By Scott Gilfoid: Middleweight contender Matthew Macklin 29-4, 20 KO’s) is hoping his promoter Lou Dibella can match him up against fellow Dibella promoted fighter Andy Lee (29-2, 20 KO’s) on May 11th on HBO. Macklin says HBO has an open spot on that card for him, and he’d like to face the 28-year-old Lee if he’s open to taking the fight.
#9 WBA Lee recently mentioned that a fight against Macklin would be an easy one for him, and this seems to have gotten Macklin, #2 WBC, #11 WBA, #14 IBF, a heated because now he wants to face Lee.
My question is what happened to all these big fights that Macklin was supposed to get? Why didn’t Macklin accept the offer made to him by WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin?
Macklin said to Sky “I had a nose operation before Christmas. We’re looking for a big fight in May, hopefully against Daniel Geale at Madison Square Garden sometime in May depending on what his mandatory obligations are. I was offered the Golovkin fight for January, but because of the operation there was no way that I would have been ready for it. Unfortunately I had to turn it down.”
Macklin then went on to say that he’s fighting at a higher level than Darren Barker and Martin Murray, saying “I think so. I think I’ve boxed at a higher level more consistently. You just look at my record. I’ve fought at a higher level.”
So, what happened with Geale? I guess that fight isn’t going to happen like Macklin was hoping, so instead of looking to fight him he has to settle for Andy Lee.
I think Andy Lee would beat Macklin if this fight takes place because he’s got good power and he’ll have an easy target to hit with Macklin standing right in front of him. Macklin tries to bulldoze his opponents, and he simply doesn’t have the power to fight in that style. Yeah, Macklin can knockout the fringe guys like Joachim Alcine, but when you put him in with quality fighters like Felix Sturm and Sergio Martinez, he loses.
I wouldn’t waste my time if I was Lee because Macklin has lost two out of his last three fights, and that’s just not interesting. Lee would be doing Macklin a huge favor by fighting him.
Lee looked terrible last Saturday night in beating Anthony Fitzgerald by a 10 round decision, but Macklin doesn’t bring much more to the table than Fitzgerald, so I can see Lee handling him no problems. I doubt Macklin would be able to take all the punishment that the steel-chinned Fitzgerald absorbed from Lee.
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