Trainer Buddy McGirt protected Malinaggi against Hatton ...too bad Paulie can't see that.
Paulie during the Cotto fight
Paulie Malinaggi is a great kid who took a real beating when he stepped to Ricky 'the hitman' Hatton. Even Paulie does not dispute that fact.
Paulie also knows that he won the first round then went on to lose the next 9 straight rounds and was well on his way to losing his 10th round in a row. Paulie will not dispute that he had absolutely NO chance of KO'ing Hatton in the last round and a half. Therefore, short of Hatton quitting on his stool or being struck by lightning the outcome of the fight was not in question. Malinaggi loses. The only question was how.
Brutal KO or brutal decision? No matter what, it was going to be brutal.
Buddy McGirt, Malinaggi's trainer, chose a different option. An option that should be utilized far more often. McGirt threw in the towel and saved his man further damage in a hopeless situation.
And Paulie is upset about what?
Malinaggi feels, as all combat athletes do, that he should have been allowed to finish (or more probably be finished off by Hatton who was throwing serious leather). He stated that he had endured far more damage in his fight with Miguel Cotto. A fight in which Paulie suffered a facial skull fracture (orbital bone) that had him looking like the Elephant Man (no disrespect intended). Did Paulie forget that he required reconstructive surgery to fix the damage that Cotto inflicted?
A good trainer will protect his fighter. A great trainer, when need be, will protect his fighter from himself.
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