It was a surprise when it was announced that the New York fighter Paulie Malignaggi was added to the undercard of the O2 Arena promotion on Saturday.
It was a surprise when it was also announced that he would be fighting for the European welterweight title, obviously qualifying for the bout due to his Italian ancestry.
But the biggest surprise was when Malignaggi?s fight was scheduled as one of the first of the evening with the former two weight world-champion competing in front of a sparsely populated arena.
As it turned out Malignaggi put on the kind of perfect boxing display we know he?s capable of to take a unanimous points decision against a late replacement opponent, the Italian Antonio Moscatiello, after Ginaluca Branco pulled out of the fight.
The win took Malignaggi?s record to 35-7 with 7 wins coming by knockout and there are rumours doing the rounds that suggest Malignaggi was brought to these shores in preparation for a fight against the current IBF welterweight champion, Kell Brook.
Malignaggi Claims EBU Welterweight Crown
