Javier Maciel believes his World title experience will be the key when he takes on Brian Rose in a final eliminator for the WBO Light Middleweight title at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield on Saturday.
Maciel has already boxed for a World title having challenged unbeaten Russian Dmitry Pirog for the Middleweight crown in 2011, and the Argentine says the stakes couldn’t be higher as the pair meet in the Steel City this weekend.
“This is one of the most important fights of my career because it would mean another chance to fight for a world title, and this time I’ll be better prepared and more experienced,” said Maciel.
“I’ve mainly been sparring with Mike Jones and Carlos De Leon Jr in Las Vegas. I’ve seen various videos of Rose. He has a good boxing style, he’s compact. It’s going to be a difficult fight but I’m going to bring it to him to be able to get the win.
“I don’t mind where the fight is held because I just have to focus myself on winning by any way possible. I’m feeling pretty calm and ready to bring home a victory for Argentina.
“We’re ready for each fight to go 12 rounds. I’ll be calm in there and do things in the best possible way.”
Maciel travelled to Ekaterinburg to face Pirog for the title and lost on points to the hometown hero. The 29 year old admits that he was not in the right place to defeat the Russian that night, but with four stoppage wins inside five rounds in his last four fights he is ready to take the next step.
“Firstly I had an injury in my left hand which didn’t allow me to be at 100 per cent,” said Maciel. “I just wasn’t prepared mentally to be a World champion. My amateur career was pretty short and I hadn’t had that many professional fights at the time. I lacked experience and I lacked preparation.
“I take it all as a good experience though, and right now I’m a completely different fighter.
“Light Middleweight is better for me. My rivals were weighing almost 80kg on fight night and I don’t get up to that weight myself, so I think now I’m at my ideal weight class.”
Rose and Maciel clash on a massive night of boxing in Sheffield, where hometown favourite Kell Brook faces Vyacheslav Senchenko in a huge Welterweight showdown.
