TONY BELLEW UPSETS DAVID HAYE & SAM EGGINGTON RETIRES MALIGNAGGI By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
London, UK (March 5th, 2017)– Paulie Malignaggi was missing from his usual commentator ringside seat at Barclays Center for the Danny Garcia versus Keith Thurman championship CBS card. Instead, Malignaggi pushed his career one fight too many at age 36, losing to father time and British welterweight Sam Eggington in the main event at O2 Arena on March 4, 2017. In the end, a vicious body shot sent Malignaggi face first down and out, unable to arise.
The sequence was left to the body, illegal right punch to the back, left to the body, and Malignaggi went down and out at 1:50 of round 8, his career over. He should stick to commentating from this point on, everyone loves Paulie, but he would never have gotten the decision in London, England anyway. Eggington, 20-3 with 12 knockouts, Stourbridge, United Kingdom, whose record includes two losses in three round bouts, would not go four against Errol Spence Jr., Timothy Bradley or Adrien Broner. Eggington has fought his entire five year pro career at age 23 inside the United Kingdom.
Sam Eggington KO 8 Paulie Malignaggi, Welterweights (1:50) Eggington retains WBC International Welterweight Title Referee: Victor Laughlin
World Boxing Council World Cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew came into his bout at 02 Arena prepared for David Haye, whereas Haye came in seemingly underprepared, looking for the one punch knockout but not landing any haymakers. Missing too many times, falling over his own feet awkwardly and injuring his right ankle, left Haye off balance and vulnerable. With a taped Achille’s heel, Haye was a beatable target.
Darting in and out and countering, Bellew played the part of courageouslion, while Haye the jackal kept stalking and missing. Bellew, 29-2-1 with 19 knockouts, Liverpool, United Kingdom, waited for Haye, 28-3with 26 knockouts, London, United Kingdom, to tire out. In the, Haye went down and almost out for a nine count, forcing trainer Shane McGuigan to throw in the towel. Haye landed a good low blow in the ninth round, but failed to impress anyone of his worthiness for Deontay Wilder or Anthony Joshua.
While it would be a stretch to imagine Bellew versus Wilder or Joshua, it did appear Bellew had done his homework by boxing well enough to take the relatively inactive Haye late and make trouble. Haye asked for a rematch, but there is no real reason to give him one. Haye will turn 37 in October, and Haye versus Joshua would seem like a miserable attempt to sell tickets now, given he could not beat a shorter, smaller and overblown cruiserweight. This reporter’s advice is for David Haye to retire, but he will probably keep hunting for a few more paydays. Now, Haye’s paydays will be worth considerably less. Haye could always fight David Price and others like him. Not that anybody will care anymore. Haye’s stock and reputation are what really took the beating at 02 Arena.
No amount of oxygen could revive David Haye’s career, given this dismal performance. It wasonly Haye’s third fight in five years. Maybe alarm bells should have gone off in Haye’s brain which told him hey, Bellew is a defending WBC world champion ranked second on the BoxRec in his weight class in the world. Bellew is moving up to heavyweight, he’s beating the best fighters in the world, he’s active, he’s dangerous, he’s doing the work you are not in the least. Maybe you should take a step back and wonder why this dude is calling you out, as in he’s already fully prepared for the bout before he went looking for you. Ego is not helpful for an inactive fighter. Haye got his you know what handed to him, andit wasn’t funny. A loss like this is embarrassing and degrading. Haye lost to himself, and antagonized the bookies worse than George Foreman did by losing to Muhammad Ali in Kinshasa. Tony Bellew played the part of Rocky Balboa, while David Haye looked like a rotten verison of Clubber Lang. How about Tony Bellew versus Dereck Chisora, Christian Hammer or Robert Helenius? Sounds promising.
Tony Bellew TKO 11 David Haye (2:16} Referee: Phil Edwards. Haye down in sixth and eleventh rounds, threw low blow in ninth. Andrzej Fonfara, having lost the bout on the scorecards, dropped Chad Dawson in the ninth round, and stopped him 38 seconds into the 10th round, ending the former world light heavyweight champion’s career. Dawson, 34-5 with 19 knockouts, New Haven, Connecticut, has lost four of his last seven bouts in the past five years, since parting ways with trusted trainer Iceman John Scully. Fonfara goes to 29-4 with 17 knockouts, Chicago, Illinois, by way of Warsaw, Poland.
Result: Andrzej Fonfara TKO 10 Chad Dawson, Light Heavyweights (0:38) Referee: David Fields. Dawson was down in the ninth round. Sportswriter Robert Brizel’s education in fall short comebacks is seen in these three losses. Full Eggington vs. Malignaggi bout and postfight interview on YouTube, from Sky Sports |
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