Macklin looking good heading into Elcock fight

Gallagher's Gym Part V - Exclusive Matthew Macklin interview

by Terry DooleyMar 11th 2009 Ahead of his Battle of Brum showdown again British middleweight champion Wayne Elcock, Matthew Macklin had some tough choices to make. Before the fight was announced the local boxing grapevine had been humming with the news that Matthew would not be working with Richie Woodhall ahead of the biggest fight of Macklin's career.
The news prompted a ‘Get Macklin and Joe Gallagher together' campaign in the local area. Macklin's former trainer Billy Graham even threw his hat, a duck feathered fedora, into the ring, phoning his former charge to recommend Gallagher to him. Macklin became a regular sight in Gallagher's Gym, and the boxing-obsessed Brummie found, in Gallagher, an equally obsessive trainer.
The decision was made, Gallagher was in, and the two men started to work towards the Elcock fight, a red-hot local derby between two dangerous hombres, a high-pressure first fight together.
BBN caught up with Macklin ahead of the fight to ask him about the switch in training regimes, the forthcoming Elcock fight and the claims made by Macklin's former trainer Paddy Lynch, who will be in Elcock's corner this Saturday night.
Firstly, the switch in his training set-up, was it a case of coming back to what you know for Macklin, he told BBN that: “I was here (in Manchester) for over four years with Billy and was settled in the gym, at first. Obviously I felt that the last few moths with Billy weren't as settled as the years before had been.
“Billy cut down working with me to work with the Hattons. When Ricky's career took off in American I lost out on fights due to my promotional situation, and through Billy not being able to work with me at certain times. After (Floyd) Mayweather-(Ricky) Hatton I decided that I needed to change the set-up. I never really got settled with anyone after moving on.
“I boxed well in flashes in the meantime. I won my fights under Richie (Woodhall) and Buddy (McGirt) but I was not doing the best work I could do. I needed to release that extra 40% of my potential. It was frustrating as I was beating a guys but I was not boxing at my full potential. I think I could break into the top ten at the world level if I am 100%, so I wanted to get that extra boost.”
Macklin and Gallagher had known one another for a long time; both men have extensive amateur backgrounds, Macklin as a fighter, Joe as a trainer, so the idea of putting them together was a natural.
Kerry Kayes had confided to BBN that he had missed having Macklin around the gym. In fact Kayes was a central figure in bringing Matthew back to Manchester, constantly reminding Macklin about Gallagher's qualities as a trainer. Matthew told me that his decision to move back to Manchester had formed over a number of weeks, but the proximity of Kerry Kayes' Betta Bodies to Gallagher's Gym had played a part in the eventual outcome, he told me that: “I had not been doing any weight training so came up here to work with Kerry. Obviously Joe had opened his gym here. I knew Joe from the amateurs and we had a good craic when I was here doing weights. I watched him train the lads. I had known after the Geard (Ajetovic) fight that Richie wasn't the trainer for me. I got the feeling that Joe and me would gel.”
That is not to say that Richie is not a fine trainer in his own right, he is, as is McGirt, the bottom line, for Macklin, was that he needed a trainer who understood, and could add, to his style, Gallagher fits that bill, as Macklin explained: “Both Richie and Buddy were great fighters, (they) are great trainers in their own right, but not for me as a fighter. I am not an out-and-out boxer. People had been saying (that) I was brawling like Ricky Hatton (under Graham) but I am not Richie or Buddy either. I think they both got it wrong style wise with me.
“I did not feel comfortable in the fights I fought under them. I was caught between styles. I am a box-fighter. I can mix things up and do both things. Talking to Joe and picking his brains made the decision for me. I thought hard about things. I spoke with my manager Brian Peters and had another good, long think. I took my time before making the decision.
“I am happy here. I have a good laugh in this gym. Kerry is a good friend to me. Lots of fighters stay with the one trainer their whole career but as a fighter you have to get the best out of your ability, and there may be one trainer out there who is perfect for a fighter's style and make up. It is not about who has trained world champions, or who was a great fighter in their day. It is about what feels comfortable for you. I don't want to speak too soon as we have a fight ahead of us, but I am confident that Joe has got the best out of me.”
Still, many will question the wisdom of moving gyms prior to a British title fight, Macklin sees it as a necessary step, one that had to be taken no matter what the stature of the next fight, and the decision was crystallised by the understanding that he would need to be sharp versus Elcock, as he explained: “It is a big fight so I felt a switch was the right thing. I did not fight anywhere near to my capabilities in the last few fights. I am not saying that is down to the training or anything, maybe a few factors contributed. The first fight under Richie took place after he had been in Beijing (for the Games), so I could not pass judgement on the (Francis) Cheka performance [a win over ten-rounds].
“Then I fought Geard Ajetovic under Richie [another points win over ten], and Geard would give anyone trouble, but I was not firing on all cylinders in that fight. I did not feel good before the fight. The preparation could have been better. If you prepare well you will fight well ninety-nine out of a hundred times. I still had the work ethic there, and trained hard, but there was something missing.
“With a title fight coming up I wanted someone like Joe, who shares my passion for boxing. This is a young stable of fighters, it is not a ‘Who's who' but it could be five years down the line. You have John (Murray), a British champion, two Olympians in Joe (Murray) and Jaffa (Tony Jeffries). You can get one-on-one time with Joe, and that is important before a big fight.
“I think you benefit from one-on-one time in boxing. No matter how much you push yourself you can get another ten-percent out of yourself by having someone there to say ‘You are dropping your hands after certain shots' or by letting you know if you need to do a certain thing in training. You need help to avoid getting into bad habits.”
Talking to Macklin prior to Christmas, the fighter had been keen to disassociate himself from the stigma that switching trainers brings. For the likes of Alex Arthur the constant changing of the guard has been problematic, then again Oscar De La Hoya and Nigel Benn benefited from switching things around. Macklin wanted to get everything just so, and the recent switches in camp were crucial to his career development:

