Paulie Malignaggi has blasted Britain's WBA light-welterweight champion Amir Khan as being an arrogant nobody in a verbal tirade prior to their title fight at New York?s Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Manila Time, in a fight to be telecast by Solar Sports beginning at 1:00 p.m.
Pat Sheehan of the British newspaper The Sun reported that Malignaggi showed his contempt by not even acknowledging Khan when the fighters met at Times Square to help promote the event contempt by not even acknowledging Khan.
The 29 year old Malignaggi who is considered the hometown favorite said "Khan has been such an arrogant kid that I can hardly believe it. Perhaps he is believing all of the publicity he has been having back in the UK. But, believe me, that will count for nothing when he climbs into the ring with me. I honestly don't think I've had a dislike for an opponent more than I have for this guy. The arrogance he has shown has really angered me.?
Sheehan quoted Malignaggi as conceding that Khan is ?a decent boxer but he seems to think he is world class. He does things OK but that's about it. He tries hard to be fast but he really ain't that fast at all.?
Malignaggi claimed that Khan is not known in the US as yet but the British youngster?s conditioning expert Alex Ariza believes that after Khan batters Malignaggi and knocks him out, he will make a name for himself.
Ariza said trainer Freddie Roach and he are both delighted at the way the 23 year old Khan has looked in training. In a final workout at the Trinity Boxing Club in New York?s Greenwich Village, The Sun reported that Khan looked in sensational shape.
Ariza told us that Khan has been angered by the unfounded allegations that his close friend and sometime sparring partner Manny Pacquiao, the pound-for-pound king is on performance enhancing drugs and plans to make Malignaggi pay by smashing his mouth.
Khan was quoted by Niall Hickman of the London Daily Express that those who make the allegations were ?rubbish? because he works in the same Wild Card Gym with Pacquiao. Khan who credits Pacquiao for helping him prepare for the battle against Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera and to regain his confidence after his shocking first round knockout by Breidis Prescott said that sparring with Pacquiao ?mean?t I had to use my brains. I had to hit and move. It made a massive difference in recovering my confidence. I owe him so much.?
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