Lee/Duddy rejected potential opportunity to face Macklin

Tell me about it. I'm going to run away before the **** hits the fan though.

 

Well done for figuring all that by yourself.

 

oh well......

 

cheers mate

 

Slap you said that Darren Barker was ducking Andy Lee because his team didn't even offer him the fight...............so what does it make Lee and Duddy when they turn down an actual fight offer from Macklin.

 

geting tierd of waiting for a big fight to happen for andy its depressing would love a big fight to be anounsed regardless if it was someone from over this side of the pond Barker or Maklin or some one in America anybody just a big name please :verysad

 

Brian Peters explaining a clear duck.

I have the greatest of respect for both Andy and John and have always worked very well with them in the past but I believe it's important that a recent offer made to them is put on the record.

I first tried to make the fight for November of 2009 but I also tried again more recently and on the 17th of August last, I made detailed written offers to both John and Andy's management teams. I subsequently spoke to John's manager, Craig Hamilton and also met with Andy.

The offer was for Andy and John to meet on a proposed date at the beginning of 2011 in Ireland with the winner to meet Matthew Macklin in their next fight. Both fights would have been live on RTE and the offer to each fighter was for a six figure sum, with the winner to receive a further six figure sum to fight Matthew, so from a financial point of view it was certainly quite lucrative and above and beyond the type of purses that they could command for any other fight right now.

The indications I received from both sides were that they were interested in fighting each other but the prospect of the winner having to fight Macklin as part of the deal seemed to be the stumbling block.

I don't think there is much doubt at the moment that the leading Irish middleweight out there is Matthew Macklin. He is the reigning European Champion and he is the only one of the three to be rated in the top ten of all the world sanctioning bodies (WBC 5, WBA 5, IBF 8, WBO 7), as well as being rated number 5 by The Ring magazine.

John is obviously coming off the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. defeat, while Andy has been winning recently but not at Championship level like Matthew, so I don't think it's really up for debate right now as to just who is Ireland's leading middleweight, but surely if John and Andy were to fight then a fight with Matthew would be a natural.

Let's face it, these are the fights that people want to see and myself and RTE are in the business of delivering those fights. RTE have proven their commitment to the sport by backing these kind of events and their first 3 shows of the new season will have featured 4 European title fights which is a serious statement of intent from them.

 

Ranked top 5 (or 7 with one) by every major organistaion including the Ring!!!

 

What's wrong with fighting Macklin? Hardly like they're gonna fight anyone higher on the radar.

 

macklin would both these

 

but i think barkers wins a close decision in a great great fight respect to both (if they finally fight) lol

 

war barker

 

Unless you are totally either a little naive or simple you will realise that it is a total different situation.

Barker declined accept the fight with Lee and instead faced the guy Lee had just totally outclassed - Barker is no European champion in eyes.

There is no straight deal being offered here! Neither fighter is being offered a direct fight with Macklin - whats on offer is that they fight each other in a Brian Peters promotion and the winner gets a crack at Macklin on another Brian Peters promotion.

Firstly, Duddy doesn't qualify for a EBU title so it doesn't hold the same draw for him, secondly, Lee was already promised a European title fight by Peters if he came home and had those two fight in Limerick, so hes kept his side of the bargain and the goalposts have shifted, and thirdly and more importantly it looks like Lee and Duddy are able to sort the fight between themselves so why do they need Peters? It's Duddy that is the money draw and has the profile in the States - not Macklin!

I would give my left nut to see any combination of the three fight and I know that all three would fight any of the others but that press release had a strong taste of sour grapes off it.

 

so what? those rankings are based on talent and capability not profile and draw.

Macklin has a lower profile in the States than Lee and Lee is still a mile behind Duddy. They are simply facts. Its not Macklins fault, he hasnt had the fights on US TV that they have - but that doesnt change things.