Q
How does it feel to come back home?
P. Malignaggi
It feels great. It feels great, man. This is one of the main reasons I was happy to sign with Golden Boy two years ago, that I could be a part of this show and I could be a part of this event on a big stage in a big fight. And I was glad I did my job and Golden Boy did a tremendous job bringing me back, and now the moment is here and I’m ecstatic for it.
Q
All right, we’ll talk about that later. But listen, life is good for you right now, you’re getting ready to fight at Barclays Center and you’ve expressed to me how important to you to leave your mark in what could become boxing in the future, to have your name as one of the first people to fight here in your own hometown. You’re just coming off a really big, rejuvenating knockout in your career and you have these other things going on outside of boxing, so life is good, really. Can you talk about what all is going on positive in your life as opposed to some of the down times in your career.
P. Malignaggi
Yes, you know it’s funny when you surround yourself with positive people and you have a positive vibe around you and positive energy, so to speak, positive things happen. I haven’t always surrounded myself with the best people, at least the best people for me, and I’m not just talking about business, I’m talking on a personal level, you know, I haven’t always had such great people around me all the time. And I think that that black cloud can follow you around in the energy you surround yourself with.
I’ve just had a positive base for the past couple of years. After I lost to Amir Khan, it’s funny because the negative people, they eliminate themselves, you know. When you have a big loss like that you find out that negativity just kind of leaves you on its own because they don’t want to be around you unless they can grub off you, so it’s funny how they eliminated themselves and then things started turning around for me. And it feels really good that things are turning around for me, it feels really good that there’s a lot of positive things going on for me inside the ring and outside the ring. And it’s also funny when those same negative people try to squeeze their way back in the circle, and you kick them in their ass and kick them right back out.
Q
What does it say about you that you said to me before your last fight, you said to me, you don’t have to fight anymore, you’ve made investments. If you wanted to, you could walk away. What does it say to you about you, personally to yourself and to your fans, that you went to another country in a high risk fight, where a lot of people counted you out, and you scored an uncharacteristic knockout with a referee who uncharacteristically had to stop the fight?
P. Malignaggi
Yes. I think a lot of the talk about me being finished was overrated. A lot of the things that people say about me, the negative press is that I’m overrated, but in the end I think if you look, since I lost the Ricky Hatton fight I’ve had one bad performance in four years, and that was when I lost to Amir Khan. In the four years since I lost to Ricky Hatton one bad performance. The year I lost, Ricky Hatton had three bad performances, all in the same year. And I told everybody, do you know what, I just need to make a change and I’m going to be all right. And you know what, four years have passed and I’ve had one bad performance in four years. That’s not too bad.
I think the only thing that was overrated was what people were saying about me being finished and not having a bright future left and having my better days behind me and whatnot, because if you look at since the Ricky Hatton fight, beside that Amir Khan fight I barely lost any rounds. And I’m continuing to be dominant and I think it’s a testament to my mental strength, my mental fortitude and to my stubbornness, even.
Q
Are you a hungry fighter now, that’s number one. And are you a better fighter now than perhaps you have been in your career, and if so, in what way?
P. Malignaggi
I think I’m a better fighter because I’ve learned a lot of things and I’ve got a great team. And I think that makes me a better fighter. When you learn from your mistakes and ... yourself with a great team and great people around you, I think that makes you a better fighter. The one regret is I didn’t have it around me when I was 25 or 26, because I think I would have been a monster, and I think I underachieved in that way. Better late than never, and even if I am 31, almost 32, I feel really good, and a lot of it has to do with the team I have around me and the people I have around me. They are positive and everybody working and doing their job, and I can do my job with less headaches. It really is a testament, again, to my stubbornness and to my mental fortitude.
I’d say I’m hungry, because I have a lot to prove, not so much to anybody else but more to myself. I feel like I underachieved a lot so I need to prove a lot more to myself. And as a world champion you have to stay hungry, because there are people coming for you, and I know my opponent is very hungry, he’s young and he’s got a bright future in front of him, but in order to make title defenses against a guy like this, you have to remain hungry yourself, and I’m very hungry.
Q
Last question for you, Paulie. This is a really tough game, it’s a game where one shot could change your life. You’re a guy who speaks well, you’re a guy who when you did your Showtime commentary people just loved it. Why are you still fighting? I’m just playing devil’s advocate, why keep fighting?
P. Malignaggi
I’ll tell you what, I don’t plan on fighting that much longer, but the reason I’m still fighting is because, again, like I said on the last question, I have a lot to prove to myself. I feel like I underachieved during my prime years. And even though it may not be my prime years, I feel like I have the best team around me and I’m surrounding myself with the best people around me, and so that gives me the chance to do the best that I can do right now. And I’m curious to see just what I can do when I have this great support system around me so that I can work so hard and know that my hard work will pay dividends, and that everybody else’s hard work is paying dividends.
