Speaking to Sporting Post, Malignaggi said: Dana White is “full of bo*****s” for suggesting crossover match-up between Jon Jones and Tyson Fury
Paulie: “I don’t believe Tyson Fury versus Jon Jones is a serious thing at all, Dana White is full of bo*****s. Most of what he says is not true, most of what he says is a lie. Over the test of time you see he’s lying about almost everything, but he’s a good salesman and all good salesmen are good liars, and this falls into this category. I don’t believe Tyson Fury versus Jon Jones is a serious thing at all. I don’t think Dana can make the fight happen and I don’t believe the fighters will fight. Absolutely not, but it’s a talking point.
Deontay Wilder will not be interested in ‘circus show’ vs Francis Ngannou
Paulie: “Just because the PFL say they finance Wilder-Ngannou, it does not mean Wilder will go in that direction. I think it’s an interesting fight, don’t get me wrong, but I think Wilder would beat Ngannou easily. Obviously the boxer has the advantage, but Ngannou is an interesting character and has been way underpaid by the UFC and deserves to make way more money, so if the PFL can make this kind of deal a reality, it would be amazing.
“But the only problem you have is Wilder is used to making so much money in boxing. The money Wilder makes is astronomical, so I don’t know if you’d be able to finance it by MMA standards. I don’t think they’d be able to afford Wilder. And then if you can match what Wilder makes in boxing does not mean you’re getting Wilder because he’s not going to do a circus side show for the sake of his brand. He’s still trying to secure world title fights in boxing and he’s still in the top three world rated fighters.
“You’d favour Wilder to KO Ngannou. Wilder has a great jab and sets up that right hand nicely. I think it would be more of a cash out fight for Ngannou. Here’s the problem – Ngannou has this killer reputation – but Wilder might be the hardest puncher who has ever stepped foot in the ring. Ngannou has the aura of a destroyer but if Wilder puts him to sleep that dents that image.”
Tommy Fury has ‘one big advantage’ over KSI if fight happens
Paulie: “Tommy did a great job in the Jake Paul fight. I saw him when he fought Anthony Taylor and he looked horrible, I didn’t think he could beat Jake Paul. But Tommy showed great footwork against Jake – legitimate boxing footwork – which Jake was missing. He fell a bit short. So I’d favour Tommy against KSI, it takes years to become natural with footwork. KSI has made himself a star in the YouTube world but against Jake Paul we saw Tommy glide around him and he’d do the same to KSI. I can’t see KSI beating Tommy. I underrated Tommy but he showed against Jake he could control the distance with the jab. They are simple things but they give you a big advantage against a non-boxing person that’s not as experienced as KSI. That’s something you get with time and experience. Tommy showed me his pedigree.
“I think Nate Diaz was trying to call Jake’s bluff. Maybe he thought Jake wasn’t comfortable going ten rounds. But then Jake agrees and then Nate’s thinking – do I actually want to do ten rounds? And then he’s going back on what he says. I think it was intended to be a mind game, but I think he lost the mind game because he’s now backtracked.