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The September 20 light heavyweight title match between Joe Calzaghe (45-0, 32 KOs) and Roy Jones, Jr. (52-4, 38 KOs) has officially been postponed because of a Calzaghe right wrist injury.

ESPN’s Dan Rafael quotes the fight’s promoter as saying “(Calzaghe) told me it’s an injured right wrist,” the promoter said. “I was told that he hurt it on Sunday punching a heavy bag.”

The initial word is that the match could be rescheduled for November. No word on whether the fight’s proposed venue, New York’s Madison Square Garden, would be available during that month. The NY Knicks have yet to release their schedule. The Rangers have a home date with the Boston Bruins on November 15 so that date is presumably out.

The Ricky Hatton vs. Paulie Malignaggi is currently on for November 22 so that date is also probably out. November 29 would sandwich the bout between Hatton and the proposed December 6 Oscar De La Hoya fight. That date wouldn’t make sense.

That leaves the 1st and the 8th. Our guess is the November 8. Make plans accordingly.

Post from: EveryJoe

Joe Calzaghe-Roy Jones, Jr. off for Sept. 20; Rescheduled for Nov. 8?

Didn’t catch the Paulie Malignaggi fight on Saturday and catch a glimpse of his ridiculous hair extensions? Our Komondor dog shot wasn’t descriptive enough? The photo to the right is a “before shot” taken three days prior to Saturday’s fight. After the jump is the post-match interview Paulie did for British television. Check out the shorn locks and Paulie’s amazement that during the interview “they’re picking up pieces of my hair all over the ring!”

In the interview he manages to complain about many things. They include: his opponent Lovemore N’Dou’s complaining, N’Dou grabbing technique, the fact that N’Dou didn’t have any points deducted, his broken hand for “most of the fight” (actually only the second half), and that N’Dou was trying to unleash his ersatz locks.

His complaining isn’t what irks us the most here at www.jabandgrapple.com. No siree. We are livid at the Manchester United jersey and The Magic Man’s audacity at wearing it at Eastlands. His clear intention was to get under Manchester City supporter Ricky Hatton’s skin. He had better watch out. Those wearing United kits lost twice this year against the brave Citizens. If Malignaggi gets his bout against the Hitman we’re positive the Blues will notch another victory over the brash and overpublicized.

Photo Source: Newscom.com

Post from: EveryJoe

Malignaggi’s Hair: Before and After

In Saturday’s Ricky Hatton-Juan Lazcano undercard match Brooklyn junior welterweight proved that you can’t hit what you can’t see. The problem wasn’t the head speed of his opponent South African Lovemore N’Dou; N’Dou was relatively stationary. No, the problem was Malignaggi’s recently implanted 18-inch-long hair extensions.

In the first round of the IBF junior welterweight title bout The Magic Man more resembled a Komondor dog (pictured to the right) than a boxer. His long twisted fake locks escaped their weak rubber band-hold less than a minute into the fight. Paulie spent the next two minutes fighting through his heavily-obscuring hair. While the bush league Versus Network went to commercial the fight’s essential storyline played out as his corner wrapped the extensions in sturdy athletic tape.

The tape held the hair admirably until the eighth when the Milli Vanilli-style braids escaped their soft polycotton blend captor. The referee then inexplicably stopped the fight allowing Paulie to regroup and have his hair re-taped. The fight wouldn’t have been halted for a cut or abrasion so why did it stop for hair?

Before the ninth started, and while Versus again went to commercial, The Magic Man’s corner sheared off the hair with heavy-duty scissors. It couldn’t have happened too soon. I felt Malignaggi had dropped the previous two rounds because of his sartorial distractions. After the fight he stated that he had also broken his hand around that time.

Considering N’Dou’s late round domination I reasoned that Lovemore had done enough to win the fight, scoring it 115-113. One of the three judges agreed with me while the other too scored it 116-112 and 116-113 for The Magic Man.

Regardless the 27-year-old American dodged a major self-inflicted bullet in Manchester. It is unimaginable that any fighter would think it was a good idea to get hair extensions before a fight. It is even a dumber decision than Mike Tyson choice to get a facial tattoo less than a week before facing Clifford Etienne.

All week Malignaggi has been asking Ricky Hatton for a fight. Hatton must now be licking his chops to face Paulie given The Magic Man’s unprofessional and juvenile approach as well as his asinine disrespect for his own body and the sport of boxing. He’s definitely not Juan Lazcano who proved in the main event to be a disciplined tough warrior that gave Ricky everything he could handle.

Photo Source: Newscom.com

Post from: EveryJoe

Magic Man’s Fake Hair Nearly Makes His IBF Title Disappear