On paper, the Showtime Saturday Special at the boardwalk of beauties and bag ladies of Atlantic City, New Jersey, with defending IBF light/welter champion Paul Malignaggi in with challenger Herman Ngoudjo showed promise. 

Not that either fighter is all that special, but more about styles making for fan friendly fights - Malignaggi enters with wins over solid club fight talents in Edner Cherry and Lovemore N’dou after a ugly decision loss to Miguel Cotto in 2006. Ngoudjo arrives with decent resume` reflecting a single loss to Jose Luis Castillo.  

Toss into the mix that both are woefully short on punching power - brash talkin’ Paulie with no more than five stoppages on the rap sheet in 24 prior outings - and the transplanted Cameroon toughie a tad better with nine whacks in 17 kept appointments.

Pretty much opens to expectations in stanza one - Malignaggi having the better virtue of the celebrated quickness behind the left jab - Ngoudjo doing little while in cautious pursuit - and then things would change.

My unofficial saw the more physical Ngoudjo picking up the tempo and in control over stanzas two thru five - nothing pretty, but was effective once making it a tough fight at close quarters that saw mucho holding-hitting and mutual rabbit punches with the free right hand.    

 It would take a Malignaggi surge over candles eight, nine, ten to draw even on my scandal sheet - had it five rounds apiece and 95-95 using the tainted points system- then, on my card, with Ngoudjo snatching eleven and twelve, he earns the win 115-113 in points and 7-5 under the yesterday trusted round by round method. 

Not to be - the official scoring from ringside judges had Malignaggi retaining the IBF bauble to the off-beat sour tune of 117-111, 116-113, 115-113.

Closing Comments: Malignaggi (24-1, 5 KO) - blamed seven month layoff for the sluggish performance. Claimed his game is all about reflex and it wasn’t up to par because of inactivity. Single reason for a return is the bum decision angle - the ring action not the qualifier.
                                 Ngoudjo ( 16-2, 9 KO) - physically strong and clearly the fresher of the two at the closing bell. Big question is at a now age 28 can he still convert from plodder to better combination puncher.

Referee Allen Huggins ~ strong side was letting the fighters work - earned another audition with an easy on the eyes performance.

Commentators: Thought Bernstein and (Steve) Albert leaned a bit for the 6-1 betting favorite Malignaggi -  roving fool reporter Jim Gray did what comes naturally: post fight  ring interview with Malignaggi begins by asking if he thought he won the fight. Ho, ho, ho to that opener. Maybe expected a “No, I definitely got beaten - sure got help from my friends with the scoring.“ Same bit of stupidity when interviewing Ngoudjo.

 

GEL