Matthew Macklin

Last updated

Matthew Macklin
Matthew Macklin 2015.png
Macklin in 2015
Born (1982-05-14) 14 May 1982 (age 41)
Nationality
  • British
  • Irish
Other names
  • Mack the Knife
  • Tipperary Tornado
  • The Roscommon Rock
Statistics
Weight(s)
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Reach71 in (180 cm)
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights41
Wins35
Wins by KO22
Losses6

Matthew Macklin (born 14 May 1982) is a British-Irish former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2016, and has since worked as a boxing manager and commentator. He challenged three times for middleweight world titles between 2011 and 2013, and held multiple regional championships at that weight: the Irish title from 2005 to 2006, the British title in 2009, and the European title from 2009 to 2011.

Contents

Early life

Macklin was born in Birmingham, England to Irish parents, his father being from County Roscommon and his mother from County Tipperary. He is a dual citizen and travels on an Irish passport. [1]

Macklin and his brother Seamus, also a boxer, spent entire summers and much of their youth in their mother's native county. [1] It was there that he learned how to play one of Ireland's national sports, hurling, [2] and he is still an avid supporter of Tipperary today. [3] He became a talented player in his own right, and is a close friend of now retired hurler Eoin Kelly. Macklin attends the Poc fada and other GAA events when Tipperary are playing. [2]

Following his education at the independent Solihull School, at the age of 18 and whilst studying law at Coventry University as an amateur boxer, Macklin won the 2001 national senior ABA welterweight title for the Small Heath Boxing Club by beating Justin Turley in the final. [4]

Professional career

Debut fight

Macklin left the amateur ranks and turned professional in September 2001, winning his first fight at the Bellahouston Sports Centre, Glasgow, Scotland, in which Macklin beat previously undefeated Ram Singh from Wisbech in a first-round knockout on a card which included Scottish fighters Scott Harrison, Alex Arthur and Willie Limond. [5]

Macklin vs. Jamie Moore

In September 2006, Macklin was involved in his highest profile fight when he was defeated in a fight of the year contender bout against Manchester's Jamie Moore for the British light middleweight title which took place at the George Carnell Leisure Centre, Davyhulme, Manchester, England. Macklin later confessed to having major problems trying to make the weight for the fight. It was one of the best action fights ever held in a British boxing ring and nearly won 2006 Fight of The Year.

Potential Duddy fight

Macklin vs. Francis Cheka, 2008 0022 - Macklin.jpg
Macklin vs. Francis Cheka, 2008

There was speculation of a potential Irish title fight against New York based Derry native John Duddy. In the summer of 2006 Macklin made a guest appearance in Dublin to hand over the Irish middleweight title to fellow stablemate Dubliner Jim Rock.

At post fight press conference John Duddy's then matchmaker Jim Borzell stated that if Macklin won "the European title then maybe you'll have something John wants." Macklin replied, "maybe I have something for him he doesn't want!". [6]

In December 2009, Macklin moved closer to a world title shot with a points victory over Rafa Sosa Pintos at the National Stadium in Dublin. The fight never happened and Duddy retired in 2011. [7]

European middleweight champion

Macklin beat Finnish Super-fighter Amin Asikainen by brutal 1st-round KO at the Manchester Velodrome, England on 25 September 2009 for the vacant European middleweight title. [5]

Matthew Macklin was later forced to vacate his European title. However he would get in first for the fight for the vacant title. A fight against Englishman Darren Barker was arranged for 18 September 2010 on Frank Warren's Magnificent Seven bill on Sky Box Office. The fight would be a big step closer to a world title fight for both men however Barker was forced to pull out of the contest through injury only weeks before the fight. He was replaced with Georgian slugger Shalva Jomardashvili and won the fight via a technical knock out two seconds into the sixth round after shoma pulled out. Macklin regained his EBU title and stated after the fight he wanted to go on to fight for a world title next.

World title challenges

Mathew fought WBA Middleweight champion Felix Sturm on 25 June 2011. The fight ended in a controversial split decision win for Sturm.

On 17 March 2012 otherwise known as St. Patrick's Day. Matthew Macklin met WBC Diamond Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez in Madison Square Garden, New York City. Macklin would go on to lose that fight after his corner retired him on his stool after round 11, a round in which Macklin was dropped twice near the end by massive straight lefts from the southpaw Martinez after gaining a slight lead on the scorecards in the middle rounds. See Sergio Martinez vs. Matthew Macklin

Career rebuilding

Coming off two consecutive losses in title fights, Macklin came back on 15 September 2012, he fought on HBO World Championship Boxing PPV on the undercard of the WBC World Middleweight Title fight between Mexico's then defending WBC Middleweight Champion Julio César Chávez, Jr. and Argentina's Lineal Middleweight Champion Sergio Martínez in the Thomas & Mack Center in Paradise, Nevada. Macklin fought former Light-Middleweight world champion Joachim Alcine (33–2, 19 KO's) of Canada and won with a knockout in the first round.[ citation needed ] On 30 June 2013, he suffered another setback with a loss to Gennady Golovkin by KO in the 3rd round when Golovkin landed a brutal left hook to the liver.

