Former welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi recently dismissed Shawn Porter's claims that Manny Pacquiao is an elite fighter, saying he doesn't rate the Filipino boxing icon as a very good fighter during Wednesday's conference call prior to their showdown on April 19.

Malignaggi, who is looking to become a welterweight champion by beating Porter, said that he respected his opponent as a legitimate champion in their division, especially after beating Devon Alexander last year. However, he would not accept Porter's claims that he has become a better fighter because of his sparring experience with Pacquiao.

"Shawn Porter showed that he was a force to be reckoned with when he beat Devon Alexander. All of that other bulls__t about sparring with Manny Pacquiao and all of that, I don't rate Manny Pacquiao as a very good fighter," said Malignaggi via Ring Magazine.

"I don't rate him as a very intelligent fighter, actually, so all of that other bulls__t about the sparring and all of that, to me, that goes in one ear and out the other. But what Shawn did to Devon was very impressive, and it certainly put him in a different light in a lot of different ways, and in a lot of more positive ways," he added.

Porter was chosen as one of Pacquiao's sparring partners during preparation for his match with former pound-for-pound champ Sugar Shane Mosley. The 26-year-old IBF welterweight champion said training with Pacquiao helped him improve his game tremendously, stating that Pacquiao has the fastest hands he's ever seen.

"You take into account everything that I've done up until this point, sparring with Manny Pacquiao, I mean, there's no better blueprint than that," Porter told Ring Magazine. "The guy's got the quickest hands in the business, so I have all of the experience and what it takes to beat Paulie, and it's just a matter of getting in there on April 19 and doing it."