After first saying he would not fight WBA Welterweight champion Vyacheslav Senchenko for the allotted $250,000 from a purse bid, Former Jr. Welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi changed his mind and will travel to the Ukraine and take on Sanchenko on April 29th according to espn.com’s Dan Rafael.
“I’m making this a real-life ‘Rocky’ story, I’m going to the Ukraine to bring that title back to the United States of America,” Malignaggi said on his Twitter account. “This fight is for the people who have supported me from day one. I’m bringing the belt back to New York.”
Union Boxing Promotions bid $1,000,010 on the fight, while Malignaggi’s promoter, Golden Boy, bid only $250,000, and no television outlet was interested in buying it. Under the bid terms, Malignaggi is due 25 percent, with the rest going to Senchenko (32-0, 21 KOs), who will be making his fourth title defense.
“Once again I am going into enemy territory, but that’s life,” Malignaggi said. “Gotta do what you gotta do.”
Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer, Malignaggi’s promoter, told ESPN.com that the deal was done.
“We have a signed contract, so he is going to Ukraine,” Schaefer said. “We worked everything out and now we have a fight. Paulie has a hell of a chance to become a world champion again. We like our chances and we are fully supportive of Paulie. A lot of credit goes to Paulie for taking this fight and going to Ukraine and we are convinced he will come back with a world title.”
“We gave up our percentage to help get this deal done. That is how much we believe in Paulie,” Schaefer said.
“I did pay my dues, but no one wants to fight me here,” Malignaggi said. “I gotta do what I gotta do and fight this dude in the Ukraine. No one wants to throw Paulie Malignaggi a bone, but they throw bones left and right to cheaters. So now I have to go bone-collecting in the Ukraine. I am making a ballsy decision by going to the Ukraine, but life is a risk. Take a risk or sit back and watch someone else take that risk.
“My whole life, nothing was handed to me. I had to go out in the world and get it. So going to the Ukraine is nothing new.