 

“Exactly, I have not been jumping around for the sake of it.

“I have been a pro for seven years and spent over four years with Billy. I have only had this ten-month overall spell where I have switched about a bit. When I was younger I knew after one fight that Peter Harrison [who briefly trained Macklin earlier in his career] was not the trainer for me, or, later, that Buddy McGirt was not the trainer for me. You hope things might get better with time but you don't want to take that risk with your career.

“If you put Wayne Rooney at right-back he will do a job for you, he is a great player but won't shine in that position, that is how I felt in my last three fights. The ability is there but the style was not right. I won the fights because I am a good fighter, but I have not boxed to anywhere near my potential.

“I could not judge Richie on that first fight…so I had the Geard fight and realised that Richie wasn't for me. I had really wanted that set-up to work out. It would be nice to live and train at home in Brum.

“Joe, like Billy, lived and worked under Phil Martin, but Joe has got his own ideas. Billy understood me but having been away from Billy for a few years I would have done things a bit differently (with Billy). I think I am going to be happy here. Joe understands my style. I was getting hit more when trying to stay out of range. When I was moving in close and rolling and moving I was getting hit less. I tried to get more defensive, and got hit more! Joe will let me express myself.”

Another factor, as mentioned above, is the presence of Kerry Kayes; Macklin feels that Kayes' weight work works for him, and that it was something he had missed in recent fights, as he told BBN: “I wanted to do some weights to get that strength back. I am quite physical.

“If you are a sharpshooter speed is more important because you are constantly on the outside. I try to keep a good speed in my style but I like to fight on the inside. I like that physicality. I am quite an intense fighter and don't want to lose that side of it.

“You need a strong state of mind, and that is given to you by your body. I felt strong under Kerry. Against Geard I boxed a little scared, a little touch-and-move, and it did not suit me. If that had been Billy in the corner he would have left it a few rounds and said something like, ‘Hit this c*nt with something hard. Don't let him walk all over you, push him back.' The weights, and mentality of that style, would have done well for me in that fight. I was keeping it long and allowing Geard to push me back. I was not in a strong position in that fight.”

