Boxing Betting: Back Adrien Broner to shut up Paul Malignaggi before the finish

Adrien 'The Problem' Broner is stepping up two divisions to fight Paulie Malignaggi

Alex Reid can't see the step up in two weight classes stopping Adrien Broner stopping Paulie Malignaggi inside the distance on Saturday night...

From Mike Tyson claiming he wanted to eat the kids of a then-childless Lennox Lewis to Muhammad Ali and his numerous opponent nicknames (George Foreman was "the mummy", Sonny Liston "the big, ugly bear", Joe Frazier - most controversially - "the gorilla"), trash talk and boxing have always gone hand-in-glove. While the purists may find it distasteful, the public and media have often lapped it up and numerous fighters have used it to their advantage in selling a bout.

However in the build-up to their welterweight clash on Saturday 22 June in New York, motormouth Americans Adrien Broner and Paul Malignaggi have upturned the trash talk dustbin and tipped the contents into the gutter. The low point came when Broner bragged about his insider knowledge of one of Malignaggi's ex-girlfriends at a May press conference - even going so far as to apparently call the woman in question at one point - leaving Malignaggi to respond that she was simply "weekend p***y".

Neither man has covered themselves in any glory, but the worry for the 32-year-old Malignaggi is that while he's sharp enough to trade barbs with anyone outside of the ring, he may not be quite so successful at fending off Broner inside the ropes. Malignaggi contends that his brash, 23-year-old rival, anointed as the successor to Floyd Mayweather, has made it where he has without facing any particularly tough challenges. That may be true to an extent, but while Malignaggi is the more battle-tested, he's also the more shop worn.

He may be on a five fight winning streak since his 2011 loss to Amir Khan, but his last fight was a tough split-decision win over unheralded Mexican Pablo Cesar Cano, who knocked Malignaggi over with a right hand in the 11th round. Broner - if he could tear himself away from the mirror for long enough - would have watched with interest. He may be the fighter moving up two weight divisions, but he looked a gigantic lightweight and his thick, muscular build mean he'll still likely be the stronger fighter at 147lb.

The slick and slippery movement of Malignaggi could well cause problems early on. Plus Broner can be tagged by quick punches - as we saw, albeit briefly, in his last fight against Britain's Gavin Rees. However as Malignaggi's record of seven knockouts in 36 pro fights (32 wins, four losses) shows, he doesn't have the power to hurt or to dissuade Broner even if he can be caught early on. The younger man carries crisp power in his chopping punches and he showed in the Rees fight that he's dangerous to body as well as head.

Malignaggi's heart and courage should keep him in there until past halfway. However, even given the questions over how Broner's power will carry to a new weight division, it's difficult to see his opponent surviving the full 12 rounds. As the fight goes on, Malignaggi will begin to tire, and Broner has shown himself to be a ruthless finisher. Let's just hope that both show a little more class in their post-fight comments than they managed in the build-up. A little hot air can fan the flames of a big event, but misogyny and domestic violence used to hype what could well be a one-sided contest leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.

Recommended Bet

Back Adrien Broner to win by KO/TKO at 1.674/6