Paulie Malignaggi has heard it all heading into Saturday night's welterweight clash with IBF titleholder Shawn Porter.

A 33-year-old former two-division titleholder, Malignaggi (33-5, 7 knockouts) has been told that Porter (23-0-1, 14 KOs), 26, will "steamroll" him when they meet at the D.C. Armory in Washington, D.C. Malignaggi will be in his eighth consecutive 147-pound bout since rising from 140, while Porter, a former sparring partner for Manny Pacquiao, has fought as high as junior middleweight in the past.

In his last fight, Malignaggi rose from a second-round knockdown to score a unanimous decision over ex-beltholder Zab Judah. The "Magic Man's" victory came on the heels of a split-decision loss last June to Adrien Broner, who dethroned Malignaggi as WBA 147-pound titlist.

But against Porter, many believe that Malignaggi may have to do the equivalent of pulling a rabbit out of his hat yet again.

"Simply put," said Jeffrey Freeman of KO Digest, "Paulie Malignaggi is biting off a little more than he can chew again."

Porter is coming off a unanimous-decision win over Devon Alexander, during which he dictated a physical fight that left both men bleeding from cuts above their eyes.

"There isn’t a welterweight alive who Paulie Malignaggi wouldn’t mix it with, but I think he comes unstuck against Porter," said Tom Gray of RingTV.com. "This Ohio star proved his worth against Devon Alexander, whose southpaw style is notoriously difficult to solve. I think Porter can set a hot pace and match Malignaggi for volume."

Porter’s defeat of Alexander followed last September’s unanimous decision over ex-beltholder Julio Diaz that made up for their December 2012 draw.

Malignaggi's loss to Broner was his first since falling by 11th-round TKO to Amir Khan in 2010. Malignaggi won the WBA belt in April of 2012 with a ninth-round stoppage of previously unbeaten Ukrainian Vyacheslav Senchenko.  

"Shawn Porter has strength and durability. There's enough there for him to have a chance against just about anybody," said Norm Frauenheim of SecondOut.com. "But his skill set is no match for Malignaggi's tactical smarts and unerring sense of when, how and what to do. Above all, the stubborn Porter gets hit a lot. It's part of his game."

Promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Malignaggi will meet Porter in a Showtime-televised bout in support of a 175-pound title unification main event between the IBF's Bernard Hopkins and the WBA's Beibut Shumenov. The card will also include Peter Quillin's third defense of his WBO middleweight title against Lukas Konecny.

Below, RingTV.com sought the opinions of 24 insiders as to what will happen in Malignaggi-Porter.

Marc Abrams, www.15rounds.com

Paulie Malignaggi SD 12 Shawn Porter:  I like Paulie Malignaggi by split decision. The only guys who have beat Malignaggi are big strong guys, and I dont know if Shawn Porter is yet in the class of Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Amir Khan or Adrien Broner.

Record: 1-0 [Last pick: Pacquiao UD 12 Bradley]

Jake Donovan, BoxingScene.com

Shawn Porter W12 Paul Malignaggi: The only surprise in this fight is if it doesn't go to the scorecards. As long as Shawn Porter shows up to fight like he did against Devon Alexander, I believe that version will be too much for Paulie Malignaggi. A competitive and spirited fight, but with Porter taking a clear decision in the end.

Record: 4-2 [Last pick: Alvarez UD 12 Angulo]

Coyote Duran, copy/content editor, RingTV.com

Shawn Porter SD 12 Paul Malignaggi: As intrigued as I am with this matchup, I don't think we're going to see anything surprising on Saturday night. Both men are good boxers and both have given us our fair share of surprises. That said, this bout is going to be very close (and possibly very debatable) with a split-decision nod going to IBF welterweight titlist Shawn Porter. In light of this, odds are good we'll see a rematch sometime in September or October, possibly at Barclays Center.

Record: 1-0 [Last pick: Pacquiao UD 12 Bradley]

Norm Frauenheim, THE RING magazine, www.15rounds.com

Paulie Malignaggi UD 12 Shawn Porter: Shawn Porter has strength and durability. There's enough there for him to have a chance against just about anybody. But his skill set is no match for Malignaggi's tactical smarts and unerring sense of when, how and what to do.

Above all, the stubborn Porter gets hit a lot. It's part of his game, and in the end, that will prove to be his undoing against Malignaggi's agile feet and precise jab.

