I love boxing. I love the strategy, the head games, the athleticism, and of course the unparalleled drama it can offer. However tonight I'll be watching for another reason entirely. To put it simply, I want to watch Ricky "Hitman" Hatton and Pauli "Magic Man" Malignaggi beat the shit out of each other. It's not a matter of bloodlust, I just happen to dislike both fighters for various reasons and I think watching them beat the hell out of each other with their futures on the line is going to be quite enjoyable. Although both fighters enter with just one loss, both Hatton, the overindulgent Mancunian drunkard, and Malignaggi, Brooklyn's fragile-handed showman (or ponce, depending on which side of the pond you reside) are in desperate need of a convincing performance to move their stagnant careers forward. Continue after the jump for a preview of the main event as well as an undercard featuring the must-see youngster James "Mandingo" Kirkland and his terrifying and trailblazing trainer Ann(e) Wolfe. Hatton enters the bout holding the IBO light welterweight title in addition to the far more relevant Ring Magazine belt he picked up in his last fight, an easy decision against the over matched Juan Lazcano. Malignaggi comes in off of a win of his own, although it was a rather embarrassing split decision over Lovemore N'dou that almost went down as a loss because of his most asinine hairdo to date. Seriously. But don't let those extensions fool you, because despite a the Magic Man's total lack of punching power (not to mention a pair of hands that can only successfully break themselves) he will never back down from anyone. The man lasted 12 brutal rounds against Miguel Cotto, a loss that says more about him than any of his 25 wins. Hatton isn't nearly the fighter Cotto is, but he is expected to attack the challenger with similar pressure. I may be completely nuts, but I do believe that Malignaggi learned a valuable lesson his last time out. Although he's already hyping another asinine ring entrance, he seems intent on quieting his many detractors and I believe he can outpoint Hatton. Pauli will have to dominate the fight with his jab that will help him score on Hatton and help to keep Hatton at arm's lenght. For Hatton to win he will need to keep the pressure on Malignaggi all night long without getting flustered by his opponent's elusiveness. The champion is a pretty sizable favorite to defeat the Magic Man, but he of all people knows that it won't come easy, especially if he isn't in shape. When Malignaggi was criticizing promoters for hyping up over the hill legends while allowing the sport's future stars to languish in obscurity I immediately began to think of this card's true star, James "Mandingo" Kirkland. The 24 year-old southpaw from Texas is one of this country's great young fighters, yet casual fans would be hard-pressed to pick him out of a lineup. The man who calls himself "Mandingo" hasn't let any of his four most recent fights get out of the second round, but this time he's up against a tough Brian Vera. Before his last fight Vera was best known as one of the multitude of Contender fighters with a limited future, but then he stepped up and sent Emmanuel Steward's uber-prospect Andy Lee back to Ireland with a seventh round stoppage. Also featured on the card is the reliably entertaining Rey "Boom-Boom" Bautista taking on Heriberto "Cuate" Ruiz and, of course, Hatton's far less talented brother, Matthew. This time he'll be paraded out to take on Ben Tackie, a fighter who has lost to a long list of impressive names, including the Hitman.
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