Former World Champion Paulie "The Magic Man" Malignaggi is currently gearing up for his highly anticipated bout with the WBA Lightweight champion Amir Khan in Madison Square Garden on May 15th.

The Magic Man is looking to put a dampener on the British fighters US debut in what should be a great matchup of styles. We caught up with Paulie last week where he was gracious enough to give us a few moments of his valuable time to answer a few questions about the fight and other things in general. Please find the full Interview below:

I would first of all like to pass on my congratulations on your victory last time out against Juan Diaz. What a performance champ, I remember thinking on fight night that this was the best I had ever seen you perform, what was the feeling after the fight knowing you had proved your point?

Proving my point felt great, I was happy with the fight, every fighter has a few bad days in the ring, but it's when you can bounce back and have a great night like I did twice against Juan Diaz. You always
get a smile when you prove the critics and haters wrong. But I don't step in the ring for them, I fight for myself.

Part of this transformation is to do with the hiring of your new trainer Sherif Younan, since this time you have looked a more complete fighter, what has Sherif brought to the table which your other trainers were unable to do in the past?

I owe all the credit to Sherif, he's a great trainer. As soon as we came in contact with each other, we
clicked. And I knew from that point on, this match up was going to be magical. And so far the outcome has been great. He focused on all my strength's and got me back to the old Paulie Malignaggi.

Next up is the Lightweight Super fight which puts you head to head with the WBA champion Amir Khan, Can you tell us how this fight came to happen and how you came to be picked for Khan’s American debut?

Well we were suppose to fight a few months back, but the deal went south for a few different reasons. But now the fights signed and a done deal. So come May 15th, I'll get to really show case my talent and Amir Khan has a style that will highlight mine. It's going to be a great fight for the fans, and I'm looking forward to the fight. This time it's in my back yard New York City. So everyone's going to be pro-Malignaggi.

What do you make of Khan’s decision to duck the challenge of Marcos Maidana, do you think he was looking for a bigger named fighter for his US Debut or do you believe he backed out of the fight because of the danger involved in the clash?

Yeah, Maidana is a dangerous fighter for everyone, but I would of picked Khan winning that fight, because Maidana doesn't know how to fight that well, He has a style that Khan can box easy. But now it's me and khan, and khan has a bigger problem in front of him.

I know the fight is more than a month away but could you tell us how are preparations going, have you brought in any particular sparring partners to mimic the style of Khan?

We have great sparring, and training is going great. I can fight today, that's how focused and in shape I am. Paulie Malignaggi is in shape all year round. When May 15th comes, I'm going to be more than ready.

The fight will of course be staged in your backyard of New York, a place where you obviously hold a very strong fan base, how important is that in a big fight like this?

Well, the home crowd advantage is always great, this fight is for the fans. They owe me fighting in NY more than anything. They would always follow me to fights in other states. So now it's in my backyard and going to be explosive. Fourth of July is coming early.

I know I have talked to you in the past about big punchers because of the fact you have been in there with the best around, these include Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton etc. Do you envisage Amir’s power to be a threat when it comes to fight night and if so what will you be able to do to counter that threat?

I was in the ring with the biggest puncher of them all, and thats Miguel Cotto, no one's power can come close to his. I have heart and I think i showed that I have a chin as well. So, not that worried about Khan's "power".

If you had to rate Amir’s career so far what mark (e.g. A, B, C) would you give it and why?

I'd probably give him a B -, he hasn't beaten anyone that great.

You have stated in previous Interviews that Khan has never fought a guy like you, Could you tell us what you mean by this remark?

Everyone will see this May 15th, what I mean by Khan never being in the ring with someone like Paulie Malignaggi. I'm not just some old fighter who's going to stand still. I'm throwing punches as well.

I know that you have also stated that Golden boy have made a mistake in getting this fight signed, in your own words how do you think this fight will play out and what will be the key to victory on fight night?

And NEW CHAMPION! That's how it's going to be played out, Malignaggi coming out on top. This is my fight and my night.

Recently Devon Alexander’s trainer Kevin Cunningham called a fight between Amir Khan and You a joke, Is there anything you would like to say to Cunningham in particular and the negative statements that’s coming out of his camp?

God bless

In our last Interview you stated that you would love to get a rematch with former world champion Ricky Hatton, Is this still a fight that interests you and if so why?

Always an interest because that night wasn't me, that was my first fight, that doesn't sit well in my mouth, because I know the truth. But have to move on, and good luck to Hatton.

What can we expect to see from the Magic Man throughout 2010?

BIGGER AND BETTER YEAR

Check me out on www.officialmalignaggi.com and www.twitter.com/paulmalignaggi

Interview conducted by: Paul Daley

If you are involved in boxing in some way and have an interest in doing an Interview with us at TopClassBoxing. Please email me your name and email address to Paul@TopClassBoxing.co.uk.