Macklin has often laughed off claims that he is an intelligent guy, and boxer, by claiming that, “My friends read stuff like that and wonder if people are talking about the same person," yet the Birmingham man does put a lot of thought into his boxing career, and is always critical of his wins, a sign of intelligence in a fighter. During the course of our recent conversations the Brummie kept focussing on his most recent wins, stressing that he did not box to the best of his ability, yet, also, impressing on BBN the fact that he has kept busy, in comparison to Elcock, who has boxed a single round in the past fourteen months, as Macklin explained: “I have under performed but still did the rounds against good fighters.

“Elcock has had one round in twelve months, and he didn't win that round (against Darren McDermott)! Wayne got knocked out against Abrahams (in five rounds) and he looked terrible against McDermott [Writer's note: A clash of heads opened a severe cut on the left cheek of McDermott. It went onto Boxrec as a 2nd round RSF win for Elcock].

“Wayne has a lot to prove in this fight, he needs to put the memories of McDermott and Abrahams behind him, so I think he will try to box sharply in the early rounds, and I have prepared for the Elcock backlash.

“I am very happy with the preparation I have had. I feel fit and good. The sparring is going well. I am enjoying the training, I look forward to getting into the gym in the morning, and the lads here share the same passion for boxing.

“I started sparring six weeks out and eased into it to start with. I felt a dramatic improvement from the first few sessions. You want that. You don't want to peak too early, you want to peak on the night.”

Macklin's sparring has been impressive ahead of this bout. Attila Kovacs was brought over from Hungary, and only lasted a few days, suffering heavy knockdowns in the sessions. Kreshnik Qato (the WBF middleweight king) come over, also, and it was clear in the first session that the man from Albania was finding it tough, he lasted a single day, and had been badly hurt by left hooks to the body. Help was found closer to home, Darren Stubbs and Paul Smith stepped in to help Macklin with his sparring, and the sessions with Smith, in particular, were impressive.

With the pre-fight preparation going perfectly the pre-fight banter was sparked into life when Macklin's former trainer Paddy Lynch waded into Macklin, pulling apart his former charges career; pouring cold water over claims that Macklin will wrench the title away from current charge Elcock; and claiming that Macklin had brought all this on himself by ‘gobbing off'.

Certainly, when the fight was announced Macklin had exclusively told BBN that, “I will knock Elcock out”, it was a sound bite, taken out of the context of the overall discussion. People had been surprised to hear Macklin make this bold claim, you would expect a confident, young fighter to say, “I full expect to lose this fight” or “I might not even bother turning up”, declaring that you will win by KO, well it is just not on, especially in a genteel sport like boxing.

I asked Macklin if he had been hurt or upset by Lynch's claims, and if he had a response, Macklin swerved the question, standing by his KO claim, whilst also pointing out that there is little point having a war of words with Lynch, as he explained: “I've not really got anything to say about that. I trained with Paddy and left him (after Macklin's points loss to Andrew Facey) so that is probably a bit behind it. Elcock is a great fighter and I won't take anything away from that team. They think I have no business being in the ring with Wayne but we will find out on the night if I deserve to be there.

“I respect all boxers. Wayne has done well and in a sense he has overachieved. Lots of fighters with talent never achieve their goals. I think that Wayne has got limited ability and has achieved over and beyond his talent level. Fair play to him for that. I respect him. Wayne is a nice lad but the town of Birmingham isn't big enough for the both of us. Wayne is British champion. I want to be British champion. So something has got to give.”

In pulling apart Macklin's recent form, Lynch also pointed out an advantage Macklin holds in the upcoming fight, he has kept busy, while Elcock has been kept on the shelf. Macklin feels that this activity, and the ability to win when not boxing to his maximum, is a plus, rather than the negative it is painted as, he told me that: “I have been busy. People have said I was rubbish in my last fight. Well I beat a good fighter in Geard Ajetovic when I was boxing rubbish! In football they say that playing crap and winning is a sign of a good team, so I must be a good boxer.

“Come Saturday you will see what happens when I am firing on all cylinders. In my last three fights I have taken on the likes of Yory Boy Campas and Geard. After he fought me Campas knocked out Alejandro Garcia in a round, Garcia is a former world champion [briefly holding the WBA light-middleweight title]. Yory has not shown bad form for an ‘old man'.

“If those fights saw me under-performing I will look forward to performing well and getting the result my performance merits. I am due a massive performance, and I feel that now is the time to bring it out. It is the Battle of Brum. It is a massive fight and that inspires you.”

