By Per Ake Persson

Former two-division world champion Paulie Malignaggi (33-6) has been approved as challenger for EBU welterweight champ, 44-year old Gianluca Branco (49-3-1), under the condition that the fight is announced by the end of June and is executed before October. This was decided by the EBU council during the General Assembly this past weekend in Paris.

Malignaggi is not rated by the EBU and fought in Europe only three times when he traveled to Russia to unseat Vyacheslav Senchenko for the WBA belt, and two fights in the UK with Ricky Hatton and Lovemore N'dou. Paulie is coming off a knockout loss in his last fight (to then IBF champion Shawn Porter.)

Official challenger for Branco was Frankie Gavin but he is out after losing to Kell Brook on May 30.

In the United States, Malignaggi's name is being mentioned as a possible August opponent for WBA/WBC 140-pound champion Danny Garcia, who would move up in weight to take the fight.