Paul Malignaggi vs Hermann Ngoudjo

On January 5, 2008, at Bally's Park Place Hotel Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Paul Malignaggi defended his IBF World Super-Lightweight Title against Herman Ngoudjo. With a record of 23-1-0, Malignaggi weighed in at 139 pounds, while Ngoudjo, standing at 16-1-0, tipped the scales at 140 pounds.

The bout was broadcast on Showtime Championship Boxing, with Allen Huggins officiating as the referee. Malignaggi retained his title via unanimous decision, with judges scoring the fight 117-111, 116-113, and 115-113 in his favour.

During the fourth round, Malignaggi sustained a cut over his left eye. Despite this setback, he outpaced Ngoudjo in the latter stages, although the match was closely contested. Notably, Showtime analyst Al Bernstein scored the bout as a draw, and Guy Jutras, covering the fight for Radio-Canada, had it 117-111 for Ngoudjo, indicating the competitive nature of the encounter.

CompuBox statistics reflected the fight's competitiveness, with Malignaggi landing 144 out of 499 punches (29%) and Ngoudjo connecting with 148 out of 524 (28%).

This match marked Malignaggi's first defence of the IBF title, which he had secured seven months earlier by defeating Lovemore Ndou.