 

Lynch's other claim, that Matthew's loss to Moore was a big warning sign, is also shrugged off by Macklin. Gallagher was the first to text me after Jamie Moore's European title win over Michele Piccirillo, pointing out that Matt's last lost came against the best light-middleweight in Europe. Overall, Macklin feels that the Moore fight can be turned into a plus, it showed us that he has a big heart, and that is a good thing to have in this sport: “The Moore fight saw me get knocked out, but as tired and drained as I was I hit the wall and still would not settle for losing on points. I tried to get over that wall!

“I would not hold and try to mess my way through the fight. Even though my body gave in my mind was still strong. If you want to go to war then be careful what you wish for because I am the last person you want to go to war with! There is no quit in me.”

Elcock was winning titles when Matt was a youngster in the sport. I asked Macklin if he had looked up to Wayne when they were both coming through, he said: “I never looked up to him, because I never considered him above me skills-wise. I was confident that I could beat him in the amateurs, even though we never got to fight. I respect him as a fighter because of what he has done, but I don't look up to him, or fear him.

“Wayne came back from his losses and I respect that [after being asked if he had taken comfort from Elcock's defeats at the hands of Lawrence Murphy and Arthur Abrahams]. When you fight someone you can look at the flaws and weaknesses (of their defeats) but you have to go to the videos of their best performances, and prepare yourself for their best form.

“I think Wayne's fight with Anthony Farnell [a points win for Elcock] saw him boxing quite sharply. He also looked good winning against Howard Eastman [on points for the British title], and in his second fight with Lawrence Murphy [a revenge win over the man who had handed Elcock a sickening first-round KO defeat in their first meeting]…that is the Elcock I am preparing for.

“I want to beat the best Elcock possible on the night. No injuries. No excuses. I am starting to bubble now. I am ready for the fight. I am the best I have been at for a long time, and at my best Wayne cannot live with me.”

Boxing in Birmingham had had a lengthy sabbatical, now the fans are spoiled for choice, if not undercards, and this fight has caught the local imagination. Macklin is under no illusions that come the night, come the passion of the fans and come the moment to settle bragging rights, Elcock will be looking to give it his all: “This is a local fight and in some ways our biggest fight. I know Wayne fought for a world title but that was as a short notice opponent. He was chosen to give Arthur Abrahams someone to fight. No one cared about the fight on the world scene…it was a formality.

“Wayne has got a lot of pride and heart, he will want to come out strong for this fight. Paddy's words have put pressure on Wayne, yeah. Pressure is part of the territory in boxing, so if you want to move on to big things the pressure is always going to be there, for both of us. Good fighters fight best under pressure.

“Wayne knows how good I am. I know how good Wayne is. Paddy can twist and turn it however he likes, but he knows (it) too. Deep down they will be sitting there in the hotel before the fight and the reality will kick in, they know who the better fighter is.”

Before the Moore fight Macklin had seen the British title as the first step on his world title road, now, at the second time of asking, Macklin sees the British title as its own end, a chance to vindicate himself in his new division, his thoughts are not drifting towards the next step, not just yet: “I am not setting goals beyond this fight. (Promoter) Frank Warren will sort things out after the fight.

“I won't be a bog standard British champion who is happy to sit on his belt. I will defend it against the best and look for the next step. I want to go onto better things. I am playing catch up but Frank and Brian Peters will engineer things for me.”

With the fight just days away, and with Macklin still up here in Manchester, I asked if he feels insulated from the stresses and strains of a derby fight, he shrugged the question off, telling me that it was not something that had crossed his mind, as he explained: “If you are you in the fishbowl of the fight you deal with it. If you are away from it you deal with that. I have been getting into it as the weeks go by, doing interviews and stuff, so it is not a major point. I am in camp in some ways, and it might be a good thing.”

With only a few days to go the fight is simmering nicely, trainer Joe Gallagher will pop onto BBN in a few days to give his take on the fight, and to flip Paddy Lynch's comments.

In the meantime the staff at the Aston Events Centre had better check their roof, as Macklin and Elcock are ready to blow it off.