Diaz vs. Malignaggi II: Scoring could once again become a factor in rematch!

Almost four months have gone by since Juan Diaz and Paulie Malignaggi met in their hotly contested twelve round encounter at the Toyota Center in Houston Texas. The fight was contested at a catch weight of 138.5 pounds.

Following the announcement of the decision, which went in favor of Diaz, Malignaggi launched off into a tirade claiming that he was robbed of victory. The fight was close and mildly entertaining, but the verdict was certainly debatable. Perhaps one element of the decision that was not up for debate was the incompetence of Gale Van Hoy’s scorecard, which showed a 118-110 tally for Diaz.

However you scored the fight, it was apparent that Malignaggi gave a far better account of himself than one might have expected. Based on Malignaggi’s showing against Ricky Hatton in November of 2008, this observer picked Diaz to win a comfortable decision. It was expected that the brittle-fisted Malignaggi, not generally regarded as a big puncher, would be reluctant to let his hands go against the aggressive-minded Diaz . Instead fans were treated to the spectacle of Malignaggi outhussling the proverbial work horse in Diaz for the duration of the bout.

At the end of the day, the first fight was close. Malignaggi threw and landed more punches, but it was the Baby Bull who landed the crisper shots. Realistically the fight was a one or two point fight for either guy. Boxingchronicles.com scored Diaz vs. Malignaggi a draw. While stocks were elevated on both sides, fans have been clamoring for the rematch for months. Fans will finally get their wish tomorrow night, as Diaz and Malignaggi meet in a twelve round bout which is being contested at the weight limit of 139 pounds.

Much can be said about the attributed hometown cooking for Diaz, being that the first fight took place in his hometown of Houston. Labeling the outcome of their first meeting a robbery, however, may be stretching it considering severity of the fraudulently inaccurate scoring rendered in the fight between Ali Funeka and Joan Guzman couple weeks ago in Montreal.

However, it is obvious that Diaz and Malignaggi have unfinished business that they intend to take care of when they meet on Saturday night at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, IL. Based on the fact that there was a bad decision in boxing two weeks ago, and neither of the combatants in this fight are big punchers, scoring should once again becomes a significant factor. In all likelihood, Diaz vs. Malignaggi II is also going to the scorecards.

If their rematch is as close as it was last time, I believe there is a chance that Malignaggi will get the decision this time around in order to make up for any wrong doing that may have been committed this past August. Why not, especially if the rematch is as crowd pleasing as the first fight was? In that case there would be grounds for a rubber match.

Diaz must apply constant pressure and get inside of Malignaggi’s wingspan, while it is incumbent on Malignaggi to keep the fight on the outside and utilize his reach advantage while commanding ring generalship. At close quarters, the momentum favors Diaz. As long as Malignaggi maintains the punch output that he exhibited the last time, and he can be just a bit more consistent and keep the fight in the center of the ring, I believe he can outpoint Diaz for a close decision this time around.

Expect one of the scorecards to be a draw, while the two other cards reflect close scores in favor of The Magic Man from Brooklyn, NY. I want to say 114-114, 115-113, and 115-113, in a fight in which Malignaggi realistically wins about seven or eight rounds.

Prediction: Malignaggi by MD.

Diaz vs. Malignaggi II will be televised on HBO Boxing After Dark on Saturday, December 12 at 10:15 PM ET / 7:15PM PT.