by James Slater: He is almost the forgotten man when it comes to the action that is set to take place on Saturday night in Manchester, but Lovemore N’dou says such an attitude is the wrong one to take. With all eyes currently on Ricky Hatton and Paulie Malignaggi, as the two men prepare to defend their titles at light-welterweight, the plan is no secret – the two will win and then fight each other in a big showdown later this year..
However, N’dou, Malignaggi’s challenger on Saturday, has other ideas. Talking to Sky Sports recently, “The Black Panther” expressed his annoyance at being all but forgotten in the run up to the fight card being billed as “The Homecoming.”
“I’ve been reading about what Ricky and Malignaggi have to say and I have been laughing about it,” N’dou said. “They are going about it as though I don’t exist. They are underestimating me. They are looking past me. But I like it that Malignaggi thinks I’m going to be an easy fight, and I know I’m going to walk away with the title that should still be mine.”
N’dou sounds incredibly confident, and if he’s as good as his world he will certainly spoil a lot of plans for Hatton and Malignaggi. With regards to his first fight with “The Magic Man,” a points loss back in June of 2006, N’dou still honestly believes he was the victim of a robbery.
He explained why, despite losing via a very one-sided unanimous decision, he feels he was not beaten fair and square.
“Our first fight was daylight robbery,” N’dou complained. “They stole it from me. The referee didn’t let me fight but this time we are fighting on neutral ground and with a good referee, Mickey Vann, I feel I will get a fair crack this time.”
N’dou doesn’t seem to be quite as angry at Hatton as he is at Malignaggi, saying he refuses even to think about a possible fight with “The Hitman” until he has beaten the current IBF light-welterweight champ.
“I like Ricky and his family and it’s easy to understand why he is so popular with the fans,” N’dou continued. “I think Ricky will give me the chance to fight him, but right now I don’t want to think about that. Only when I beat Malignaggi will I talk about my next [fight]. Right now I’m not concerned about it.”
It seems both of Saturday’s underdogs, in N’dou and Juan Lazcano, are very sure of upsetting the odds and emerging victorious.