Porter KOs Malignaggi to retain welterweight title

WASHINGTON -- Champion Shawn Porter knocked out Paulie Malignaggi Saturday night with a vicious attack that nearly knocked Malignaggi through the ropes.

Porter retained his IBF welterweight title with the victory at 1:14 of the fourth round and remained undefeated at 24-0-1 with 15 KOs. Malignaggi, who talked afterwards about this being his last fight, fell to 33-6 with 7 KOs.

The fight, at the D.C. Armory. was part of the undercard for the main event, Bernard Hopkins vs. Beibut Shumenov for the light heavyweight title.

Porter pressed the action in a major way beginning in the second round, attacking Malignaggi and looking for the knockout as he connected on some devastating left hooks that caught Malignaggi flush. But the Brooklyn native Malignaggi refused to go down -- that is, until the fourth when Porter knocked him down for the first time with two rights and a left. Malignaggi got right up but Porter continued his onslaught and put him away with a vicious combination.

Malignaggi was cut under his left eye in the first round from a hard jab from Porter. And it just got worse from there. Porter connected on 90 punches, almost all of them solidly landed shots.

"He wished me the best," Porter, 26, said. "What are we, 24-0? I needed this victory over a guy like that who tested me in every way possible.

"Getting in the ring with a guy like Paulie I didn't know what to expect. I came and answered those questions and came out a winner tonight. He knew thie right hand was coming all night. I kept throwing it. My dad told me to go to the body but I wanted this."

Malignaggi, 33, a Showtime boxing analyst who nearly went through the ropes right in front of his colleagues, said he's not sure if he will continue fighting.

"A really great fighter beat me," Malignaggi said. "If I do retire right now, I don't know. I can say if this is my last fight, I lost to a great champion."

Said Porter: "Paulie's a great fighter and will always be someone I admire."