Malignaggi v. Diaz II: No Excuses or Automatic Rubber Match?

Well, as I watch the ring walk live, I scanned my call of the last fight and see I called it even 114-114. I recall this was a very good fight the first time around and Malignaggi complained bitterly that it was fixed and that he'd been hometowned in Houston by Golden Boy and the Texas athletic comission. Well, this time around it's in Chicago, so no excuses. I may simply watch this one and limit my descriptions, but we'll see. Considering the way Malignaggi lost it after the last fight, I'm surprised and gratified to see Diaz willing to rematch elsewhere. That's the way it should be and the way it should be is too seldom seen in boxing. Credit to Golden Boy too for allowing it to happen. I said last time around that Golden Boy pulled all the stops out to protect their fighter and assure a result. Allowing the rematch doesn't jibe with that...except that it was a good fight and if Malignaggi wins, it guarantees fight number three. Am I cynical or what?

ROUND ONE - Diaz not as aggressive as usual and Malignaggi is quicker once again. Malignaggi plays to the crowd and Diaz not active enough. Malignaggi lands better and takes round one to go up 10-9.

ROUND TWO - Diaz looks wary to step in and engage and the speed differential is obvious. Malignaggi is using the larger (this time) 20 foot ring to dance away after landing. Diaz is unable to bull rush as is his usual tactic. When he does, Malignaggi is gone. Again, now I think that all of teh things that favored Diaz last time are gone and his edge (making it more even) with it. Diaz didn't land a punch that I saw and Malignaggi clearly did. Nothing spectacular, but it's enough. Malignaggi goes up 20-18.

ROUND THREE - Diaz cut over left eye from a punch. Diaz finally mixes it up about a minute in and the fun exchange comes out about even, though Diaz will probably be over-credited because it's the first time he really engaged with any success. The round is a close one as Diaz lands a few times while Malignaggi carries every other moment. I can't call it even so it goes to Malignaggi for being more consistent. Malignaggi up 30-27.

ROUND FOUR - Amazing to see Diaz throwing so little compared to his workrate in the past. Diaz does seem to be sticking to a gameplan of jabbing with Malignaggi. If that's the reason he's so inactive, then it's a fool's errand. Malignaggi is a slickster first and foremost and he'll win a boxing match when it's against a similarly feather fisted fighter like Diaz. Diaz is completely ineffective, not landing anything while Malignaggi not doing anything spectacular...but enough to carry the round. Malignaggi pulling away 40-36.

ROUND FIVE - Diaz finally pins malignaggi against the conrner, but Malilgnaggi spins away. Now Diaz tagging Malignaggi a minute in and Diaz is more effective. Lennox absolutely right: Malignaggi is foolish to engage when he's winning by boxing. Diaz easily ahead in the round for the first time as a result. Simply because Malignaggi decided stupidly to stand and fight. in the last half of the round, Malignaggi reverts to boxing, but the round is lost barring a huge reversal. Diaz' first round, making it 49-46 favoring Malignaggi.

ROUND SIX - A minute in, Malignaggi is standing and inviting Diaz into a jabbing contest, convinced he can't lose and Diaz keeps it even.When he stops and "plays", as Lennox Lewis calls it, Malignaggi absorbs punches. He hurts Diaz! ...and doesn't even try to finish him...he mugs and waves to the crowd. He bolo punches and waits the round out. The damage switches the round back to Malignaggi 59-55.

ROUND SEVEN - Unbelievably, Diaz' corner tells him to "take this round off". Wow. Harold Lederman is right: it's "nonsense" for Diaz' corner to tell him to take the round off. Halfway through, the round is a total bore. Diaz waiting and Malignaggi not attacking. Ugly. Lennox says he never had a trainer tell him to take a round off unless he was winning the fight. Diaz is clearly behind. Very strange. With less than a minute left, it's a dancing inactive fight. Ten second stretches with either fighter not punching only twitching at each other. Neither fighter deserved the round, so I'll give it to the aggressor Diaz, so it's 68-65 favoring Malignaggi.

ROUND EIGHT - Active, close round that goes to Diaz, narrowing the gap to 77-75 favoring Malignaggi. Diaz isn't particularly effective, but he's more aggressive.

ROUND NINE - Malilgnaggi goes back to boxing and with a half minute left, he is again getting the better of exchanges where he doesn't stick around to allow Diaz to fall in while punching. The round pretty clearly goes to Malignaggi, putting him back up by two rounds 87-84.

ROUND TEN - I wish Kellerman would stop hedging his bets by calling "early rounds that could go either way", seeming to want to give an out, even while acknowledging that he scored those rounds for Malignaggi. The ref gave Diaz an eight count! and the announcers say there is no standing eight count, so there was a knockdown called. That makes it a mandatory 10-8 round for Malignaggi. Malignaggi cuffed Diaz and spun Diaz and the glove brushed the ground. A bad call probably. Regardless, it's now 97-92.

ROUND ELEVEN - Diaz definitely getting the better of the round, though Malignaggi clearly not hurt. Malignaggi not seeming to care to fight hard, while Diaz is definitely more aggressive, even while Malignaggi talking to the HBO team from the ring (that he's blocking what might look like big landed punches). Diaz' round, making it 106-102.

ROUND TWELVE - Diaz more aggressive and more efffective, but not hurting Malignaggi. Diaz finishing stronger, but Malignaggi not withering away, just not active. Diaz' round, making the final tally on my card favoring Malignaggi 115-112.

The Judge's scorecards are identical: 116-111 for Malignaggi, declaring the "new NABO champion". Big whoop. Do I want to see a third fight? Eh. I imagine Golden Boy has contracted for an automatic rematch with HBO, so we'll probably have to see it. Malignaggi probably wins it again, if his ten cent head doesn't come into play (which it might).

Once again, Malignaggi is an interesting post-fight interview. You have to love how candid he is, even if his brashness is off-putting. He classily refuses to take the bait to bash former trainer Buddy McGirt...which would be easy after we all saw McGirt unfairly pull him out of a big fight when he wanted and was able to continue. Max Kellerman is right: Malignaggi has upped his value in a packed division. He calls out Ricky Hatton, but there's little chance that will happen.