By JOSEPH G. LARIOSA

(© 2009 Journal Group Link International)

C HICAGO, Illinois (JGLi) – Before the Pacquiao-Cotto fight, one-time Junior Welterweight World champion Paul “The Magic” Malignaggi did not bat an eyelash when he predicted that the Filipino pound-for-pound world champion would lose to the Puerto Rican world champion.

After sewing up a convincing unanimous decision over three-time lightweight world champion Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz Saturday (Dec. 12) to claim the North American Boxing Organization junior welterweight title at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois, Malignaggi (27-3, 5 KO’s) refused to bite the bait when asked by this reporter if he has any prediction in the outcome of the March 13 fight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

Malignaggi just clammed up and smiled.

Eric Gomez, vice president of Golden Boy Promotions, told reporters that Diaz (35-3-, 17 KO’s) could not make it to the post-fight press conference because he (Diaz) had “a deep cut to be stitched. He (Diaz) said he was not in rhythm (during the fight) and congratulated Paul (Malignaggi). (He) fought a great fight.”

Malignaggi, who was showboating during most of the 12-rounder, got even in his rematch with Diaz after losing to Diaz in a controversial decision during a fight held at Diaz’s hometown of Houston, Texas, last August.

Malignaggi said his victory merely validated the claim of his camp that he won the first fight. “Why else would his camp change his aggressive style to non-aggressive this time? I know I was leading in the early rounds.”

Lou DiBella, president of DiBella Entertainment, which represents Malignaggi, said former two-division World Champion and Golden Boy Promotions Partner Bernard Hopkins told him during the eighth or ninth round that Diaz needed a knockout to beat Malignaggi.

All the three judges turned in unanimous 116-111 scorecards for Malignaggi, the Italian-American motor-mouth boxer. Paul Malignaggi of Brooklyn, New York, showed some theatrics in the sixth round when he dropped his arms, inviting Diaz to come and hit him.

In another round, he turned his right arm like a wheel as if to deliver a big swing. He even placed both his arms in his back, taunting Diaz to take a swing.

In the earlier televised welterweight showdown, “Vicious” Victor Ortiz (25-3-1), the 22-year old firebrand, came back from his 6th-round TKO loss to Marcos Maidana last summer by winning a technical knockout of 33-year-old veteran Antonio “Tono” Diaz (45-6-1) one second into the 7th round.

Juan Diaz, who had been aggressive fighter throughout his career, never got inside, merely landing 35 body blows over 12 rounds. It was Malignaggi’s constant jabs that spelled trouble for the 26-year-old Diaz, whose lack of rhythm made him seem to look older than the 29-year-old Malignaggi, whose speedy hands and footwork were no match for Diaz's.

The attention-grabbing Malignaggi told HBO’s Max Kellerman after the fight, “I gotta say I told you so. To my critics, who said I was done. I’m back.”

He also called out Juan Manuel Marquez and had wanted a rematch with Ricky Hatton, who TKO’ed him in the 11^th round in November 2008.

Gomez, however, dashed the hopes of Malignaggi when told that the Golden Boy had verbal agreement to hold a Marquez-Hatton fight.

Malignaggi, however, said he is ready to face the “eliminator” of the fight or any of the elite fighters.

No word yet from Juan Diaz if he is pursuing his law degree. (lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net) # # #

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