Diaz gets unanimous decision over Malignaggi in Houston

Diaz gets Malignaggi over decision

HOUSTON — Juan Diaz beat Paulie Malignaggi in a 12-round, unanimous decision on Saturday night to win the vacant NABO junior welterweight championship.

Diaz, a Houston native, fought the last 10 rounds with a bloody cut over his left eye. But the hometown crowd cheered every punch Diaz landed, and Malignaggi thought that swayed the judges.

The scorecards were 118-110, 116-112 and 115-113 in favor of Diaz. Malignaggi called the decision “ridiculous” and asked for a rematch in New York City, his hometown.

Diaz (35-2) ran to the four corners of the ring and saluted the cheering fans after the decision was announced, giving him a bounce-back win after he was knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez at the Toyota Center in February.

“I don’t like to see my fans see me getting hit like that and making my face swell up,” Diaz said. “I know I’m better than that.”

Marquez will fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Sept. 19 and Diaz hopes his victory on Saturday night puts him in line to face the winner of that one. He said he’d also welcome a rematch with Malignaggi.

“I’m ready for whoever they put in front of me next,” Diaz said.

Malignaggi (27-2) said before the fight that he was worried about the judges, especially Gale Van Hoy and Raul Caiz. He pointed out that those two were judges when Houston native Rocky Juarez earned a draw with featherweight champion Chris John at the Toyota Center in February, a decision that Malignaggi thought was unfair. David Sutherland was the other judge on Saturday night.

“I had told you guys that I had to deal with the politics,” Malignaggi said. “This state never gives a fair shake to anyone in a hometown fight. I thought I outboxed him (Diaz) and won.”

Malignaggi landed 191 punches to Diaz’s 178, according to the official statistics. Malignaggi controlled the hard-charging Diaz with sharp left jabs and quick combinations.

Diaz hit Malignaggi with a hard right in the last minute of the second round, but by the time the bell sounded, Diaz had blood trickling down his face.

Diaz was also cut over his right eye in the eighth round of the Marquez fight, and Marquez knocked him out in the ninth. Diaz fought through it this time, landing several hard shots in the later rounds.

Malignaggi, dressed in flourescent purple trunks with black and white tassles, kept attacking Diaz’s eye and the cut started bleeding again in the 10th round.

The hometown crowd chanted “Diaz! Diaz!” in every round, but Malignaggi seemed to have more energy at the end. The two exchanged hard lefts in the final minute and embraced in the middle of the ring when the bell sounded.

Earlier Saturday night, Robert Guerrero stopped Malcolm Klassen in a 12-round, unanimous decision to take Klassen’s IBF junior lightweight belt.

Klassen started landing hard right hands in the 5th round and opened a cut over Guerrero’s left eye by the 7th. Guerrero also said he broke his left hand during the fight, but he used his significant height and reach advantage to keep Klassen at bay.

Also, Danny Jacobs earned the vacant NABO middleweight belt with a 10-round decision over Ishe Smith.