Malignaggi vs Cano: Pablo Cesar Cano will try for KO, concerned about hometown judging

Pablo Cesar Cano isn't denying that he has concerns about fighting Paulie Malignaggi in Malignaggi's hometown of Brooklyn on October 20, when the two face off for Malignaggi's WBA welterweight title at the Barclays Center on Showtime. The young Mexican battler says he'll be going for the knockout in the fight:

"I know that I would have to knock him out to avoid a bad decision, since he is from [New York] and the public will favor him. It doesn't scare me to fight in the house of my opponent, because ultimately only Paul and myself will be in the ring. He has quick combinations and good leg movement, so I have to fight smart."

Malignaggi (31-4, 7 KO) may not have the most power (to say the least), but he's got a granite chin and has only been stopped by Ricky Hatton and Amir Khan, in both instances simply because he was taking too much punishment. His trainer Buddy McGirt stopped him against Hatton, while referee Steve Smoger made the call in the Khan fight.

Cano (25-1-1, 19 KO) is a significant underdog, but he's a quality young fighter, and it wasn't all that long ago that Malignaggi's legs were being questioned as he aged. Paulie looked phenomenal taking Vyacheslav Senchenko apart earlier this year, and deserves to be the heavy favorite against Cano, who is game but still inexperienced against good opposition, but I think this is a really good fight and should be a lot of fun to watch. Of the entire 10/20 card, which is solid up and down, this is the best matchup, in my view.