March 17 sees the middleweight division moving one step closer to cleaning up the mess engendered by the WBC, when Sergio Martinez clashes with rising Hiberno-Briton Mattew Macklin. No matter what Jose Sulaiman thinks, “Maravilla” remains the true middleweight champion in the minds of almost all boxing fans, and the WBC honcho’s move to make crony Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. the champ have merely made the WBC an even greater laughing stock. The WBC is backtracking on there mistake now, as the winner of Martinez vs. Macklin will challenge the winner of JCC, Jr. vs. Marco Antonio Rubio.
I say none of that matters: Martinez’s status as the people’s champ means more than the WBC’s green strap any day. What’s great about this fight is that “Mack the Knife,” a tough half-Irish, half-English fighter of the redoubtable British style of combat, is taking on the all-action Martinez on St. Patrick’s Day in New York City, in a fight to be televised on HBO. That is a good fight night in any book.
Matthew Macklin (28-3, 19 KOs)
5’10” tall, 72″ reach, 28 years old
Born in Birmingham, UK, but also of Irish nationality
Macklin is a prime example of a fighter profiting in defeat. His last fight saw a controversial loss to WBA titleholder Felix Sturm, and everyone who isn’t German thinks Macklin won that fight. It was a great display of Macklin’s aggressive pressure tactics, underwritten as they are by a solid chin and good power. His last loss before that was in 2006, when Macklin, the Irish Middleweight Champion, dropped down in weight to challenge the British Light Middleweight champ. A somewhat drained Macklin still fought his heart out in a real barnburner of a bout, speaking volumes about Macklin’s will to win. Loss #3 was more than eight years ago.
Sergio Gabriel Martinez (48-2-2, 27 KOs)
5’10” tall, 75″ reach, southpaw, 36 years old
Argentine
Martinez keeps chugging from triumph to triumph. After thumping an unfocused version of Kelly Pavlik to win the middleweight crown, he has kayoed Paul “The Punisher” Williams in a rematch; stopped the skilled, undefeated Sergiy Dzinziruk; and knocked out the tough, undefeated Darren Barker. He is a quick boxer-puncher who employs a high work-rate, and shows no sign of slowing down in his middle 30s.
Martinez vs. Macklin Preview & Analysis
In a comparative analysis, Macklin looks like toast. Martinez is vastly more experienced, riding a high wave of success, is a better boxer, and enjoys the physical advantages of reach, greater speed and the southpaw stance. The two men probably hit with about the same amount of force and both love working hard and throwing punches in bunches. It is the latter category that Macklin has the sole clear advantage: I have a hard time believing that Martinez can outwork a well-conditioned swarmer eight years his junior on work rate alone.
Martinez vs. Macklin Prediction
Both fighters like forcing the action, so expect the fireworks to start early. This is underscored by what is Macklin’s only real way to gain any traction: plow forward, work like a buzzsaw, and try to neutralize Martinez’s advantages in speed and reach by staying close and out-sweating him. The problem with this strategy is that Martinez is too mobile for it to work with any consistency, and I expect if Martinez stands and trades with Macklin, it will be because he wants to.
Overall, I expect Martinez to use his footwork, reach, speed and southpaw stance to attack with short, sharp combos thrown from the angles, and to defend by countering or moving away. Ultimately, Martinez’s tactics will grind Macklin to collapse.
Prediction: Sergio Martinez TKO9 Matthew Macklin
