New York, NY— What were you doing last Friday night? Paul Malignaggi (27-3, 5 KOs) was on his computer for hours, trying to prove that he was the champion he claimed to be to an anonymous rabble of Twitter users that both revered and despised him. While his cyber-odyssey hasn’t succeeded in getting his account verified, he has reaped two major victories out of it: a newfound respect from his fans (to whom he answers every single tweet), and a lucrative potential meeting with Amir Khan (22-1, 16 KOs) on May 15th.
TECHNOLOGY REVOLUTIONIZES RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FAN & BOXER
The first point of success he can thank in equal measures his own ingenuity and that of technology for. In many ways, boxing has never been a healthier, more accessible sport. This may seem counterintuitive given that most fans spent the entirety of the past decade complaining about boxing being “dead.” But think back to a time when there was more available information on the sport and all its participants than there is now, especially in the age of social networking. The logical evolution of a boxer’s website and MySpace profile, fighters are now able to engage directly with their fans in a way they have never been able to before via Twitter: with no publicist, no editors, no promoters getting in the way of what they have to say. It is arguable that the lack of information before this helped keep it more interesting; perhaps we bought into the pre-fight propaganda selling us the fighter as a larger-than-life figure with which we could never relate. But more likely than not, spectators can appreciate fighters like Malignaggi more because the direct contact makes their superhuman effort to become champions all the more impressive because we can further understand how human they initially are. Celebrity boxers: they’re just like us! They have trouble proving their identity and get frustrated by newfangled technology!
CYBER TRASH-TALKING FROM KHAN, MALIGNAGGI
This does just as much for the image of the fighters as it does to build anticipation for upcoming fights. It’s also revolutionizes pre-fight trash talking. Amir Khan has a Twitter, too, you see, which is where the negotiations for the fight first began. As for that fight, it’s a business win-win for both parties. Khan, who barely has an audience in the United States, will receive the exposure he needs at an extremely early place in his career. Even if he loses, he will still have fought on enemy ground and won at least some fans over. For Malignaggi, who has everything but his punching power going for him, he has a payday in his hometown to look forward to, the glory of his fans, and a woefully inexperienced opponent. For a many who Miguel Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs) couldn’t bring down, this doesn’t sound like such a big challenge.
TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES FOR KHAN IN UPCOMING BOUT
What Khan does have working for him is the fact that his only loss was a first-round knockout, and no matter how brittle his chin, the chances of getting knocked out by Paulie Malignaggi as a trained prize-fighter are slim to none. Malignaggi may have the moves, the speed, and the skill, but he is quite possibly the least powerful puncher in the major leagues of boxing today. This means Khan can attack mostly with impunity, as long as he doesn’t let Malignaggi put on a show for the audience. On the other hand, we are unaccustomed to seeing Malignaggi fight someone so young. Even Juan Diaz (35-3, 17 KOs), who was considered potentially to green for Malignaggi (the latter proved this, dramatically, twice), is three years older than Khan. Khan will probably expect to enter the fight and, by virtue of Malignaggi’s notorious lack of power, be able to make quick work of him. Nothing will be further from the truth—Malignaggi is tough to beat. It’s ultimately an uphill battle for the rookie, fighting experience, speed, footwork, and a probably blistering crowd energy he has rarely, if ever seen.
All we know for certain is this: if we get to see the fight—an undeniably exciting young pair who we know will deliver, at least in post-fight interviews— we’ll have the internet to thank as well as promoters and fighters. The competition for control of the boxing world has just gotten tighter, and we can all thank Twitter for that.
(p.s. I have a Twitter, too. Follow me @francesmartel)