Martinez, Macklin Go Face To Face In New York

Yesterday saw the final press conference ahead of Saturday’s St. Patricks Day World middleweight title clash between Matthew Macklin and Sergio Martinez at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Matthew Macklin:
“It’s been a long road to get here, I’ve won everything along the way, the Irish middleweight title, the British middleweight title, the European Championship twice and should have added the WBA World Championship to that only to get stiffed out in Germany to Felix Sturm on a horrible decision. However I’m here now and sometimes things happen for a reason. Sergio’s the lineal middleweight champion and the real world champion, he’s universally regarded as the number one in the division and if you want to be the best you have to beat the best.

“I’m very honored to be fighting at Madison Square Garden, such an iconic venue and I’ll be even prouder to win my first world title here. Bringing in World class sparring and setting up training camp in downtown Manhattan for 10 weeks doesn’t come cheap so I’m very appreciate and grateful to my sponsors Goodfellas Pizza, Green Isle, Martin Donnelly and Sierra Communications for their kind and generous support.

Since I started boxing on St. Patrick’s Day in 1994 at the Grand Hotel in Birmingham I always believed that I could go all the way in this sport. On Saturday it will be 18 years to that day when I step into the ring against Sergio Martinez who is not only the best middleweight in the world but one of the best pound for pound fighters in the sport. With regard to Sergio there really is nothing bad to say and it’s not my style to trash talk anyway but every dog has his day and he is 37 years old now and on Saturday night he’s going to feel every single day of those 37 years and there will be a new middleweight champion.

Buddy McGirt – Former two weight World Champion and Macklin’s trainer:
“I’m excited about Saturday because it’s a pleasure working with Matthew and we’re taking on a great champion in Sergio Martinez. It’s good to be home, Madison Square Garden is my home and I fought here over 25 times and there’s no fighter dead or alive who can say that. We’re going to have a great fight on Saturday night and Matthew Macklin will be leaving the building as the new middleweight champion of the world.

Sergio Martinez:
“I dedicate this fight to my family and victims of domestic violence. It’s a great, great honor to fight at Madison Square Garden and a life time dream. It makes me quite emotional.“

Pablo Sarmiento – Trainer of Sergio Martinez
“We’ve worked very hard for this fight and Sergio improves with every fight even more. I have no doubt that he will finish this fight inside the distance.”

Tickets are priced at $505, $355, $205, $125 and $65, and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased through the Madison Square Garden Box Office or through Ticketmaster, at Ticketmaster.com, or by calling (866) 858-0008. Call DiBella Entertainment at (212) 947-2577, or visit www.dbe1.com and @loudibella on Twitter for more information.

The card, which will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing® in the U.S. and on Sky Sports 1 in Ireland and the UK, is entitled, “The Real Middleweight Championship – Get Your Irish Up”, and features Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez (48-2-2, 27KO’s) defending his middleweight crown against Ireland’s Matthew “Mack the Knife” Macklin (28-3, 19KO’s). The card is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and will be televised live on HBO beginning 10PM ET/7PM PT and starting from midnight on Sky Sports 1.