By Christopher Roche, Brickcityboxing.com, photo by Tom Casino / Showtime – In the pre-fight interview, Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi said that despite holding the title, he still feels like the hunter, because he is chasing super stardom. Tonight, in Atlantic City, NJ, he was the hunted, as Herman “The Black Panther” Ngoudjo tried to pry away Malignaggi’s IBF belt in a close, tough fight. In the end, Malignaggi warded off Ngoudjo’s charge to retain his title via a unanimous decision.
Malignaggi, 27, opened the fight with 19 consecutive jabs before landing a right hand at the one-minute mark. Malignaggi controlled the first frame with ease, as he closed the round with a left hook-right hand combination. The action continued in Malignaggi’s favor in the second, as the champion feinted and jabbed. Ngoudjo clearly respected Malignaggi’s speed, but Ngoudjo slightly stepped up his aggression..
Midway through the third round, the 28 year-old Ngoudjo showed the first signs that he came to win the title. He landed a hard right hand and followed that up with another right hand shot. He did not put his punches together, but his right hands caused swelling over Malignaggi’s left eye. Ngoudjo’s confidence rose, and he started waltzing through Malignaggi’s counters.
In the beginning of round four, Ngoudjo, of Cameroon who now fights out of Canada, landed a good left hook, and Malignaggi returned with a one-two. Ngoudjo kept the pressure on Malignaggi, and a cut opened over Malignaggi’s left eye. While Ngoudjo forced much of the action, Malignaggi closed the round with six straight jabs. The fifth round was very difficult to score as Malignaggi ducked some of Ngoudjo’s best attempts. On one occasion, Malignaggi made Ngoudjo pay with a counter right hand, but Ngoudjo came back with a hard right of his own.
The action continued back and forth in the sixth. In between rounds, Malignaggi’s trainer, Buddy McGirt, called for more head movement. Malignaggi complied, and he also went back to firing his jab. Malignaggi, of Brooklyn, NY, also mixed in a left hook and a one-two, which gave him his best round since the second.
Any momentum that Malignaggi garnered from the sixth was stopped cold in the seventh. Ngoudjo turned up the wick and buzzed Malignaggi from start to finish. Ngoudjo opened with a hard right hand, and then he landed several effective jabs. Malignaggi was stunned, and he held through much of the round. Ngoudjo continued to rough Malignaggi up, and Ngoudjo won the most lopsided round of the fight.
Despite a decisive seventh for the challenger, he could not capitalize on his success. In the eighth, Ngoudjo went back to the jab, but Malignaggi slipped most of Ngoudjo’s work. Malignaggi landed a solid right-left combination, and he was only caught with one good shot, a left hook. Malignaggi’s success continued into the ninth, as Ngoudjo appeared to slow down, and the champion boxed throughout the frame.
In the tenth, Malignaggi found a new weapon, the right uppercut, and it met Ngoudjo’s chin on three occasions. The eleventh saw Ngoudjo’s first effective body work, and the two fighters’ heads clashed inside. Malignaggi’s shoelace came untied for the second time in the fight, and once that was squared away, he closed the round by landing a double right hand.
Ngoudjo applied major pressure in the twelfth, as he tried to knock Malignaggi out. While Malignaggi was never in any trouble in the round, Ngoudjo was effective. He landed a hard left hook followed by another right hand, and Malignaggi closed the fight by landing a right of his own.
There was definitely some drama before the scores were announced as both men thought they won the fight. The scores were as follows: Steve Weisfeld 115 to 113, Kenny Chevalier, 116 to 113 and Al Bennet 117 to 111. I had Malignaggi winning the fight by three points. With the victory, Malignaggi advanced to 24-1, 5 KO’s, and Ngoudjo dropped to 16-2, 9 KO’s. Malignaggi retained the IBF light-welterweight title.
After the bout, Malignaggi said his seven-month layoff since winning the title might have hurt his performance, and he admitted it was not one of his best. He said, “I am a reflex fighter, and reflex fighters need to stay busy.” Ngoudjo asked for a rematch, and Malignaggi said he would do it, if they could be compensated for it. An immediate rematch is not likely, as Malignaggi would like to land a bigger payday against the likes of Ricky Hatton. Malignaggi also covets a rematch with Miguel Cotto. If Malignaggi and Ngoudjo keep on winning, however, a rematch would be welcomed down the road as the fight was competitive and entertaining.