By: Christopher Roche

Commentary

Last night, I used the Paulie Malignaggi vs. Edner Cherry fight as my excuse to visit the venerable Manhattan landmark The Hammerstein Ballroom. There is nothing better than watching sporting events in Manhattan, and in the shadow of Madison Square Garden, last night was no exception. Here are my initial thoughts:

1) Paulie Malignaggi can flat out fly. Edner Cherry stalked Malignaggi all night, but Malignaggi used slick moves and a lightning quick jab to keep Cherry off balance and at bay. If Malignaggi fights like this for the rest of his career, he will be very tough to beat. This style might not please average boxing fans, as they usually want knockouts, but it will please the media and the judges. Malignaggi definitely will earn and deserves a world title shot in the near future. While everyone wants to compare Malignaggi to Arturo Gatti, I think Malignaggi is much faster than Gatti, and he is a slicker boxer. Malignaggi is more like Vinny Paz, circa 1986 than he is like Gatti.

2) With the exception of Alex Rodriguez, I have never heard an athlete booed as vociferously as Sechew