Matthew Macklin must have been wondering over the past month what he had to do to get an even break. First he learned future Hall-of-Famer Ronald ‘Winky’ Wright had pulled out of their scheduled fight in Las Vegas with a hand injury, then he discovered the glitz and glamor of Vegas had been replaced with a fight against unheralded Armenian Khoren Gevor in Manchester. Nobody would have known better than Macklin that Wright is years past his sell-by-date but offered a great route to exposure amongst American boxing fans and other big fights, whereas Gevor is tough and experienced but largely unknown outside of Germany.
So the announcement that his April 16th bout against Gevor is now a WBA title eliminator will come as some comfort against the cruel dictates of bad fortune. It is clear that Macklin has been craving the big stage for some time and he will be invigorated by the fact he now stands only one fight away from a world title shot.
Matthew ‘Mack the Knife’ Macklin (29 – 2, 19 KOs)
M
acklin, like fellow prospect Frankie Gavin, is a Birmingham born son of Irish immigrants. The typical immigrant tale of hardship, poverty and lack of opportunity is an experience Macklin seems not to share. He attended a fee-paying private school and began studying Law at university before deciding to fully devote his time to boxing.
He turned professional in 2001, after winning an ABA title as an amateur, and strung together a series of wins. In his 10th fight he came unstuck challenging for the vacant British Light Middleweight title against Andrew Facey, narrowly losing out on the referee’s card. Following the defeat, Macklin achieved another streak of wins before once again challenging for the Lonsdale belt – this time against tough Mancunian Jamie Moore. The fight was an absolute barnstormer as the momentum ebbed back and forth in echoes of Mickey Ward vs Arturo Gatti. Ultimately, Moore’s experience and pacing proved decisive… an exhausted Macklin was knocked out in the 10th round.
Macklin attributed his loss to weight drain, so moved up to middleweight. Once again he had to regroup in the face of defeat and began another assault on the British title. Two years and six fights later, he managed to win it against Birmingham rival Wayne Elcock. Macklin was a league above his opponent and unleashed some big power shots to stop him in the 3rd round.
Momentum from this win was built upon with an immediate crack at the vacant European title against the experienced Amin Asikainen. Macklin made short work of his Finnish opponent, turning the fight with a crisp stand-out left hook in the 1st round that floored Asikainen and paved the way for a stoppage moments later.
After injuring his hand in Freddie Roach’s Wild Card gym while training for his first European defense, Macklin vacated the belt. Clearly he was hoping for a world title shot but it never materialied, so the stage was set to face long-time rival and current EBU champion Darren Barker. Unfortunately, the domestic grudge match was canceled when Barker injured his hand and, like Macklin before him, vacated the European belt.
This put Macklin in the unusual position of challenging for the European title only a year after having claimed it previously – a clear indication that he was beginning to tread water. Still, he won it after opponent Shalva Jomardashvili retired on his stool at the end of the 5th round. Since then, Macklin defended the title in a less than stellar points victory against Ruben Varon.
Macklin will be ecstatic to be in a position to nail down a crack at a world title. His career seemed to be misfiring after numerous changes behind the scenes. He has worked with many trainers including Billy Graham, Freddie Roach and now Joe Gallagher, while also having had a carousel of promoters like Frank Warren, Hatton Promotions and, current outfit, Golden Boy.
It seems to have worked out in the end though. Should Macklin defeat Gregor, he will be up against WBA champ Felix Sturm next.
Khoren Gevor (31 – 5, 16 KOs)
With the exception of one brief foray into Australia, Gevor has only fought in his adopted homeland of Germany and has next-to-zero recognition outside of the Fatherland. Despite this, he should not be taken lightly. He is a former European champion and has challenged for a world title on three occasions – against Arthur Abraham, Felix Sturm and Dimitri Sartison – but lost all three fights.
Gevor’s defeat to Abraham was archetypal of the vast majority of fighters who step up to face him. Gevor started brightly, beating him to the punch and generally looking busier. But by the mid-rounds, Abraham shrugged off his typical slow start and changed the momentum with some well placed power shots before knocking him out late.
Gevor acquitted himself much better against Sturm. He massively outworked the German, controlled the tempo, and was particularly effective on the inside. Despite this, he lost out on an extremely controversial unanimous decision, which bore all the hallmarks of German home cooking. Funnily enough, if Gevor should beat Macklin, he will get a chance to face Sturm again and avenge the loss.
In his third attempt at claiming a world title, Gevor moved up to Super Middleweight to face WBA champion Dimitri Sartison. The deck was stacked against him before he even stepped into the ring, as Gevor is a natural middleweight and quite small at that, so he was always likely to struggle against a Super Middleweight. Still, he gave a good account of himself through his industriousness but deservedly lost out by unanimous decision.
Interestingly, Gevor and Macklin have faced several of the same opponents. Macklin managed to knockout out Asikainen and Alexey Chirkov in the first round, while Gevor beat both by decision. Both men were both taken the distance by Rafael Sosa Pintos but each managed to win convincingly on points. It is always interesting to compare performances against shared opponents… but it can also be misleading, there are too many variables in boxing and as the old cliché goes, styles make fights.
Macklin vs. Goren Preview
This fight could be a poisoned chalice for Macklin. His supporters and many British boxing fans will be expecting him to dispatch Goren with the minimum of fuss, mainly due to the fact that he is largely unknown. Too often British boxers are fed on a diet of limited opposition from the old Soviet Bloc seeking a payday in England and many fans will view Goren the same way. However, it is clear to me this Armenian has a pedigree and Macklin will have his work cut-out.
Stylistically, Macklin has changed from being a brawler in the Ricky Hatton mold to a more rounded fighter, so I expect him to box Goren at range and not be dragged into a battle on the inside. Physically, Macklin has an advantage in height, reach and power and this should help keep the Armenian off him.
Goren will look to outwork Macklin and rack up points on the inside. He is an impressive volume puncher and his industrious work-rate could pose problems for Macklin. Goren is not a big puncher, so he is unlikely to claim a knockout win.
Macklin vs. Goren Prediction
Macklin’s physical advantages could be significant but I expect Goren to push him all the way. In a competitive fight Macklin should win by decision.
