On the face of things, it could be tempting to say 'Hey, they're both coming off losses, who gives a shit!' as I'm sure many commenters below the cut will be too quick to point out.
Such thinking is brainless.
This would be a interesting, well-matched, well-promoted meaningful fight for both fighters. While Judah is coming off a loss to still unbeaten Danny Garcia, he showed that he was no longer the Tin Man in search of a heart, as he dragged himself up off the canvas to roar back and give as good as he got in the championship rounds.
Malignaggi was the sacrificial lamb who was meant to be steamrolled by the Adrien Broner express, but instead stood firm and while he did not derail the hype train that follows 'The Problem,' he looked impressive as he threw a spanner in the works, lasting the 12 rounds and being understandably miffed that he didn't manage to get at least a draw on the cards.
A loss is a loss. In every sport, almost all players and all teams lose, and lose on a regular basis. Boxing is different, and one loss can amount to the end of a career in some eyes. Not only in the glare of fickle fans, but the fighters themselves can question the desire to go on once their elusive 0 has been stripped from their record.
If Malignaggi and Judah were coming off of wins against no-name opposition, would this fight be more mouth-watering?
No.
Let's see what two guys who just overperformed in tight losses do against each other, both hungry to add one of those final digits onto their win column. The loss column is not so important; just ask Jhonny Gonzalez.
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