Paulie Malignaggi proved that he was the king of Brooklyn after beating Zab Judah by a unanimous and comfortable decision at the Barclays Center.
It always looked like a distance fight for both men and that ringed true as both men tried to outbox the other. Judah started positively, landing the more meatier shots and even floored Malignaggi in the second round by a left hand that was also partially helped by the fact that both fighter’s feet got tangled together. Malignaggi quickly got up to protest the knockdown but referee Mark Orega saw it as legitimate. In round three, heads came together, causing both guys to be cut. A small nick appeared next to Judah’s left eyebrow while Malignaggi had to contend with a more serious cut that caused blood to gush down his face.
Nevertheless, Malignaggi fought his way through. Judah began to fade down the stretch and his workrate dropped from the eighth round, allowing Malignaggi to impress the judges by just plainly being the busier fighter. Judah seemingly looked as if he was waiting for one big shot but it never came for him. Malignaggi won on all three scorecards, winning by seven points on two of them and five on the other.
Judah admitted in the post fight interview that he just could not find it within him physically to win, which may mean retirement is drawing near on a career that has seen him capture five world titles in the light-welterweight and welterweight classes. He drops to 42-9 while Malignaggi improves to 33-5.
