Two comeback kids apparently will meet in New York City.
Amir Khan will defend his junior welterweight title against Paulie Malignaggi on May 15 at Madison Square Garden, according to sources. Khan confirmed the news on his Twitter account.
Juan Manuel Marquez and Marcos Maidana were potential opponents for Khan (22-1, 16 knockouts) but Marquez decided he didn’t want the fight and Maidana will fight Victor Cayo on March 27 instead.
Khan, THE RING’s No. 2-rated 140-pounder, won his version of the 140-pound title when he easily outpointed Andreas Kotelnik last July and in December knocked out Dmitry Salita in one round in his only defense.
The Briton has won four in a row since he was knocked out by Breidis Prescott in one round in September of 2008.
Malignaggi (27-3, 5 KOs) was all but written off after he was stopped in 11 rounds by Ricky Hatton in November of 2008 but he bounced back with a disputed loss to Juan Diaz last August and then a convincing victory in a rematch with Diaz in December.
Malignaggi, rated No. 5, probably doesn’t have the power to test Khan’s chin but his boxing skills will present a challenge for the titleholder.
http://www.ringtv.com/blog/1644/khan_to_face_malignaggi/
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