Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that former Jr, Welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi will face Jose Cotto on April 9 as part of the Marcos Maidana – Erik Morales Pay Per View in Las Vegas.
“I think it’s a good opportunity. It’s a logical next step up in level of opponent for me at welterweight,” Malignaggi told ESPN.com on Monday night. “It’s a great opportunity to be showcased on a card like this. It’ll give me some good TV exposure. I’m very happy with the progress I’m making and this is the next step to get back up the ladder. It’s a good fight for me. Las Vegas, MGM Grand, HBO PPV. I’m excited. How could I not be?”
“Cotto is an action fighter. He comes to fight, he comes forward,” Golden Boy promoter Richard Schaefer said. “This is a big opportunity for him to be in Las Vegas and on pay-per-view again against Paulie Malignaggi. He feels it is a very winnable fight and he is convinced he will win. For Malignaggi, he’s been a champion at 140 pounds. Now he wants to make a name for himself at 147.”
“I really don’t think about that too much, but I guess when you do think about it, that factors into it,” Malignaggi said. “I fought Miguel Cotto, now I’m fighting Jose Miguel Cotto. They’re brothers, but I fought the better Cotto back in 2006. But having fought a Cotto, I know you have to come prepared. Jose Miguel Cotto may not have the resume of his brother, but he’s a good fighter. Both of his losses (to Alvarez and a lightweight title bout to Juan Diaz in 2006) came to name fighters. Both of our records have losses that have come only to name fighters. He’s always solid, always gives his best. But he’s a guy, if I am going to make my way back up the boxing ladder, he’s a guy I’m supposed to beat. He’s a guy I should beat pretty handily. I shouldn’t have a competitive fight with Jose Miguel Cotto in my eyes.”
“Following his loss to Khan, Paulie wanted to move up to welterweight. He felt it was time to see what he can do at 147 pounds,” Schaefer said. “He’s a very talented fighter. He’s a very good boxer, but not known as a knockout puncher. But to move up to 147 and the first guy he fights, he not only wins, he knocks him out. I have to say I was pretty impressed. It was a great first impression at 147 and first impressions count. I was impressed with that performance. So here he goes again at 147 against Cotto, a fighter who [Alvarez] had a little bit of trouble with.”
