Paulie Maliganaggi: “I worry that Manny Pacquiao might be a little too sharp for Chris Algieri or just a little quicker”

The 2014 boxing year is coming to a close and it’s hard not to look forward to the last few exciting and interesting fights left in the year. Boxing stars Bernard Hopkins, and Manny Pacquiao both have fights coming up against younger champions and boxing fans wonder if a loss by either of them could mark the end of their historic careers.

In the final part of my “On The Ropes” interview with boxer and boxing analyst, Paulie Malignaggi, I get his thoughts on a couple of bouts that are set to take place at the end of the year. Paulie breaks down Manny Pacquiao’s upcoming fight against Chris Algieri, and also gives his views on Hopkins vs. Kovalev. Additionally, Malignaggi speaks on HBO and Showtime working together and when he might make a decision regarding his own career. Here is what Paulie Malignaggi had to say.

Jenna J: What do you think about the new welterweight champ, Kell Brook? He took the title from Shawn Porter, what are your thoughts on him?

Paulie Malignaggi: I think he’s a very, very good fighter. I think he’s a solid class fighter. I think he’s a skilled fighter, an intelligent fighter. He’s got good power, good pop. He’s a timing kind of boxer, which is always impressive to watch if you’re a person that appreciates the sweet science. I think Brook will be a fun guy to watch.

Jenna J: We got an upcoming fight between Manny Pacquiao and Chris Algieri, and there are actually some people out there that believe Chris Algieri has a chance in this fight. What do you think is gonna happen there?

Paulie Malignaggi: I told people before the Provodnikov fight that Chris was gonna be better than they thought, so don’t be shocked if that fight winds up being close, and he winds up actually doing better that anybody thought. In this fight, I think Chris is gonna come on hard again and Chris has shown the self determination and the work ethic to be deserving of being at the top of the ladder in boxing.

I think stylistically, this fight doesn’t favor Algieri as good as the Provodnikov fight did. Pacquiao and him both go on speed and timing and the boxing aspect of it, instead of the brawling aspect of it. I worry that Pacquiao might be a little too sharp for Chris or just a little quicker than Chris, but we’ll see because Pacquiao is getting up there in age. Chris is a busy guy, we’ll see if he can use his height and kind of negate that in and out range of Pacquiao.

Chris is a pretty tall kid for junior welterweight, even for a welterweight. He says he’s gonna push the pace and Chris is always in very good shape, he’s a fitness guru and I think he’s gone to school for that dietician and stuff like that. He’s a very intelligent guy and knows how to get himself in shape, so we’ll see. Regardless of whatever happens, for Chris it’s a win-win situation because if he doesn’t pull off the upset, he’s still the junior welterweight champion.

Jenna J: There’s another fight the fans are talking about, the ageless warrior Bernard Hopkins is almost 50 years old, he’ll be taking on undefeated Sergey Kovalev. What do you think happens there?

Paulie Malignaggi: I don’t know. I’ll tell you, I’ve picked against Hopkins in the past and he’s proven me wrong, so with Hopkins you just never know what you’re gonna get. He’s an intelligent guy, he’s a savvy ring technician, but again this is another fight where I would just be shocked if Hopkins pulls off the upset.

I give Hopkins a lot of credit for going after this guy. Of all light heavyweights, Kovalev is the guy that people run away from. Hopkins is heading into a head to head collision right for him, so you got to give credit for the competitive nature of Bernard Hopkins, but this is a tough one. This is gonna be a rough one, we’ll see.

Jenna J: I want to get your thoughts on where boxing is today. It seems like the cold war is starting to thaw a little bit, Oscar De La Hoya and Bob Top Rank are talking to each other. Do you think we’re gonna see a lot more good match ups happen in the future because of those two promotional companies wanting to work with each other now?

Paulie Malignaggi: I think only good things can happen. You would expect some better match ups, some match ups that maybe we weren’t thinking about getting before, but we’ll see.

Jenna J: Do you think we’ll ever see a co-promotion that involves both HBO and Showtime? They haven’t worked together since the Mike Tyson fight. Would you be interested in something like that?

Paulie Malignaggi: I think it’s very difficult but I never say never. I think in order to get Mayweather and Pacquiao, you kind of need to do something like that. If people want to see the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, the two networks have to come up with a deal, I suppose. But I don’t know, I don’t know if it’s that easy as people think.

Jenna J: Back to you Paulie, how soon do you think you’ll make a decision on where you future lies?

Paulie Malignaggi: I don’t know, I don’t want to make a choice one way or the other because I’m at the point right now where my mind could still change, so it’s no use in making a choice if I’m changing my mind. I’ll still remain with the undecided mentality for now until I can really make up my mind.

Jenna J: You turn 34 in November. When do you think that choice starts to get out of your hands and it comes down to the old clock?

Paulie Malignaggi: I don’t know, possibly sooner than later. It’s not something I can really force as far as the decision is concerned.

Jenna J: What fight are you most looking forward to watch as a boxing fan?

Paulie Malignaggi: There’s not one that really sticks out right now. We just had the Mayweather-Maidana rematch. Kovalev and Hopkins is pretty interesting. Chris Algieri is a kid that I’ve known for years, he’s come up the ladder, he’s made a lot of improvements so I’m curious to see how he does with Pacquiao. I’m hearing Tim Bradley might fight Diego Chaves, that’s interesting. I’m sure there will be some end of the year match ups that hopefully will leave us to salivate a little bit.