The Week In Boxing, 1/7/08: Malignaggi's rough outing, Mayweather's bad rapping and more

Let's just pretend it's Sunday and act like this didn't happen.

• In the biggest fight of the week, Pauli Malignaggi barely won a junior welterweight (140 lbs.) title defense against Herman Ngoudjo. Few different opinions on that. I actually read somewhere that someone thought this could help him get a big fight with Ricky Hatton by looking more hittable. Ridiculous. I say he hurt himself, but maybe not much. Others, like Maxboxing, saw it as a big, big setback. I don't know that it's that bad for him, but there's no way he helped himself, right?
• In other results, super middleweight (168 lbs.) contender Allan Green coasted to victory over Rubin Williams. About time to see Green in against a titlist. The Peterson Bros. took care of business in typical fashion. Time for them to get a title shot, too. Pint-sized puncher Brian Viloria (108 lbs.) got back in the win column.
  
• Looks like a few very good fights are on track as of the last week. Two of them are light heavweights (175 lbs.) on the same date, alas: Chad Dawson -- the talented youngster -- will take on Glen Johnson -- the tough-as-nails vet -- on April 12; so, too, will Bernard Hopkins (likely) take on Joe Calzaghe in a battle of two top five pound-for-pound bests. Hopkins/Calzaghe could fall apart at any minute, though. Not as significant, but potentially more entertaining than both of those scraps put together, is the Roberto Guerrero/Jason Litzau featherweight (126 lbs.) showdown.
• Then there are a few fights that have come up this last week that are in various degrees of "maybe." Hatton and 130-pound star Manny Pacquiao are showing real interest in squaring off, which would be fascinating if it weren't for the fact that there's a very real chance Pacquiao will lose to Juan Manuel Marquez in March, let alone subsequent bouts at higher weights to set up the Hatton meeting. Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves, fellas. I'd love to see welterweight (147 lbs.) contenders Zab Judah and Antonio Margarito get it on, as discussed. And Kassim Ouma-Cornelius Brundrage is a 154-pound crossroads fight. I wouldn't mind seeing, either.
• Boxing lost one of its own when Korean former titlist Yo-Sam Choi died last week. I've avoided the topic because generic sympathies from me would mean little, and I've already said what I have to say about ring deaths in general. But it's a sad occasion.
• Floyd Mayweather, Jr.'s video is out. Review: I've heard worse rappers, but he's far short of very good. Nice beat, crappy video. Also, the calls are pretty unanimous for him to stay the hell away from mixed martial arts. I'd agree more but don't want to play into the publicity stunt. Suffice it to say that Mayweather'd just be better at focusing on boxing over whatever else he's doing, from running a practically non existent record label to not doing a very good job promoting other boxers.
• On a personal note, Deadspin picked up one of my mvn.com/boxing links. Excellent.
• Only meaningful fights on the horizon are separate super middleweight clashes involving Edison Miranda and Jean Pascal Friday night to set up a possible fights against each other. Miranda could get a rough go of it stylistically from David Banks first, but if you like brawls, you're rooting for Miranda and Pascal to win Friday so the fight can go through.

It always works out when athletes become rappers.