Hennessy Boxing: Macklin Shrugs Off Team Elcock Slagging

Matthew Macklin insists that he won’t be drawn into a war of words with ex-trainer Paddy Lynch ahead of his British title challenge next month.

Macklin will go head to head with reigning middleweight champ Wayne Elcock in an all Birmingham clash, which is being billed as “The Battle of Brum”. The mouth watering bout headlines a Hennessy Sports show at the Aston Arena in the city on March 14 and will be live on ITV4.

Lynch trained Macklin for the early part of his pro career but he will be in Elcock’s corner next month. Earlier this week, Lynch blasted the challenger with a series of stinging comments but Macklin is adamant that he won’t take the bait.

“I’m not going to lose any sleep over what Paddy’s had to say,” claimed Macklin. “I think all he’s done is put pressure on his own fighter.

“According to him Wayne doesn’t have anything to worry about. Apparently, I’ve been rubbish for my last few fights, haven’t improved since I turned pro and my best performance was when I got knocked out so the fight should be a walk in the park for Wayne if that’s the case!”

Macklin also rejected claims that he was “gobbing off” in the media about the fight. “I’m not sure where that came from because I’ve only ever done one interview about the fight since it was announced. All I said was that I was confident and feel I can beat Wayne inside the distance and I haven’t changed my mind on that.”

Macklin admits that he felt “flat” in his last fight, a points win over Geard Ajetovic in October but says that he will have no problems motivating himself for Elcock. “My last performance certainly wasn’t anywhere near what I’m capable of. I felt flat on the night but Geard is a dangerous guy. There aren’t too many other British fighters queuing up to fight him and I still beat him quite comfortably.

“I found it hard to get up for that fight and I was going through the motions a bit but I’ll have no problems getting up for Elcock. This is a massive chance for me and I’m not going to let it pass me by.

“I’ve got on well with Wayne in the past and I’m sure we’ll get on well together again after the fight but business is business and I want that British title.

“I feel I’ve been made to wait because I had to become the mandatory challenger before they’d take the fight. Had the shoe been on the other foot I’d have given Wayne first crack at the title because it’s such a massive fight for Birmingham but they’ve kept me waiting.”

An exciting undercard features the chief support 10 round battle between English Welterweight Champion Adnan Amar and Southern Area Welterweight Champion Tom Glover, also featuring new Heavyweight Sensation Tyson Fury alongside Eddie O’Rourke, Sid Razak, Callum Archer, Chris Male, Quinton Hillocks and Joel Walton.

Tickets for Elcock vs. Macklin: The Battle of Brum at the Aston Arena, Birmingham on March 14 available from the Ticketline box office on 0871 424 4444 or via www.ticketline.co.uk.