Is Paulie Malignaggi for real?

We will find out Saturday when Brooklyn-Italian Malignaggi fights WBO Light Welterweight Title holder Miguel Cotto at Madison Square Garden. Most fight pundits think Maglinaggi and his Growing Up Gatti looks are going to take a severe pummeling. Cotto is undefeated in 26 fights, and unlike Malignaggi has fought people besides handpicked tomato cans.
But that hasn't stopped "The Magic Man" from running his mouth, even though prodding Cotto seems like a good way to ensure that Maglinaggi gets a Lamotta v. Janiro style face-rearranging.

This from yesterday's press conference:

Malignaggi: I'm going to break his face on Saturday night.

Cotto: You know I really don’t know much about him, style-wise or anything. All I know is he’s been talking a lot and I think when you do that is because you don’t know whether you can back it. I don’t know if he can back it up or not but I don’t think he can.

Oh no, he didn't!

For more on Maglianggi see Mitch Abramson's enetertaining piece on The Sweet Science

http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/3897/experience-factor-help-hurt-miguel-cotto/

Also on the Top Rank card Saturday night:

Notre Dame football captain and likely NFL draft pick Tommy Zbikowski makes his pro debut against Robert Bell. This will be a spectacle; thirty uniformed Notre Dame players are meant to walk Tommy Z into the ring.

Manuel Lopez vs. Sergio Mendez

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Aaron Drake

Irish John Duddy vs. Freddy Cuevas of Chicago

Boxing starts at 7. The HBO Pay-Per-View televised portion of the card starts at 9.

No Mas will see you at the Garden.

********

For a preview of Cotto, check out his 2002 fight against Carlos Ramirez tomorrow night (6/8) at 8 pm and midnight on ESPN Classic.