Paulie Malignaggi

When asked about a possible rematch with Diaz, he said: "You know I ain't getting a rematch, this is boxing; boxing is full of [expletive], I used to love this sport. I cannot stand doing this. The only reason I do this is because it gives me a good payday."

The fight was slanted toward Diaz (35-2, 17 knockouts) from the very beginning. Neutral judges were supposed to be installed, but it never happened. Van Hoy is from Texas, Sutherland is from Oklahoma and Caiz is a Mexican-American, sharing the same ethnicity as Diaz. The referee, Laurence Cole, is from Texas, and the ring was of the smaller variety (18 feet), stacking the deck entirely against Malignaggi.

But rather than give in to his circumstances, Malignaggi, 28, fought superbly in spots and used his hand-speed to frustrate the hard-charging Diaz.

"Paulie is a great fighter," Diaz said. "But I have to thank Houston. I love you. I was falling in with my punches. I have to go back to the gym and work on not falling in."

Blood was an early companion to both fighters: Malignaggi (26-3, five knockouts) was cut over his left eye by a right hand in the first round while Diaz was cut over his left eye by an uppercut in the second. Cole, the referee, said that Diaz was cut again over his left eye in the fifth round by a head butt, but it was hard to differentiate the first cut from the second. Diaz fought most of the fight with blood streaming down his face, and Malignaggi seemed to be targeting the cut with right hands.