Boff’s Pre-Emptive Strike
By William Trillo
It came as no surprise that my most faithful (and possibly only) reader, Frank Boff, sent in this commentary before I could even write an article about this weekends fight in New York. Boff wrote:
The reality is Paulie had no chance to win since he couldn’t knock Khan out. Had he had power, they would have let it go. I hate to see Paulie counted out like that, but it was the right idea. Paulie has a long career ahead as a TV commentator. He has down tapes for the role. He really is excellent at breaking down fights and fighters. Handsome, young, PERFECT for HBO’s BAD. He and Kellerman would give Ross the younger and hipper look he craves. And the chemistry between the two, the humor could be a lot of fun. With DiBella having created BAD while head of boxing at HBO, he still has strong ties to the network. DiBella brought up Paulie’s desire to be a commentator in post-fight video interview. He must retire. DiBella said he could not beat the upper echelon guys at 140 and he doubted Paulie would want to be a gatekeeper or an opponent. I say he will retire. He’d also be great in some TV reality show or sitcom appealing to twenty-somethings. If he hadnt broken the hand nine times and had all the surgeries, one wonders who good he could have been if he had power as an added tool. A gallant, tough kid and one of my favorites.
Kudos to Boff for reading my mind. Referee Steve Smoger who has long been known as a fighters ref for giving fighters every chance to find a way to win, even in the face of sure defeat, had no choice but to halt the fight between Amir Khan and Paulie rather than let the fight go any further. Malignaggi had no chance to stop Khan and although Paulie is valiant, the right decision was made.
I truly hope Paulie can take a good long hard look at his future prospects in the 140 pound division and makes the right choice. Boff is not too far off on his assessment and I think Malignaggi has a long career left in boxing, but it should be behind the mic.
