.com and TigerBoxing.com, enjoyed a stint as the Managing Editor for FightTube.tv and is a United ...
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