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Reigning European Middleweight Champion Matthew Macklin believes he can round out a sensational 2009 in style when he faces Uruguayan Champion Rafa Sosa Pintos on the Sierra Fight Night at the National Stadium, Dublin on Saturday, December 5.
The Birmingham based Irishman has had less than 10 minutes of competitive action this year but what an explosive ten minutes they’ve been. In March he ended Birmingham rival Wayne Elcock’s British title reign with a third round KO and then in September he followed that up with a sensational first round destruction of former European champ Amin Asikainen to claim the continental crown.
The impressive double has seen Macklin shoot up the World rankings and he is now rated fourth with the WBO, fifth with the IBF and eighth with the WBC. Clearly the future looks bright for the one time law student and underage Tipperary hurler.
With a World title shot on the horizon Macklin knows he simply can’t afford any slip ups when he takes on Sosa Pintos at the National Stadium next month.
The bout headlines an event sponsored by the Sierra Support Services Group and will be televised live on RTÉ TWO. Pintos has an excellent record of 34 wins from his 38 professional contests and having fought in Australia and Germany previously the South American is no stranger to fighting on the road.
“It’s been a fantastic year but I have to put those wins behind me now and make sure I keep producing those kind of performances,” said Macklin. ”People are talking about World title shots but for me it’s pretty simple, I know that as long as I keep winning those chances will come my way but I just have to focus on one fight at a time.
“Obviously the World ratings show that I must be doing something right. The Ring magazine has me at number 6 in the World now at Middleweight and every time I see that I nearly have to pinch myself because I remember as a kid I used to be able to rattle off the Ring’s ratings almost by heart. You knew if a fighter was ranked by the Ring then they had to be a really, good fighter so even getting in to the Ring ratings is a little milestone in itself for me.”
Macklin last headlined at the National Stadium in March of last year when he saw off the challenge of former World Champion Yori Boy Campas and he says he’s delighted to be fighting in Dublin again. “I’m thrilled that the chance came up to fight in Ireland again. When I look back at my fights to date my best performances haven’t always come in Ireland but they’ve been the fights
“I’ve enjoyed the most from the whole pre fight build up to the atmosphere at the fights themselves and then I always like to spend a few days in either Roscommon where my Dad’s from or Tipperary where my Mum’s from after the fights.
“Hopefully I can go on to win a World title for Ireland, the whole country had a great sense of pride the night Bernard Dunne won the World title and I’d love to repeat that. I certainly believe I can and I’d look to have most of my defences in Ireland. I was born and raised in Birmingham but I’ve never lost touch with my routes and I definitely consider myself an Irishman first and foremost.”
Macklin turned 27 earlier this year and his career really seems to have come of age in 2009. “It’s fair to say I’ve had my up’s and down’s since turning professional back in 2001 but it’s all been a learning curve.
“I turned pro on the back of a good amateur career and with a lot of fanfare. I scored some good wins early on which kept the hype going but then I suffered the defeats to Andrew Facey and Jamie Moore and it’s amazing how quickly people seem to write you off after a defeat.
“I’ve always had that belief in myself though and the people around me have as well so I knew my time would come but it was just a case of building back up again and learning from the setbacks. This year I think I’ve raised my game to another level because of the opportunities that came my way and my whole mental approach is completely different now.
His two back to back knockout wins at British and European title level suggest that Macklin’s power will be a factor at the highest level but he insists that it’s not something he’s tempted to rely on. “It’s an old cliché but when you go looking for the knockout it never comes. When you approach a fight like that you end up trying too hard and loading up but in my last two fights I’ve kept nice and relaxed.
“In both of those fights the plan was to outbox my opponent and not be overly aggressive in the early rounds but the power is obviously there, it’s just a case of letting it flow naturally. I knocked out Elcock with my right hand and Asikainen with the left so that was pretty satisfying to prove that I can punch with either hand.”
Macklin however believes that he could be in for a longer night against Sosa Pintos but he’s not unduly bothered. “He went the distance with Anthony Mundine who’s been a World Champion up at Super Middleweight. Mundine couldn’t stop him and neither could Khoren Gevor and he’s just come off a close points defeat to Felix Sturm for the WBA title so he’s mixed in very good company.
“I certainly won’t be going in there looking to knock him out because I think he’s the kind of opponent that will take a while to break down so I’m going to be patient and take my time and if the stoppage comes it comes.”
Assuming Macklin comes through against Pintos next in line will be a mandatory defence of his European title against undefeated Russian star, Dmitry Pirog. That bout has already been pencilled in for early in the New Year and Macklin says it’s a fight he would relish.
“I’ve watched bits and pieces of Pirog and there’s no doubt he’s n excellent fighter but he’s had it all his own way in his career so far. He’s been able to dictate the pace of all his fights so far because the guys that have been in there with him have been past their best and maybe lacking in ambition but it would be a different story against me.”
Macklin’s manager Brian Peters believes that Macklin can go on to win a World title in 2010. “Matthew’s knocking on the door for a World title shot now,” said Peters. “Kelly Pavlik aside there’s nobody lighting up the Middleweight division right now and even Pavlik has had his problems with injuries and inactivity so I think Matthew’s current World ratings are well deserved and a true indicator of his achievements this year.”
The undercard for the Sierra Fight night features a pair of Irish title fights with Dublin star Paul Hyland defending his Irish Super Bantamweight title against Eugene Heagney and Dublin fan favourite Anthony Fitzgerald battling it out for the vacant Irish Super Middleweight title against Lee Murtagh. Former top amateur Michael Kelly also features alongside Gavin “The Scarlet Pimpernel” Prunty, an exciting recent addition to the Irish pro ranks.
Tickets for the Sierra Fight Night priced from €40 are available from Ticketmaster (phone 0818 719 300 or visit ticketmaster.ie) and all usual outlets.
