Hometown hero Paulie Malignaggi edged Mexico’s Pablo Cesar Cano by split decision on Saturday in what was to have been a title defense for the WBA welterweight champion.
Malignaggi won 114-113 on two judges’ scorecards to claim the victory, even though the third judge saw Cano as a 118-109 winner.
The narrow victory margin surprised Malignaggi, even though Cano sent him to the canvas with a hard right to the jaw late in the 11th round.
“I thought I won the fight. I thought I won pretty handily,” Malignaggi said.
“He was pressing the action, but he wasn’t laying a lot of shots. I got a little bit lazy. I was controlling the action. He came over the top and he got me good, but I felt like I won the fight,” Malignaggi added.
Malignaggi’s crown was not at risk because challenger Cano could not make the 147-pound (66.7kg) weight limit on Friday.
“He was strong. I don’t know if him not making weight had anything to do with it,” Malignaggi said.
“It was a little bit disappointing not to have the title on the line. I won’t say I lost focus, but it was disappointing,” he added.
Cano, who was cut over his left eye early in the fight by a punch, said he was surprised not to get the decision.
“I definitely don’t agree with the decision. I fought much better in the second half of the fight,” he said.
“I’m going to come back. I feel like I should have won the decision,” he added.
Brooklyn native Malignaggi improved to 32-4, while Cano fell to 25-2 with one drawn.
Malignaggi said he was interested in fighting Britain’s Ricky Hatton if the Englishman should win his scheduled comeback fight next month against Vyacheslav Senchenko.
Hatton stopped Malignaggi in the 11th round of a bout in 2008.
“It would be an honor to fight him again,” Malignaggi said.
Cano, 23, suffered his only prior loss last year, when he was stopped by compatriot Erik Morales for the WBC light welterweight crown.
Malignaggi, 31, won the WBA crown in Ukraine in April last year over Senchenko.
Santiago Castro on Tuesday had an immediate impact off the bench as he scored the goal to send Bologna into the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time in 26 years. Bologna won 1-0 against last year’s runners-up, Atalanta BC, and are to play either holders Juventus or Empoli in the final four. Juventus are to host Empoli in their quarter-final on Feb. 26. The last time Bologna reached the semi-finals was in 1999, when they lost 4-2 to ACF Fiorentina. There were chances for both sides in a high-tempo match in Bergamo, but it was Bologna who broke the deadlock 10 minutes from
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was
SPEEDSKATER: Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s run at the Asian Winter Games without a medal since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990 Speedskater Chen Ying-chu yesterday made history as the first athlete representing Taiwan to secure a medal at the Asian Winter Games. Competing at the HIC Speedskating Oval in Harbin, China, Chen clocked 10.510 seconds in the women’s 100m event, finishing third behind South Koreans Lee Na-hyum and Kim Min-sun, who posted times of 10.501 and 10.505 seconds respectively. Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s drought at the Asian Winter Games since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990. This year’s Games mark Chen’s debut at the event. Previously excelling in roller speedskating, she won six medals at world championships before transitioning
The 40-year-old LeBron James on Thursday became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38