Exclusive Boxing Interview: Enzo Maccarinelli

Click for larger image © Rhun Leeding / Saddo Boxing

WBO Boxing Champion Returns July 7 But Dreams Of Headlining Hometown Stadium

Welsh puncher Enzo Maccarinelli, 26-1 (20), has revealed to SaddoBoxing that his dream would be to fight in front of a full house at the Liberty Stadium in his hometown of Swansea.

He was speaking at the opening of a new gym at Cardigan ABC in West Wales, and at the same time David Haye was battling Tomasz Bonin in Wembley Arena, Maccarinelli was the guest of honour at the Cardigan club dinner show.

When asked when he would next be in the ring, Enzo confirmed that it would be on July 7, and not on the bill the following week when Nicky Cook fights Steven Luevano.

He also pledged that his future was at cruiserweight, following comments from trainer Enzo Calzaghe that he could move to heavyweight, saying: “I just think Enzo [Calzaghe] got a bit excited, but for me I’m not having any trouble at all in making the weight and there is so much for me left to do in this division so I will be staying at cruiser for the time being.

“Fighting in the Millennium Stadium is one of the best atmospheres in boxing, but for me I’d love to fight at the Liberty Stadium, because thousands of Swansea boys there would make even more noise than in Cardiff.

“There are a few fights out there for me, but [Jean Marc] Mormeck is tied up with the mandatory issue, O’Neil Bell is there and Krzysztof Wlodarczyk is fighting Steve Cunningham again, so Frank [Warren] is looking for the best fight for me in July.”

As one of the top two cruiserweights in Britain, the subject of David Haye and their proposed fight earlier in the year was an inevitable point of discussion, and Maccarinelli said: “As far as I’m concerned, we were going to meet at the Millennium Stadium earlier in the month because they set a deadline for signing the fight of January 5 and I had signed my side of the
deal on January 2.

“I’m not going to have a go at him because I don’t know why it fell through and why they didn’t sign, but I would have been happy to fight him.

“In this fight tonight against Bonin, there is talk that if Haye is really impressive then he won’t return to cruiserweight, and if he struggles then he could return to cruiserweight.

“If he does stay at heavyweight, then that would be great for me because it would release Mormeck from that mandatory fight.”

With his WBO Cruiserweight belt in tow, Maccarinelli was mobbed by members of the gym and youngsters from the town, and spent an hour discussing boxing, signing autographs and posing for pictures with club members.

He admitted that his recent fight with Bobby Gunn had received criticism, and said: “People have been having a go at that fight and saying that it was a mismatch, but I think it is more a case of me being good than him being bad.

“I’ve been told that he had been sparring with Jean-Marc Mormeck beforehand and holding his own with him, so if that’s true Mormeck must be quaking in his boots at the thought of me.”

Enzo was given a tour of the new Cardigan gym, which replaced an old building which had housed the club for 26 years beforehand, and was filled with new equipment to give boxers a much improved training area.

Club Secretary Gareth Davies was delighted to have Maccarinelli open the club, and said: “It was great to have everyone down here, and to have a Welsh World Champion here who has come through the amateur ranks and who appreciates the roles clubs like ours have to play is really fantastic.”