Paulie Malignaggi Blasts Judges, Boxing After Controversial Loss

Paulie Malignaggi had reason to be angry after losing to Juan Diaz in their 12-round clash for the NABO junior welterweight championship Saturday night.

It was his first major bout in nearly a year, his last defeat coming at the hands of Ricky Hatton in embarrassing fashion last November. Malignaggi had something to prove to the Houston crowd and observers watching on HBO's Boxing After Dark -- that he could still box with the best of them.

He proved just that, controlling a large portion of the fight with sharp jabs and quick combinations. Only the judges didn't see it that way at all.

As the judges' scorecards were revealed, Malignaggi stood in disbelief.

David Sutherland -- 116-112
Raul Caiz, Sr. -- 115-113
Gale Van Hoy -- 118-110

All in favor of Juan Diaz, a Houston native, winner by unanimous decision.

Anyone watching the fight, including HBO's unofficial judge Harold Lederman and the guys over at BoxingScene.com, would agree those scores didn't add up. Even if you're of the opinion that Diaz won the fight, it clearly wasn't by such an absurd margin of 118-110.

Malignaggi, never afraid to share his honest opinion, wasted no time in ripping the judges' decision during a post-fight interview with Max Kellerman.

"I had to deal with a lot of politics, man. That was ridiculous. I knew I was going to have to deal with this. You know, you got guys like Raul Caiz, that's Golden Boy's go-fer. I said it before, and he was. And he actually had the closest scorecard, man. I'm telling you -- this state never gives a fair shake to anybody coming in to fight hometown fighters. It never happens."

Kellerman tried to steer Malignaggi away from the attack, but he wasn't about to stop there. When asked a speculative question assuming he doesn't get a rematch, he quickly took aim at boxing as a whole.

"You know I ain't getting a rematch, man. This is boxing. Boxing is full of s**t, man," Malignaggi exclaimed. "I used to love this sport. I cannot stand doing this. Only reason I do this is because it gives me a good payday. Boxing is full of s**t. Every [expletive] fight."

Malignaggi (26-3) went on to claim that it's going to be tough for him to get a big fight again since he lost. He said he would love a rematch on more level ground, maybe even back in his hometown of New York City. But Diaz will likely challenge the winner of the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Marquez fight that takes place on Sept. 19. Malignaggi can only hope he scores another good opportunity.

Diaz (35-2) fought the last 10 rounds with a bloody cut over his left eye. Although Diaz came out as the aggressor, Malignaggi skillfully bounced around the ring and came on strong in the second half. Late in the contest, Malignaggi's corner asked him, "Who's the champ?" And Malignaggi calmly replied, "We are."

The hometown crowd, however, chanted "Diaz! Diaz!" throughout, even as Malignaggi took over in the final five rounds. The potential favoritism was something that worried Malignaggi as soon as he discovered who the judges would be for this bout. During the final pre-fight press conference, Malignaggi pointed out that Gale Van Hoy and Raul Caiz, Sr. were both judges when Houston native Rocky Juarez earned a draw with featherweight champ Chris John in February, a decision that Malignaggi strongly disagreed with. "I was assured neutral judges. Gale Van Hoy and Raul Caiz, Sr. are not neutral judges ... I just want to be treated fairly," Malignaggi said before the fight.

In the post-fight press conference, Malignaggi was even more scathing of the judges and boxing's credibility, claiming that the judges were miffed that he called them out beforehand.

"Gale Van Hoy was [expletive] it to me. Excuse my french, OK, but he bent me over and he [expletive] me. I said before the fight this guy does not ever, ever go against a Texas fighter in the state of Texas. He knew I was complaining about him and what did he do? He did it to me on purpose. Because there's no way anybody won that fight 118-110. I didn't beat Juan 118-110 and Juan didn't beat me 118-110.

"Boxing has no [expletive] integrity, man. It's been happening for years. That's why this sport has no popularity left. Nobody watches this s**t because every year, it's decisions like this, and probably even worse than this ... where people get [expletive] constantly."

Oscar De La Hoya, the owner of Golden Boy Promotions, even backed up Malignaggi's criticism in the post-fight conference (with no expletives of course).

"That landslide of 118-110, what is that? What is that? We don't need that," De La Hoya said. "It was a closer fight. There's no doubt about that. I just have to say that, Paulie, you have a tremendous heart. You're one heck of a fighter. Houston really appreciates your heart and your devotion."

It's a shame that a couple of ridiculous scorecards overshadowed what turned out to be a great Saturday night fight, especially as boxing tries to win back dwindling interest. At this point, the only agreeable decision to try to make this right in the fans' eyes will be a rematch, but we'll see what actually happens.

Update: It looks like promoter Lou DiBella is already trying to plot another top fight for Malignaggi, perhaps against WBA junior welterweight champ Amir Khan.