I continue to fight because I stay hungry. I stay hungry because I have a lot to prove to myself because I didn’t achieve what I wanted to achieve. I’m a two-time World Champion, but I had so many more goals that I had set out for myself when I turned pro, and I’m probably not going to achieve them all, because there’s just too many and there’s not enough time, but I just want to achieve as much as I can before I call it a night.
Q
Pablo, this is obviously a big opportunity and a great opportunity for you. How has the preparation been and how do you see your fight with Paulie unfolding?
P. Cano
This is the best preparation I have ever had. I repsect Paulie tremendously, but I also feel that my youth, my strength, my motivation and my preparation will guide me to win and if I want bigger fights, I have to win this fight to go on to bigger and better fights.
Q
A question for you, is you’ve had now a couple fights how do you think moving up to welterweight, has that affected your game in a positive way or maybe in a negative way?
P. Malignaggi
Oh, I don’t think there’s really been any negatives. I don’t think I had a choice, really. I couldn’t make 140 pounds anymore. I could make it, but at the expense of having energy to fight, so really what would be the point? I think there’s only been positives, because there was nothing left. I mean, remaining at 140 pounds, I was a skeleton of myself. So the only option was to move up to Welterweight, the next weight class up from Junior Welterweight. I may not be the biggest Welterweight, but at the same time there was no other option, really.
Q
And the other question is, the fans in Brooklyn, what kind of party do they expect after you win?
P. Malignaggi
I take it one step at a time. I’m from New York so there’s a lot of parties going on, and I’ll be involved in a lot of them, but the focus remains on Cano and the focus remains on winning before thinking about any parties. Obviously, you want to look good and win in your hometown and put on a festive atmosphere for them, so that everybody can celebrate afterwards, but the focus for me is on winning the fight first.
Q
And lastly, I know you said that you don’t plan on fighting for much, much longer. Is there any eye on the prize or certain fighters that you’re looking at down the road after this fight that you wouldn’t mind challenging and taking on in the near future?
P. Malignaggi
Again, I don’t want to overlook Cano. I think all the focus has to be on him because he’s so hungry and ready and motivated. But, yes, afterwards if everything goes well here like the plan is, then, yes, the Welterweight division is packed with talent. There’s just so much going on in the Welterweight division that, like even Cano said, to get to the other big fight you’ve got to win this fight, and the same applies for me, really. In order to get to the other big fight I’ve got to win this fight. So the focus remains Cano, but obviously any top Welterweights in the world. I’m blessed and fortunate to be involved in a weight class with so much talent and there can be a lot of mixing and matching of styles and fights.
Q
You were very young, what did you learn from the loss with Erik Morales? You were very young when you fought him, but that must have given you some experience and now you’re still young and now fighting for your second world title, and what does it feel like coming in as the underdog against Paulie Malignaggi?
P. Cano
I learned a lot. As you said, I’m still very young, but I have a lot of experience. I learned a lot from the fight with Erik Morales, and that experience is what I’m bringing. I have a lot of talent, I have a lot of strengths, I’m very motivated, and that’s what I’m bringing to this fight.
Q
Have you watched videos of Paulie Malignaggi and his losses, have you learned anything in those losses, with the Hatton’s, with the Khan in those losses is there anything you picked up
P. Cano
I’ve seen a little bit of footage. There’s not too much on the Internet that I’ve been able to obtain. But we have seen a few and worked on some things in the gym. But at the end of the day that goes out the window because what unfolds inside the ring might not be what you’re preparing for. So I’m very confident in my team, in the work we’ve done, that once we step into the ring and start working on our adjustment, to make an adjustment in our plan, that you will see a very good fight and we will be victorious come October 20th."
Q
I’m going to ask both fighters a question. Pablo, I remember the fight that you did have against Erik Morales was a very brave fight. I remember when your corner stepped in to stop the action at the end of the 10th round, you were bleeding from your eyes, and I also recall that you were a last minute replacement too for Lucas Matthysse for the fight. In that fight I know you commented already that you did learn a lot from it, but taking away and looking at Erik Morales himself, he’s on the card, do you have a lot of solidarity, do you gain a lot of faith with a champion like Erik Morales being on the card, a fellow countryman?
P. Cano
Oh, definitely it’s very motivating to be fighting. We fought, we were rivals in the ring, but outside the ring we’re friends. And, yes, I have a great honor to be fighting alongside with Erik Morales. And first, God willing, Mexico is going to take both victories that night.
Q
Thank you, Pablo, and good luck. Paulie, everybody writes you off. Every time you lose a fight, you come back, you reinvent yourself, and now here you’re at 147 pounds and you’ve got Ricky Hatton coming back into the ring. Are you looking for a possibility of you and Ricky having a rematch and getting some revenge?
P. Malignaggi
Well, obviously you can’t help but think about that kind of stuff when you get called about it, people calling you and asking you questions about it, so obviously how can I say the fight wouldn’t interest me. But again, like I said before, if I don’t get by Cano none of that’s possible, so the focus remains, from here until next Saturday, on Pablo Cesar Cano and then more discussions can follow about Ricky Hatton and so on and so forth. But really I’m motivated and totally focused on Pablo Cesar Cano at the moment.
