As has been rumored for several months, Sergio Martinez will square off against Matthew Macklin in New York City this March. The fight will take place in Madison Square Garden and will be held on March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day. The fight will also be televised by HBO, and Andy Lee will be the co-featured fighter, although his opponent is not yet official at this time.
Martinez vs. Macklin is a solid middleweight title fight, with Macklin coming off his impressive showing against Felix Sturm, in which he was robbed of a decision and a portion of the middleweight strap. In fact, ProBoxing-Fans.com has the two combatants ranked #1 and #2 respectively, in the bottom-heavy middleweight division devoid of proven commodities at the top beyond Martinez.
The WBC finally has shown some semblance of interest in mandating a fight between Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, giving the real champion a chance at his former belt… after it was stolen from him and handed to the Son of a Legend, JCC Jr.
We’ll see whether or not that comes off in 2012, and whether Chavez Jr. can even survive his test against the rugged Marco Antonio Rubio. Regardless, Martinez vs. Macklin is a solid clash, and it should make for a fun event at MSG over St. Patty’s Day.
