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While it looked like the proposed rematch between Juan Diaz and Paulie Malignaggi was all but dead just a couple days ago, today there is renewed hope for the two to square off on December 12. HBO, after offering $750,000 for a double-header on that date, has come back with a $750,000 offer for just the Diaz-Malignaggi fight, reports BoxingScene.com's Rick Reeno.
Another problem with the first offer was the fact that Malignaggi's promoter, Lou DiBella, was being cut out of a co-promotion for the event. DiBella and Golden Boy will co-promote this show if it is signed.
As for location, Reeno reports that Atlantic City is high on HBO's list. It seems to me that Diaz won't fight Paulie in New York City, so why would he fight in Atlantic City, but hey, maybe he sees it as a whole different world. Which it is, but still, it's going to be a Paulie crowd. He's riled up enough people that they're going to come out for this one. That said, AC probably would provide an excellent atmosphere.
HBO was going to try to work out a Robert Guerrero and Victor Ortiz double-header, but now it appears Guerrero will head to another date, with Ortiz still featured in the opening bout on December 12.
Before their fight, I never would've thought this would be a matchup that would provide a rematch. It was just a Boxing After Dark main event, and not a particularly great one. Both contenders, sure (Diaz at 135, Malingaggi at 140), but it looked for all the world like Paulie's best work was behind him.
Nobody really expected a good fight. We got a really good fight. No one expected much attention. Not only did it do good TV ratings, but when Paulie Malignaggi made that stink immediately following the fight and SO MANY people agreed with him -- to the point of it getting kind of ridiculous, honestly -- it stirred up a ton of controversy and got a lot of attention.
The HBO commentary team said after Paulie was done ranting and raving that he probably didn't do himself any favors. At the time, I said screw that, he said what he felt he needed to say, and frankly with Gale Van Hoy's moronic scorecard, what someone damn well should have said. Turns out he did himself plenty of favors. Diaz almost has to fight him again to prove his win was legit to a lot of people, and Paulie has kept himself in, as Roger Mayweather would say, the lamplight.