Q
You know, Paulie, you’re probably one of the most popular boxers in New York City, and definitely you’re magical on TV, is there anywhere you can go that people don’t know who you are in New York City?
P. Malignaggi
Yes, yes, of course. I’m not Brad Pitt. But, you know -
Q
Pablo, when you fought Erik Morales you were moving up in weight at that time and it was a brawl. Now, you’re moving up in weight and you’re fighting a guy who it appears has more power than he’s had ever, at least he seems to have found some, and you’re fighting a mover, is the moving up in weight, does he see that as being a problem, and how is he going to account for Paulie’s movement?
P. Cano
We’ve been working very hard in the gym preparing for this, obviously working on strengthening and conditioning to add the additional weight, but also with the sparring, the adequate sparring and mobility and movement so we can be breaking him down round by round as the fight goes on. We’ve been working on this for the last couple of months, but obviously it’s something that has to unfold on October 20th, the night of the fight.
Q
I notice that you stopped Fidel Matorato Muniz two fights ago with a body shot. They say kill the body and the legs will follow, how critical is a body shot in your training and in your strategy?
P. Cano
It’s fundamental in a fight to work to the body from the beginning, to break him down, as you mentioned, and not only to the body. We’re going to start from the first round not only with body work, we’re going to work very hard with a variety of punches so we can minimize Paulie and eventually take the win, and win the fight.
Q
What did you take away, I’m assuming you watched his last fight where he scored the knockout, what did you take away from that fight, because that probably is the defining performance. And I know trainers say they want to watch the best fighter that they’re going to face and that was probably his defining performance and I want to know what you took away from that.
P. Cano
Yes, I did see the fight. And, as you mentioned, he’s very fast, or as you mentioned, he looks much stronger than he had in the past in other fights, and it was a brilliant performance. But I want to remind you that I am a Mexican warrior and on October 20th I’m ready for war. If he wants to box, I’ll box. If he wants to go toe-to-toe I’m ready to go toe-to-toe. But one thing I do know is I’m going to win and take the title back to Mexico.
Q
No question you’re a warrior. I saw your last fight. My final question is, boxing him, that’s going to be interesting to see because I know he’s going to be crafty. He’s also going to have the crowd behind him and I want to know, you’ve had three knockouts in your last three fights, do you think you need to get a knockout to win, or do you think you can win the decision?
P. Cano
No, I don’t want to pressure myself looking for one punch, looking for the knockout. I’m confident in the work that we’ve done, in the preparation that we’ve done, and I’m going to work round per round, and one thing I’m for sure is the work that we’ve put in. And I’m just going to go in there and do my best and know that my best is going to win the fight.
Q
Paulie, the last question for you. You heard him say if he wants to box he’ll box. When you hear that what are your thoughts? Do you see any evidence that he can box with you, or how do you see him coming at you?
P. Malignaggi
I don’t think he’s a bad boxer. I thought he was actually out-boxing Morales at the beginning of the fight when they fought. He’s got a good little technique going for himself, so I don’t think he’s a terrible boxer. But obviously I anticipate some pressure. He’s a Mexican fighter and they like the pressure and stuff like that. So, yes, we’re working on both things. I did notice he’s not a bad boxer at all, I notice he’s got some good technique going, so we’re preparing for pressure and we’re preparing for boxing. You can never just have a one-track mind or a one-track game plan, so to speak. You have to focus and prepare for quite possibly anything that could happen. And I expect a few surprises in the game for me, this is the biggest fight of his career, but at the end of the day I’m a veteran of this game, and I’m a veteran of this sport, and I’ve seen a lot, which is why I approach every fight this way and I try not to look at it from a one-track mind. I try to prepare for everything he might do and be able to counter-attack.
Q
This is his first fight at 147, it took you four fights to get to your big fight at 147, can he make this leap for this kind of a fight from 140 to 147?
P. Malignaggi
He’s at an age where you’re still growing and getting thicker and bigger, and I’m at an age where I’m not growing anymore. So he’s got a good frame and I think obviously he’s a growing kid, he just turned 23, so I don’t think moving up in weight is as much of a factor for him because at that age your body is still filling out and maturing and growing, so I think in the end he would probably end up as a Welterweight anyway. But I’m not really thinking about is it too early for him to be a Welterweight or not. I’m thinking about this is my rival, this is my opponent, and I’ve got to beat him.
R. Diaz
I would like to thank everybody, champions, Paulie, Pablo, thanks for being on the call, taking some time with us in the media. Also remind everyone Golden Boy Promotions, Barclays, and Showtime bringing it back after 80 years to Brooklyn. Don’t forget. Four world title fights, all on Showtime, not pay-per-view. Thank you everybody.
Ocotber 16, 2012