Retirement

Follow a devastating knockout loss to Argentine contender Jorge Sebastian Heiland, Macklin took some time off from the sport, being undecided on whether he would retire or not. In the meantime, he set up the Macklin's Gym Marbella gym in Marbella, Spain with Daniel Kinahan. [8] Past his best but in hopes of one final title shot, Macklin returned the following year and took part in a couple of easy warm up fights, before dropping down a weight division to defeat domestic level Jason Welborn. He won by close 10 round unanimous decision, on a packed card in his home town of Birmingham. Macklin then defeated former world title challenger Brian Rose by a narrow 12 round majority decision on the Anthony Joshua-Charles Martin undercard. Shortly after the Rose fight, Macklin announced his retirement on May 13, 2016. Having struggled with fighters who he feels he would have beaten comprehensively a few years earlier, Macklin saw it was time to finally hang up the gloves. [9]

In 2017 Macklin announced that his partner Kinahan would be stepping back from boxing promotion due to bad publicity. [8] The gym rebranded as MTK - Mack the Knife, as MGM Resorts International filed a trademark lawsuit over its use of the 'MGM' initials. [8] MTK was bought out by external investors, with Matthew Macklin remaining on the board in an advisory capacity. [10]

He became a pundit for Sky Sports. [11]

In April 2022 Macklin was prevented from boarding a flight to the United States at a London airport because of links to Daniel Kinahan. [11] He was travelling to Las Vegas to cover a fight between Shakur Stevenson and Óscar Valdez on 30 April. [11]

Professional boxing record

41 fights35 wins6 losses
By knockout224
By decision132
No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
41Win35–6 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Brian Rose MD12 9 Apr 2016 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg The O2 Arena, London, England
40Win34–6 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jason Welborn UD1017 Oct 2015 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham, EnglandWon vacant WBC International light-middleweight title
39Win33–6 Flag of Germany.svg Chris HerrmannKO1 (8), 1:4428 Aug 2015 Flag of Spain.svg H10 Andalucía Plaza, Marbella, Spain
38Win32–6 Flag of Hungary.svg Sandor MicskoKO2 (8), 1:289 May 2015 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham, England
37Loss31–6 Flag of Argentina.svg Jorge Sebastian Heiland KO10 (12), 0:4215 Nov 2014 Flag of Ireland.svg 3Arena, Dublin, IrelandFor WBC International middleweight title
36Win31–5 Flag of Spain.svg Jose YebesMD827 Sep 2014 Flag of Germany.svg Kiel, Germany
35Win30–5 Flag of the United States.svg Lamar Russ UD107 Dec 2013 Flag of the United States.svg Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
34Loss29–5 Flag of Kazakhstan.svg Gennady Golovkin KO3 (12), 1:2229 Jun 2013 Flag of the United States.svg Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut, USFor WBA and IBO middleweight titles
33Win29–4 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Joachim Alcine KO1 (10), 2:3615 Sep 2012 Flag of the United States.svg Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada, US
32Loss28–4 Flag of Argentina.svg Sergio Martínez RTD11 (12), 3:00 17 Mar 2012 Flag of the United States.svg The Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, USFor The Ring middleweight title
31Loss28–3 Flag of Germany.svg Felix Sturm SD1225 Jun 2011 Flag of Germany.svg Lanxess Arena, Cologne, GermanyFor WBA middleweight title
30Win28–2 Flag of Spain.svg Ruben VaronUD1211 Dec 2010 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Echo Arena, Liverpool, EnglandRetained European middleweight title
29Win27–2 Flag of Georgia.svg Shalva JomardashviliRTD6 (12), 0:02 18 Sep 2010 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg LG Arena, Birmingham, EnglandWon vacant European middleweight title
28Win26–2 Flag of Uruguay.svg Rafael Sosa PintosPTS105 Dec 2009 Flag of Ireland.svg National Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
27Win25–2 Flag of Finland.svg Amin Asikainen TKO1 (12), 2:3425 Sep 2009 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Manchester Velodrome, Manchester, EnglandWon vacant European middleweight title
26Win24–2 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Wayne Elcock TKO3 (12), 0:5914 Mar 2009 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Aston Villa Events Centre, Birmingham, EnglandWon British middleweight title
25Win23–2 Flag of Serbia.svg Geard Ajetović PTS1031 Oct 2008 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Aston Villa Leisure Centre, Birmingham, England
24Win22–2 Flag of Tanzania.svg Francis ChekaPTS106 Sep 2008 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg MEN Arena, Manchester, England
23Win21–2 Flag of Mexico.svg Yori Boy Campas PTS1022 Mar 2008 Flag of Ireland.svg National Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
22Win20–2 Flag of Italy.svg Alessio Furlan TKO8 (10), 1:2820 Oct 2007 Flag of Ireland.svg National Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
21Win19–2 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Darren RhodesKO4 (8), 2:2525 Aug 2007 Flag of Ireland.svg Point Theatre, Dublin, Ireland
20Win18–2 Flag of Ukraine.svg Anatoliy UdalovKO1 (8), 2:2420 Jul 2007 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, England
19Loss17–2 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jamie Moore KO10 (12), 1:2929 Sep 2006 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg George H Carnall Leisure Centre, Manchester, EnglandFor British light-middleweight title
18Win17–1 Flag of Poland.svg Marcin PiatkowskiTKO4 (8), 2:171 Jun 2006 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Aston Villa Leisure Centre, Birmingham, England
17Win16–1 Flag of Russia.svg Alexey ChirkovKO1 (10), 2:4426 Nov 2005 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Hallam FM Arena, Sheffield, England
16Win15–1 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Anthony Little TKO2 (8), 2:2028 Oct 2005 Flag of the United States.svg Alhambra Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
15Win14–1 Flag of the United States.svg Leo LadautTKO3 (8), 1:554 Aug 2005 Flag of the United States.svg Borgata, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
14Win13–1 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Michael MonaghanKO5 (10), 1:2814 May 2005 Flag of Ireland.svg National Stadium, Dublin, IrelandWon vacant Irish middleweight title
13Win12–1 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ojay AbrahamsPTS412 Jun 2004 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg MEN Arena, Manchester, England
12Win11–1 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Scott DixonRTD5 (8), 3:0024 Apr 2004 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Rivermead Leisure Centre, Reading, England
11Win10–1 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Dean WalkerKO1 (6), 1:2521 Feb 2004 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg National Ice Rink, Cardiff, Wales
10Loss9–1 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Andrew FaceyPTS106 Nov 2003 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Goresbrook Leisure Center, London, EnglandFor vacant English light-middleweight title
9Win9–0 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Paul DentonPTS624 May 2003 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg York Hall, London, England
8Win8–0 Flag of Russia.svg Ruslan YakupovPTS615 Feb 2003 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Wembley Conference Centre, London, England
7Win7–0 Flag of Estonia.svg Leonti VorontsukTKO5 (6), 1:1128 Sep 2002 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg MEN Arena, Manchester, England
6Win6–0 Flag of France.svg Guy AltonTKO3 (4), 1:201 Jun 2002 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg MEN Arena, Manchester, England
5Win5–0 Flag of Bulgaria.svg Ilia SpasovKO3 (4), 2:3520 Apr 2002 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg International Arena, Cardiff, Wales
4Win4–0 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg David KirkPTS411 Mar 2002 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, Scotland
3Win3–0 Flag of Estonia.svg Dmitri ProtkunasRTD2 (4), 3:009 Feb 2002 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg MEN Arena, Manchester, England
2Win2–0 Flag of Romania.svg Cristian HodorogeaKO1 (4), 1:3615 Dec 2001 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Wembley Conference Centre, London, England
1Win1–0 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ram SinghTKO1 (4), 1:5217 Nov 2001 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Bellahouston Leisure Centre, Glasgow, Scotland

