Former world champion Paulie Malignaggi is not afraid to make some bold claims, and has made one of his most outlandish ever this week.
On a recent feature on ProBox TV, a panel including Malignaggi was discussing the upcoming super middleweight clash between David Benavidez and Demetrius Andrade, which will take place on November 25th in Las Vegas.
And Malignaggi has stated that Andrade could have become the best fighter on the planet and would have “beat Canelo Alvarez’ a**” had he not been “mistreated.”
“Let me be real clear: Demtrius Andrade would have beat your favourite fighter’s a** all over the place in his prime, at any point. No matter who you’re rooting for, Canelo Alvarez, he would have beat that a** in his prime.”
“Unfortunately, it didn’t happen in his prime, that’s why he’s getting the fight now. He’s still at a high level, but I don’t think he’s going to be the same guy he was before.”
“In those years, that guy had the potential to be the number one pound for pound guy in the world. But no one will ever know it, because of the way he was mistreated and his own personal decisions.”
“Even when he was at Matchroom, they were so busy kissing Canelo’s a** that they didn’t want to stir the pot.”
Should he get past the tall order of Benavidez, there is every chance two weight world champion Andrade will finally get his shot at undisputed 168lbs king Alvarez.
However, he goes into the contest as an underdog, as most observers view Benavidez as the toughest potential test at super middle for ‘Canelo.’