I thought the Irishman won against Sturm. Macklin takes the rematch for me as long as it isnt in Germany. I have also seen nothing from Martinez that makes me think the the Tipperary Tornado couldnt handle him. Maybe im being slightly biased about a fellow Celt but I do rate his chances in a rematch and then a matchup with Martinez
A man, not the man. I think Macklin is certainly a top talent and have thought so for a long ttime but I just dont see him being given the oppertunities to collect some belts as the current crop of middleweight bosses dont seem to anxious to unify
He will hopefully win a title in the next 12 months and I would expect him to defend that title against the best in the division. I don't think he's good enough to be a dominant force in the division but I believe he will provide us with several top class fights against top class opposition and I expect him to come out on top more often than not. Idiots will claim from time to time that he's useless or he's a spent force simply because he'll seek to take on the best and will suffer the occassional defeat.
Well if HBO approve him as an opponent for Martinez (which i doubt given he's just fought a European Champion with no world class credentials) Di Bella will make the fight in a jiffy , Bob Arum style , as Macklin is now part of Di Bella's stable
A lot of the US public might perceive Macklin as just another Euro champ but do you think that they could sell Macklin to the US public better than they did Barker given his style and performance against Sturm in Cologne?
No Is the honest answer , HBO just gave Martinez a free pass i think Macklin will be percieved in the same light as Barker until the bell goes , where people will realise that a) he can hang with Martinez and b) he's awkward , active and strong , it wouldnt be an easy nights work for Sergio , but he runs out a winner IMO If Macklin is prepared to settle for an undercard slot maybe Di Bella can produce him and Martinez on the same HBO card , finding him a suitable opponent for such slot may be difficuilt though
Macklin is a good fighter. He won that sturm fight. Surely he can win a world title and then could the Americans not sell him to the Irish in new York and get a good thing going in Madison square garden? Macklin is a force in the division and he's exciting enough
Well given that he has turned down the Sturm rematch that makes things harder. Think he might need a belt to lure Martinez in. I'm sure that would be a great fight but Macklin's brawling style when he gets excited could be his demise in that one.
Your probably right and this interview (only filmed 2 days ago) appears to suggest that they're going to build his profile first before going for a title fight; [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pp7fgwa7u4[/ame]