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References

  1. 1 2 "Matthew Macklin". MGM Marbella. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Four Roads' favourite son". Roscommon Herald . Retrieved 27 February 2008.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. "'He needs me more than I need him' – Matthew Macklin on possible Andy Lee bout". The42. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  4. "Amateur game punching its weight". BBC. 12 April 2001. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  5. 1 2 Boxrec. "Matthew Macklin". Boxrec Fighter Page. Retrieved 13 October 2006.
  6. Rohan, Tomás (7 June 2006). "Stadium Snippets at the National Stadium, Dublin". Archived from the original on 9 June 2006. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  7. "Macklin earns points victory". RTÉ Sport. 5 December 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
  8. 1 2 3 Larkin, Laura (24 January 2017). "Daniel Kinahan takes backseat role in boxing gym business due to 'bad publicity'". Irish Independent . Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  9. "Matthew Macklin hangs up his gloves". Boxing News 24. 13 May 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  10. MacNamee, Garreth (10 November 2017). "Boxing company co-founded by Daniel Kinahan to receive 'large up-front investment' after buyout". TheJournal.ie . Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  11. 1 2 3 Fetherstonhaugh, Neil; Cumiskey, Neasa (29 April 2022). "Sky Sports pundit Matthew Macklin stopped from boarding flight to US over his links to Daniel Kinahan". Irish Independent . Retrieved 29 April 2022.
Sporting positions
Regional boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Darren Sweeney
Irish middleweight champion
14 May 2005 – June 2006
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Jim Rock
Vacant
Title last held by
Wayne Elcock
British middleweight champion
14 March 2009 – November 2009
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Darren Barker
Vacant
Title last held by
Khoren Gevor
European middleweight champion
25 September 2009 – April 2011
Vacated
Vacant
Title last held by
Carson Jones
WBC International
super-welterweight champion

17 October 2015 – April 2016
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Sergio Garcia