By Jonathan Shrager

Former two division world champion Paulie Malignaggi (33-6, 7KOs) is still considering the possibility of a ring return in the future. One potential opponent who Malignaggi would love to face is IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook. Malignaggi suffered a brutal knockout defeat at the hands of Shawn Porter, who then lost his IBF welterweight title to Brook by decision.

BoxingScene.com: I’ve seen recent reports indicating that you will be entering the ring again, following a short hiatus to deliberate your next steps. Was this a difficult decision to make?

Paul Malignaggi: Yes, it was a very hard decision to make, because it is not money-motivated. Obviously money is always part of fighting, and you’ll always seek big money fights, but I don’t have to fight for financial reasons, so I have to ponder whether it’s worth the risk of myself getting hurt. So it’s always a lingering question in my mind; there are nights when I miss it tremendously, the adrenaline when you hear the crowd roar, of being the centre of attention and walking the tightrope that is combat at a world class level, and I feel empty without it.

I get a lot of UK fans on Twitter showing me tremendous support. I wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to fight Kell Brook, especially with him being a world champion. Ever since my fight in Manchester, I’ve always wanted to come back to fight in the UK and gain the satisfaction of fighting in front of the UK fans. I don’t think that I’d fight Kell in my next fight, and I don’t know that I’d want that anyway. Most people want to see Kell Brook vs Amir Khan anyway. But if things trickle my way, you never know. I do have one eye towards the EBU title; from a personal standpoint, myself and Gianluca Branco are both Italian, but I feel more of a support system in the UK than I do in Italy. Maybe that fight could happen in the UK; that definitely crosses my mind. If I am to fight again, I want to do it in front of a crowd where I feel most appreciated.

BoxingScene.com: What was it about Kell’s performance vs Porter that impressed you? And what flaws do you detect that you believe you’ll be able to expose?

Paul Malignaggi: I think Kell is a world class fighter, a great tactical fighter. He has a lot of natural ability and speed, and he’s also a cerebral boxer inside the ring; he sets traps. And to top it off, he has power, so Kell has the whole package, with a good offence and good counter-punching. So he’s impressive. But I’m also a technician, and tactical fighter, and I love to pit my wits against a fellow technician like Kell. Those tactical matchups really intrigue me more than fighting brawlers. It’s like playing chess at the speed of light.

You could compare it to my fight with Zab Judah, against whom it was a very tactical fight. I dominated him, and he entered our fight off the back of an impressive display versus Danny Garcia. When I won the WBA Welterweight title versus Senchenko, he was undefeated fighting in his hometown, and he’s a tactical fighter. Kell is amongst the best of those tactical type of fighters, so I’d love the fight.

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