Garcia vs. Malignaggi: Can the “Magic Man” pull a trick out of his hat to upset Danny Garcia?

(Photo credit: Lucas Noonan/Premier Boxing Champions) Danny Garcia & Paulie Malignaggi do battle in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center this Saturday night live on ESPN. Daniel Jacobs faces Sergio Mora which represents his toughest test since being stopped by Dmitry Pirog in 2010. The card faces the normal scrutiny that many Al Haymon events get but this scribe won’t be surprised if one of these match ups test the favorite more than fans think. Will the move to welterweight help or hurt Danny Garcia? Can Jacobs look impressive against a defensive fighter?

If we rewound the clock to just under two years ago we would find Danny Garcia at the top of the junior welterweight division. The Philadelphian’s victory over Lucas “The Machine” Matthysse placed him on the doorstep of the elite level and the exposure of being the co-feature to Mayweather/Canelo Showtime PPV raised his profile immensely.

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Best Joseph Parker yet?

Saturday 1st of August, Invercargill New Zealand, upcoming Kiwi-Samoan heavyweight Joseph Parker (14-0-0) ranked 7th by the WBO fights WBO 13th ranked Australian heavyweight Bowie Tupou (25-3-0) in what is the highest ranked boxing match ever held in the country.

Joseph Parker has turned up in New Zealand from his Las Vegas base in outstanding fettle, and while Parker has never turned up to a fight out of condition he has presented himself for this fight in the shape of his career. His muscularly defined physique leading fans to think they are about to see something special from the regions premiere big man.

On the face value of Parker’s physical appearance it would appear he and coach Kevin Barry have gone to a whole new level in their pre-fight preparations.

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All Quiet on the Eubank Front / Won’t Fight Spike O’Sullivan on the Lee/Saunders Undercard / Katie Taylor Added

There is still no word from Britain’s WBA (interim) middleweight champion Chris Eubank Jr (19-1, 14ko) regarding his next move, with February’s win over Russia’s Dmitry Chudinov the last time the Brighton based fighter stepped between the ropes.

A mooted rematch with bitter rival Billy Joe Saunders fell through earlier this year, with the Hatfield southpaw finally securing his mandatory challenge to Andy Lee’s WBO title for September, and a potential fight for Eubank on the undercard against Irishman Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan (21-1, 14ko) is now also not going to happen.

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Marcos Maidana Struggling for Motivation After Mayweather

It has now been over a year since the first of Marcos Maidana’s back to back fights with Floyd Mayweather, with no immediate signs of the Argentine puncher returning to the ring.

Maidana earned a pair of career-high purses for the dual decision losses to Mayweather and in the months since has been enjoying life in his home country, ballooning in weight considerably and struggling to find the motivation to make a return.

However his manager Sebastian Contursi has said that “Chino” will now be looking to get back in training at the Garcia Boxing Academy in Oxnard, US and see how he feels ahead of a possible in-ring return later this year.

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Deontay Wilder Returns to the Ring on Sept 26th / No Opponent Yet

WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has confirmed that he is to return to the ring on September 26th against an as yet TBA opponent and in a still undetermined location, although the bout will be screened in the US on NBC Sports Network.

Wilder faced yet more criticism last month against Eric Molina, making extremely hard work of defeating the part-timer in his home state of Alabama, and already fears are high that he will not be facing a serious and credible threat to his championship this time out either.

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Dillian Whyte Returns to Action in Hull Tomorrow

British heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte returns to action tomorrow night in Hull for the first time since February, squaring off against Brazilian Irineu Costa Jnr on Matchroom’s “Rumble on the Humber” card ahead of his scheduled British title clash with old amatuer foe Anthony Joshua, which will take place in either November or December.

Joshua must first come past Scotland’s Gary Cornish on September 12th, a card that will also feature Whyte in another ‘tune-up’ bout, and defeat for either man in either of those fights will seriously take the shine off their eventual meeting.

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Roman Gonzalez Added to Golovkin/Lemieux PPV Card

Roman Gonzalez (43-0, 37ko) had been one of boxing’s best kept secrets for a good while until his winning HBO debut on May’s Golovkin/Monroe undercard saw him gain an army of new fans, and now the P4P WBC flyweight champion has been added to the October 17th HBO Golovkin/Lemiueux PPV card in a bid to further boost his Stateside profile.

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George Groves Training Alongside Golovkin Ahead of Badou Jack Fight

Gennady Golovkin’s trainer Abel Sanchez has confirmed that Britain’s “St.” George Groves is training alongside the Kazakh knockout artist up at his Summit Gym in Big Bear, California, in preparation for his upcoming WBC 168 lb title tilt against Vegas based Swede Badou Jack.

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Danny Garcia Prepared To Rematch Amir Khan / Would Fight Kell Brook in the US

Should he come through his much maligned PBC on ESPN clash with Paulie Malignaggi on Saturday, then Danny “Swift” Garcia has stated that a rematch with Britain’s Amir Khan is a very real possibility, although ideally his main goal at 147 lbs would be to try and win another world title and become a two weight world champion, meaning a clash with IBF champion Kell Brook is also possible in the near future.

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Pick One – Garcia vs Malignaggi

More than just a few fans might respond to “pick one” by answering, “Do I have to?” Garcia is the heavy favorite, but so what! Both men have failed to please fans. In most cases it’s not a matter of what they did. Rather, it’s what they haven’t done. The match-up certainly wasn’t made in heaven, but it’s a sure bet the winner will look upward while thanking Al Haymon.

What’s at stake? The Premier Boxing Champions contest is being billed as one for bragging rights between Phillie’s undefeated superstar Danny “Swift” Garcia and Brooklyn’s own Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi at Barclays Center. Fans are having difficulty biting down hard on this kernel of corn.

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