Macklin, Martinez Tangle Tonight For World Middleweight Title

© Richard Slone / sloneart.com

Tonight at Madison Square Garden, Sergio Martinez, 48-2-2, 27 KO’s, defends his WBC Diamond title against challenger Matthew Macklin, 28-3-0, 19 KO’s.

This is Macklin’s second world title shot in a row, after a gutsy performance last June against Felix Sturm. He dropped a split decision to Sturm and it was a close fight but I believe the judges got the right winner.

To go to Germany and take the title away from their champion…you have to wrench it away from him by beating it off him decisively or knocking him out. Macklin did neither but his performance perhaps earned him this shot against Martinez .

Macklin will need to put in a performance of a lifetime on Saturday night. He has never faced anyone on Martinez ’s level.

Sturm was probably Macklin’s hardest test to date, and as mentioned he put in a good performance, but Sturm and Martinez are different fighters entirely.

Sturm is a typical eastern bloc fighter, hands high, cover up, plod forward, attack only when necessary. Martinez is a fast, agile, southpaw whose skills are very much underrated.

Add to that Martinez has a great deal more experience at the top level. Look at the names he has been in with; Antonio Margarito, Kermit Cintron, Paul Williams twice, Kelly Pavlik, Serhiy Dzinziruk.

The Margarito fight was a loss, but way back in 2000, and good experience at trying to cope with a pressure fighter.

Martinez beat Cintron, by stoppage, in everybody’s eyes…except Cintron…and a confused referee, and somehow ended up with a draw.

He had a barnstorm of a fight against Williams the first time, lost it by some ridiculous scoring but left no doubt the second time around when he left Williams out cold in the second round.

He walked over Pavlik, literally played with him, leaving Pavlik a bloody mess.

The unbeaten Dzinziruk, was defeated after Martinez dropped him in rounds four and five, before closing the show in the eighth, dropping him three more times.

Martinez’s last opponent was Darren Barker, who was rumoured to be fighting Macklin earlier last year; it obviously never happened but Macklin probably would go into that fight as the underdog.

Martinez stopped Barker in the 11th round, and Barker performed very well.

Macklin has switched trainers from Joe Gallagher to Buddy McGirt, although in this short amount of time it is doubtful that McGirt will transform the fighter we all know in Macklin into a technical boxer.

Macklin likes a scrap and he has given us some great nights. His fight against Sturm was at the pace Macklin likes and in the style he liked.

Martinez, though, will not just cover up and patiently wait his turn to reply.

Martinez likes one dimensional fighters to come forward on him so he can counter punch them, or step off, work the angles, fire some shots in and get back out again.

Macklin does have his age going for him in this fight as Martinez is 37 now while Macklin is 29. But Martinez is incredibly tough and looks in great condition.

Macklin will try to make a fight of this but will probably get picked off whilst trying to do it. Whilst Martinez is not a concussive puncher, it’s the fact that opponents either don’t see the shots coming or he times them walking onto it. These are the shots that hurt or take you out.

Macklin will come to fight, he has guts and a huge heart but I doubt it will be enough to topple Martinez, in fact it will result in Macklin dancing to Martinez’s tune, before the inevitable happens and Martinez stops the music.