With the news breaking, that the negotiations between promoter Johnny
Eames’ Showtime Sports Events (SSE) promotional outfit and WBA Interim
Welterweight Champion Diego Chaves’ camp have been terminated, it seemed
inevitable that the proposed title clash between the Argentinian and WBA
Welterweight King, Brooklyn, New York’s Paulie ‘Magic Man’ Malignaggi
would no longer take place in Abu Dhabi, UAE in May.
However, following various transatlantic phone calls over the past thirty
six hours, between SSE’s Managing Director, Gianluca Di Caro, and Paulie
Malignaggi’s lawyer, Steven Bash, the mouthwatering clash, between the
WBA’s top ranked Welterweight pairing remains a possibility for the Gulf
state's inaugural World Championship event.
The deal clincher came after Gianluca Di Caro agreed to SSE continuing
their pursuit of Chaves, by participating in the March 11th WBA ordered
purse bids.
In return Paulie Malignaggi agreed that should their quest be
unsuccessful, that he would be just as happy to fight four weight World
Champion, Tijuana, Mexico’s Humberto Soto in an equally mouthwatering
WBF/WBA unification battle on May 18th.
On his arrival in Las Vegas, where on Saturday evening he will be color
commentating on WBA Lightweight World Champion Richard ‘El Tigre’ Abril’s
first defense of his Crown against Sharif ‘The Lion’ Bogere at the Hard
Rock Hotel & Casino, Paulie Malignaggi stated.
“The opportunity to fight in Abu Dhabi excites me.
I am a fighter always searching for new challenges and goals and winning
the WBF welterweight title along with defending my WBA welterweight title
in a historic place like Abu Dhabi would be a huge feather in my hat.
I feel like boxing could have a new city to hold mega fights and events
and if by me fighting there I could be a part of that, well that is just
the kind of situation I look for and it motivates me to strive to continue
to be the best.
Whether the opportunity comes from Showtime Sports Events winning the
purse bid or from possibly an opponent change to Humberto Soto it still
remains an exciting situation for me as both of those guys are warriors
and would be worthy opponents.”
Paulie ‘Magic Man’ Malignaggi, against either Diego Chaves or Humberto
Soto, for the WBF and WBA World Welterweight Championships, will headline
a World Class evening of professional boxing at the Zayed Sports City, Abu
Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on May 18th.
Co-headlining sees IBF Flyweight World Champion, South Africa’s Moruti
‘Babyface’ Mthalane competing against Filipino super star Sonny Boy Jaro
for the vacant WBF Flyweight title.
Supporting the exciting double header sees at least two further World
Championship bouts, including WBF Light Welterweight Champion Zolani
Marali defending his coveted Crown against mandatory challenger, WBF
Interim title holder, Tijuana, Mexico’s Antonio ‘Cañitas’ Lozada Jr.
At least one further World Boxing Federation (WBF) World Championship bout
is expected to announced shortly.
The final Championship bout of the night features former British and IBO
World Champion Colin Lynes battling it out with Poland’s EBU-EU Champion
Rafal Jackiewicz for the vacant WBF Inter-Continental Welterweight title,
as well as earn the right to challenge the winner of Malignaggi – Chaves
or Soto for the World title later in the year.
Supporting the sensational feature Championship bouts will see four future
World Champions in action - two time Lithuanian National Amateur
Heavyweight Champion Paulius Kasiulevicius, exciting Turkish Light
Heavyweight Onder Ozgu, Albanian Middleweight Festim Lama and sensational
London, UK based Saudi Light Welterweight Zouhair Siddiq, a highly
exciting young prospect who was not only selected for the Beijing Olympics
(unable to compete due to injury) but also won the prestigious London
ABAs.
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