Record: 6-3 [Last pick: Pacquiao UD 12 Bradley]

Jeffrey Freeman, www.KODigest.TV

Shawn Porter UD 12 Paulie Malignaggi: Simply put, Paulie Malignaggi is biting off a little more than he can chew again, and Shawn Porter is the more politically connected fighter.

By following the insider logic explained by Malignaggi himself in a recent KO Digest interview, one can deduce that a close fight in the ring will swing in the direction of the fighter who is being most pushed by power brokers outside of it.

That fighter is Porter. Look for the IBF welterweight champion to retain his title with a close but unanimous decision.

Record: 6-3 [Last pick: Pacquiao SD 12 Bradley]

Tom Gray, RingTV.com

Shawn Porter UD 12 Paulie Malignaggi: There isn’t a welterweight alive who Paulie Malignaggi wouldn’t mix it with, but I think he comes unstuck against Porter.

This Ohio star proved his worth against Devon Alexander, whose southpaw style is notoriously difficult to solve. I think Porter can set a hot pace and match Malignaggi for volume, but ultimately it will be his aggression and power which see him dominate the scoring.

Still, I leave the door slightly open for Paulie, because he is a quality boxer and a real fighting man.

Record: 6-2 [Last pick: Pacquiao UD 12 Bradley]

Lee Groves, RingTV.com

Paulie Malignaggi UD 12 Shawn Porter: Paulie Malignaggi's greatest strength, his active and accurate jab, may very well exploit Shawn Porter's greatest weakness, the tender scar tissue above his eyes.

At 33, Malignaggi is smart enough to know what he is — a pure boxer — and he will not deviate from that style. Porter is a bustling fighter who has terrific upper body strength.

If Porter forces trench warfare, he could wear the older man down. But I believe Malignaggi's speed and smarts will result in a points victory and another title belt for his mantle.

Record: 3-3 [Last pick: Bradley W 12 Pacquiao]

Andreas Hale, KnockoutNation.com

Shawn Porter SD 12 Paulie Malignaggi: This will be a true test for Shawn Porter as Paulie Malignaggi has all the tools to beat him with a combination of hand speed, athleticism and boxing IQ.

Of course, the one thing Malignaggi doesn't have is power, and that will likely prevent him from keeping Porter off of him. Porter is still raw, but showed great improvement against another deft boxer in Devon Alexander.

It will all depend on how Porter adjusts to Malignaggi's speed, and how he uses his physical advantages in the strength department to take Paulie out of his game.

Something tells me that we haven't seen the best that Porter has to offer, and this will be another step in the right direction as he overcomes an early deficit to get an ultra-narrow decision against Malignaggi, who will justifiably complain about the decision.

Record: 7-2 [Last pick: Bradley SD 12 Pacquiao]

Jack Hirsch, president of the Boxing Writers' Association of America

Paulie Malignaggi W 12 Shawn Porter: Shawn Porter is made for Paulie Malignaggi style-wise. It will still be a tough fight for Paulie, as Porter will keep coming at him the whole time.

But Paulie's overall boxing ability should rack up enough points to win a decision with a little room to spare. Porter does not have the power to seriously threaten Malignaggi. He can just hope to out-work him, which he won’t.

Record: 0-0

Keith Idec, The Record/BoxingScene.com

Shawn Porter SD 12 Paulie Malignaggi: Shawn Porter has improved and was beyond impressive in out-boxing southpaw Devon Alexander to win the IBF welterweight title in his last fight. Porter also has youth and strength on his side.

But Paulie Malignaggi has proven in his last two bouts that while he cannot use his legs the way he once did, he can contend at the elite level by relying on his high ring IQ, experience and toughness. Malignaggi's jab remains an effective weapon as well, and it'll help him keep this fight very competitive.

Record: 6-3 [Last pick: Paquiao UD 12 Bradley]

Rich Marotta, KFI Radio, Los Angeles

Paulie Malignaggi SD 12 Shawn Porter: Good fight, strength versus smarts, youth versus experience, brawn versus movement. I'm looking for Paulie Malignaggi to sprint away to an early lead, using all that lateral movement and his educated jab. In fact, lots of jabs.

Paulie will put rounds in the bank, and those will come in handy later when Shawn Porter is coming on. Porter will begin to wear down Paulie in the second half of the fight, and will have more left in the late rounds. He'll come on, but in the end, it wont be enough, and Malignaggi squeaks out a close one

Record: 6-3 [Last pick: Pacquiao SD 12 Bradley]