Money Talks for Paulie Malignaggi

Following his a one-sided loss to Amir Khan last May, Brooklyn's Paulie Malignaggi was talking about moving to Italy to resume his career.

With a stacked 140-pound division, it was unlikely Malignaggi would've gotten a title shot in the near future.

But a funny thing happened. He bought out the remainder of his promotional deal with Lou DiBella for $75,000 and inked a three-year deal with Golden Boy Promotions on Tuesday.

It's a win-win deal for both sides. Malignaggi, a hometown hero, will help Golden Boy promote its New York cards in the future. It could also give Malignaggi a leg up if he decides to pursue a career as a promoter or manager.

The Neutral Corner isn't opposed to any boxer making money. Let's face it, many boxers end up broke and in poor health when their careers are over. So Malignaggi changing his mind to sign with Golden Boy isn't a bad move. 

But a year ago we've would've never seen this coming. After Malignaggi lost a questionable decision in his first fight against Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz last September, the former IBF 140-pound champ slammed Golden Boy for the alleged home cooking Diaz received from the judges.

The fight was fought in Diaz' hometown of Houston. The judges, who scored the fight 116-112, 115-113, 118-110 in favor of Diaz, were also from Houston. Malignaggi came back four months later and scored a decisive unanimous-decision win over Diaz in Chicago.

Talk about a change in course. Malignaggi told ESPN.com his contract with DiBella amounted to slave labor.

"The contract I got is a contract I am very happy with," Malignaggi told ESPN.com of his new deal. "It's a contract that makes me realize the slave contract I was in for nine years."

Money talks.