Exclusive Boxing Interview: Enzo Maccarinelli
 © Matthew Voyle SaddoBoxing.com |
WBO Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Maccarinelli, 25-1 (19), makes the first defense of his belt on Saturday, facing Canadian Bobby Gunn, 16-2 (13), on the undercard of the Joe Calzaghe – Peter Manfredo headliner at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales on ITV and HBO.
After a hard morning’s training session, Enzo invited SaddoBoxing down to a cafe in his local town |
of Swansea, Wales for an exclusive interview and thoughts on his upcoming fight, his second HBO appearance and a lot more…
SaddoBoxing: With just a week to go, how is the training going?
Enzo Maccarinelli: “Excellent! It couldn’t be better. Since moving to Enzo’s [Calzaghe] camp there has been a difference in the atmosphere and intensity in the gym. I always thought I was a fit lad, but working with Enzo, I now know what fitness is!”
SB: You are about to make your first title defence; can you tell us your thoughts and impressions about this upcoming fight with Bobby Gunn?
EM: “To be honest, I have seen nothing of him really, all I know about him is what I have read, and he doesn’t sound much. The only fighter whom I have fought, who I have watched [previously] was [Marcelo Fabian] Dominguez, who had never been stopped.”
SB: Until he met you…
EM: [Laughs] “I hit him flush on the chin in the third round and he just winked at me, I thought, shit, I am in for a long night here!”
SB: You fought an American, Rich Lamontagne, two years ago, and now you’re fighting another North American; can you tell us how this is different from facing British or European opposition?
EM: “Not much really, Rich had a reputation in the states for having a granite chin because he had been in with some big hitters and come through it.”
SB: After a fight with David Haye fell through, your promoter Frank Warren mentioned a possible unification with the highly experienced IBF champion Krzysztof Wlodarczyk; are you able to tell us why this fell through?
EM: “Frank was looking at this fight even before Haye; he had sent them offers but they never got back to him. I think the IBF now have him making a mandatory defence next. To be honest though I’ll fight who ever will get in the ring with me, I have nothing to fear and want to clean up the division and show I am the best.”
SB: This will be the second time you are the main undercard attraction on a Joe Calzaghe bill scheduled for American TV. How important is this to your career?
EM: “It’s very important for me. I want to one day fight in America, Madison Square Garden would be great because of the Italian following there. After my first round stoppage of Hobson, it impressed a lot of the big wigs at HBO so of course I want to put on another performance to show the Americans how good I am.”
SB: Your last few fights have been on Joe’s undercard, allowing you to prepare for your fights at the same time; how much of a help is this to you, having someone to work out with and keep each other motivated?
EM: “Unbelievable! If you see him train, you know why he is so fit. When he trains, he goes non stop, we run together and at the start I can keep up with him, but when he goes I am miles behind, so it pushes me to keep working and get better.”
SB: Your first fight with Mark Hobson was a 12 round war, yet 7 months later, he didn’t make it out of the first round; what is your take on that?
EM: “Take nothing away from Mark, but in the first fight I underestimated him. After [previous WBO champion Johnny] Nelson pulled out I was gutted, I didn’t train as hard as I should, skived off a bit and didn’t take him seriously enough.
“In the second fight I knew exactly who I was facing, he had no idea how I was going to turn up. That time around, I was more prepared and focused, I didn’t expect it to end in the first round, though. Mark is a really tough boy though I have a lot of respect for him and take my hat off to him. I told him after the fight I hope he hangs in there because he could give anyone at this weight problems.”
SB: What was your take on the second Mormeck – Bell fight?
EM: “It was close to their first fight. Mormeck was knackered after 5 rounds. I was a bit shocked about Bell though. In the 12th round, there was no intensity about him when he knew he needed a knock out.
“Also their fitness, it was a world title fight! It may have been hot in there, but I expected more from them. I was offered to go out for the fight, but I’m in training now and training has to come first.”
SB: Of course, the WBO isn’t the only title you held. Can you tell us about the Kilvey Hill cement run?
EM: “It was started by the amateur boxer Nigel Page. It is to raise money for the special baby care unit of Singleton Hospital. Nigel’s daughter suffered complications at birth.
“It involves running up the steep Kilvey Hill in Boneymaen with a 50 kilo cement bag on your back. I used to hold the record (11minutes 36 seconds) and my mate won it last year, so I am right up for it this time!”
SB: As the reigning WBO Champion, do you feel that you are past the stage where you would like to fight David Haye, or is it a loose end that you’d like to tie off before moving ahead?
EM: “Yeah, I wanted to win the title from Johnny Nelson, but he retired so that wasn’t possible. People need to know who the top boy is. They sent me the contract and was asked to have it signed by January 4, I signed it on the second – I still have it in my house! I was passing Frank [Warren’s] office and seen Adam Booth (Haye’s trainer and manager) in there so figured the fight was sorted.
“I don’t know why it fell through in the end though. Frank sorts out my fights, it’s actually in my contract that I cannot willingly turn down a fight offered to me. If it is meant to happen it will, maybe it will happen at heavyweight.
“David is a good fighter, but I want to be known as the best. I got no problems with fighting him in London.”
SB: You have always been considered a big cruiserweight; does the future for you lay in the heavyweight division at some point?
EM: “One day, yeah. But while I am making the limit for cruiserweight, I am just focused on that, there is still a lot to do here first. I can punch like a heavyweight, but I’m just taking it one fight at a time, one year at a time right now.
“Right now, I make this weight with ease. I normally weight in around 2 Lb under, so I am at my right division right now. A few years ago, I could have made light heavy if I starved myself. When the time comes where I have to be weight drained to make this limit, I will move up.”
SB: Is winning the Welsh sports personality of the year something you want one day?
EM: “Yeah, it would mean a lot to be recognised by the public. I was in the running for it last year, but you can only have one person from a sport, and after what Joe done to Lacy, you can see why it was him not me [laughs] I thought he was very unlucky not to get the British one as well!”
SB: Is there anything you would like to add or tell your fans out there?
EM: “Keep an eye out for my nephew, Tobias Webb, definitely a prospect for the future. He is a light heavyweight really, but after beating the Swedish amateur heavyweight champion, they have ranked him number 9 the ABA’s heavyweight list, he’s only 18.”
SB: Thanks for your time Enzo, good luck with your upcoming fight.
EM: “Thanks, hope you got everything you wanted.”