slapbangwhallop
09-25-2009, 08:25 AM
Matthew Macklin – Amin Asikainen. – by Leonard Gunning
Manchester based Gallagher’s Gym member Matthew Macklin leapfrogs domestic challengers to face Ring magazine top ten rated middleweight Amin Asikainen to top the bill at the Ricky Hatton promoted bout for the vacant European middleweight title at the Manchester Velodrome on Saturday 25th of September.
Macklin, a former ABA amateur champion at welterweight, steps up to European level leaving a frustrated Darren Barker in his trail and is confident going into his fight with the Finnish former Euro champ. The Birmingham Irish fan favourite brushed aside misguided critics who claimed he was avoiding a challenge for the British title against Barker’s stating “People who say that (I am avoiding Barker) are living in a bubble, they are the type that can’t see outside of London never mind seeing outside of Britain, they are in a little bubble and they probably don’t even know what The Ring magazine is, if they did, they’d know that Asikainen is ranked number six and a much tougher fighter”.
“Realistically, what has Darren Barker done, he’s been dropped by journeymen and he admittedly says that the only live opponent he faced is Darren McDermott, an area level fighter, who are they kidding!? In reality, it’s all good chat, it talks up a fight and hype is hype but I don’t think anyone apart from their own cleek of mates pass any heed about me ducking Darren Barker because I know who I’d rather fight. If the same title was on the line and the same rankings were available I’d fight Barker seven days a week over Asikainen.”
But thoughts of Barker’s questionable rivalry won’t cross Macklin mind on Saturday as he proceeds to fry a much larger fish. The days of the undisciplined bon viveur seem to be now but a distant memory as Macklin confessed “19 or 20 you look ten years ahead and think that it’s an eternity, all of a sudden you find yourself 26 or 27 and you think ‘Jesus where did those years go?’ In another seven years I’ll be 34 and my career will be over so now, although I’ve always trained really hard and very dedicated, sometimes in between fights I’d let my weight go high and maybe drank too much but now I’m dedicated all year round even in between fights.”
This dedication has paid dividends and since his enthralling defeat to Jamie Moore for the British light middleweight title in 2006 the Solihull native has chosen to step up to the middleweight division and has strung together seven consecutive victories including a knock out victory over Darren Rhodes, a points win over experienced campaigner Yori Boy Campas and in his last outing he earned an explosive knockout win over Wayne Elcock to dethrone the Brummie rival of his British middleweight title.
But Macklin doesn’t see the fight going the same way as the Elcock fight outlining “I don’t think I rushed in with Elcock, I just landed with a good shot. The shot just came, but against Amin I just want to take my time, if he steams in then than that’s’ a different story, but it’s a twelve round fight, it’s a long time so the first three rounds I just want to find my range and use my jab and get going really.”
[Only registered and activated users can see links] scene.com/?m=show&id=22427 ([Only registered and activated users can see links] scene.com/?m=show&id=22427)
just remove the space between boxing and scene when you click on the link.
Manchester based Gallagher’s Gym member Matthew Macklin leapfrogs domestic challengers to face Ring magazine top ten rated middleweight Amin Asikainen to top the bill at the Ricky Hatton promoted bout for the vacant European middleweight title at the Manchester Velodrome on Saturday 25th of September.
Macklin, a former ABA amateur champion at welterweight, steps up to European level leaving a frustrated Darren Barker in his trail and is confident going into his fight with the Finnish former Euro champ. The Birmingham Irish fan favourite brushed aside misguided critics who claimed he was avoiding a challenge for the British title against Barker’s stating “People who say that (I am avoiding Barker) are living in a bubble, they are the type that can’t see outside of London never mind seeing outside of Britain, they are in a little bubble and they probably don’t even know what The Ring magazine is, if they did, they’d know that Asikainen is ranked number six and a much tougher fighter”.
“Realistically, what has Darren Barker done, he’s been dropped by journeymen and he admittedly says that the only live opponent he faced is Darren McDermott, an area level fighter, who are they kidding!? In reality, it’s all good chat, it talks up a fight and hype is hype but I don’t think anyone apart from their own cleek of mates pass any heed about me ducking Darren Barker because I know who I’d rather fight. If the same title was on the line and the same rankings were available I’d fight Barker seven days a week over Asikainen.”
But thoughts of Barker’s questionable rivalry won’t cross Macklin mind on Saturday as he proceeds to fry a much larger fish. The days of the undisciplined bon viveur seem to be now but a distant memory as Macklin confessed “19 or 20 you look ten years ahead and think that it’s an eternity, all of a sudden you find yourself 26 or 27 and you think ‘Jesus where did those years go?’ In another seven years I’ll be 34 and my career will be over so now, although I’ve always trained really hard and very dedicated, sometimes in between fights I’d let my weight go high and maybe drank too much but now I’m dedicated all year round even in between fights.”
This dedication has paid dividends and since his enthralling defeat to Jamie Moore for the British light middleweight title in 2006 the Solihull native has chosen to step up to the middleweight division and has strung together seven consecutive victories including a knock out victory over Darren Rhodes, a points win over experienced campaigner Yori Boy Campas and in his last outing he earned an explosive knockout win over Wayne Elcock to dethrone the Brummie rival of his British middleweight title.
But Macklin doesn’t see the fight going the same way as the Elcock fight outlining “I don’t think I rushed in with Elcock, I just landed with a good shot. The shot just came, but against Amin I just want to take my time, if he steams in then than that’s’ a different story, but it’s a twelve round fight, it’s a long time so the first three rounds I just want to find my range and use my jab and get going really.”
[Only registered and activated users can see links] scene.com/?m=show&id=22427 ([Only registered and activated users can see links] scene.com/?m=show&id=22427)
just remove the space between boxing and scene when you click on the link.