By Bill "Two Scoops" Emes

Adrien Broner became a champion in his third different weight class, beating Paulie Malignaggi by a split decision to take the World Boxing Association welterweight title. Two judges gave the fight to Broner by scores of 117-111 and 115-113, while the third saw Malignaggi a 115-113 winner. Broner, also the reigning World Boxing Council lightweight champion, improved to 27-0 after stepping up two weight divisions to fight Malignaggi in his hometown of Brooklyn, New York.

Malignaggi, nine years older than his opponent at age 32, fell to 32-5 and complained about the most lopsided judge's decision against him and he says Broner is not a hard puncher at 147 - and he should probably move back down in weight.

"He doesn't hit hard at all, I've been hit by girls who hit harder than him. But he's a sharp little fighter. Things didn't go my way, I don't know what more to comment on it. I thought I did outwork him. He's not easy to hit clean, but he stands right in front of you so the body was easy to find. I think that really slowed him down. But he doesn't hit hard. If he hit hard then I wouldn't have stood in front of him so much, I would have been in trouble. Between him not throwing a lot of punches and not hitting hard, I stood in front of him more than even I anticipated. I'm 32-years-old, If I had the legs of when I was 25, everybody says how good Adrien Broner but he wouldn't be able to beat a 25-year-old Paulie Malignaggi," Malignaggi said.

"The most he hurt me, the most I felt was when he hit me on the break. I felt it a little bit but I recovered quick. If you could punch and catch me with a shot like that, you should knock me out. That shot hit me cold, I wasn't paying attention and he hit me with a left hook. He is probably better [advised to go] back down to 140 or 135. I don't even know about 140 because there are some strong guys there as well."