"I feel good and I'm ready to step it up now that we're done with the press conferences...He has some strengths that I haven't seen in my other fights. He has some things that I'll have to work on and be prepared for...I have Khan on my mind right now. Obviously, the plan is to beat Khan. Once that happens, I'll become a two-time world champion. That gives me a lot of leverage and it also probably makes me the biggest name in the 140-pound division," stated former jr. welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi as he talked about his May 15 clash with current WBA jr. welterweight champion Amir Khan. Check it out!
MJ: How is training going for the Amir Khan fight?
PM: Training is good. We haven't stepped it up all the way yet, but I'm always in the gym. I feel good and I'm ready to step it up now that we're done with the press conferences.
MJ: How much do you usually have to come down in weight to make 140?
PM: I walk around from 160 to 165, so probably around 25 pounds.
MJ: How do you compare Amir Khan to some of the other guys that you've fought?
PM: He's a little different. I've fought a lot of guys that were aggressive and came to me. They weren't really too much of boxers. He's built a little bit like Herman Ngoudjo in that he's taller than me and he boxes, but he's a bit sharper than Ngoudjo. I can't really compare him to some other guys. He has some strengths that I haven't seen in my other fights. He has some things that I'll have to work on and be prepared for.
MJ: Does it add any pressure having to go against a Freddie Roach fighter?
PM: Nah, I don't care about that. That kind of stuff is more in the media than anything else.
MJ: How exciting is it to be fighting for the world title in New York?
PM: The fight being at The Garden is actually super exciting. I have lots of friends, family, and supporters in New York. It's a great opportunity for me to be fighting for the title there. I can make some of the wrongs right, because I fought for the world title against Cotto in The Garden and lost. It's another world title fight in The Garden and it's going to be a cool experience. I actually haven't fought in the theater since my amateur days at the Golden Glove finals in New York at MSG. It'll be cool to go back there in a title fight.
MJ: What did you think of the Pacquiao-Clottey fight?
PM: It's typical Pacquiao. I thought Josh realized it wasn't for him to really put himself out there. I think he was waiting; Josh usually catches punches on the gloves and waits for your output to slow down before taking it to you. Once he realized Pacquiao's output wasn't slowing down, he never really got to take it to him and just coasted. It pretty much went the way I expected because Josh doesn't really get off until he sees you're fading.
MJ: If you were to fight Pacquiao, how would you go about beating him?
PM: Here's the thing about Pacquiao, and this is the difference with Cotto and Clottey fighting him, it's a shame that if you try to win the fight, you risk getting yourself knocked out. Fighting Pacquiao is a tricky thing. It's hard to devise a game plan for a guy like that. I really haven't given it much thought because I'm not fighting Pacquiao and I don't need to give it much thought.
MJ: How do you see the welterweight division shaking out with Mosley coming up against Mayweather and other possible fights down the road?
PM: It's exciting. There are a lot of great fighters at welterweight and there are a lot of great fights that can be made. I think Mosley-Mayweather has quite a bit of potential. It's a fight that a lot of people will be waiting for and people are getting excited about it. It should turn out to be pretty exciting and if the winner can get in there with Pacquiao, it would make it all the better. Obviously, if Floyd wins, Pacquiao is not going to take the test and Floyd's not going to back off. We probably won't see that fight. However, if Mosley wins, we'll get to see Mosley and Pacquiao get it on. Who knows, maybe if Mosley loses in a close, competitive fight - not to say he can't win because Mosley could easily pull that off, it's that kind of fight – but if he loses a close, competitive fight to Mayweather and Mayweather-Pacquiao can't be made, maybe they can still make Pacquiao-Mosley. You have some potential there in those fights.
MJ: What did you think about that Pacquiao fight being in Cowboys Stadium?
PM: It was amazing; that promotion was amazing! Top Rank does those stadiums. They're doing Yankees Stadium with Yuri Foreman and Miguel Cotto. You have to respect that. Bob Arum deserves respect for taking those chances. He deserves most of the gust; he's a veteran promoter who has been doing it for awhile. It's cool to see boxing getting that kind of support from fans. Having 50,000 people in the stadium to watch boxing, that's unheard of since the old days. It's pretty cool to see that.
MJ: Now I know you're not a big fan of the state of Texas, but would you ever fight in Cowboys Stadium?
PM: Not even for all the money in the world! But it is nice to watch it.
MJ: I feel you! So after the Amir Khan fight, once you win the title, what do you think you will try to do next? Will we see unification or will we see something else? Maybe a Hatton rematch?
PM: I take it one at a time. I have Khan on my mind right now. Obviously, the plan is to beat Khan. Once that happens, I'll become a two-time world champion. That gives me a lot of leverage and it also probably makes me the biggest name in the 140-pound division, winning a world title at this point. With Hatton retired and Pacquiao moved up in weight, there are a lot of young stars at 140 who are lookng for recognition and notoriety and are good fighters, but nobody brings the name recognition that Paulie Malignaggi brings to the table. If I win the world title, that makes me the go-to-guy in the division, regardless of whom everybody feels is the best or not the best. I'll pretty much have my pick of the litter, and at 29 years old, I won't be fighting too much longer. I'll see what happens, but right now, it's Amir Khan and the focus is solely on Amir Khan.
MJ: Is there anything else that you'd like to say to your fans at FightHype.com?
PM: I look forward to the fight on May 15; I'm excited. All of my fans will have something to cheer about when I become two-time world champion.