By Scott Gilfoid: Despite having lost 3 out of his last 6 fights, #6 WBC Matthew Macklin (31-5, 20 KOs) will be fighting #4 WBC Jorge Sebastian Heiland (24-4-2, 12 KOs) in a World Boxing Council 160 middleweight eliminator bout next month on November 15th at the 3Arena, in Dublin, Ireland.
It’s obvious that Macklin has been blessed with good fortune to be fighting in an eliminator for the WBC 160 pound title, because he’s fought for world titles at 160 three times in the past three years in losses to Felix Sturm, Sergio Martinez and Gennady Golovkin, and yet here Macklin is on the verge of getting a fourth world title shot if he can get past the little known Heiland.
The sanctioning bodies have been giving Macklin huge breaks seemingly given that he hasn’t really beaten anyone of note. In the past two years, Macklin has beaten 38-year-old Joachim Alcine, Lamar Russ and Jose Yebes. Macklin’s win over Yebes was a close one because the fight was pretty much even. I thought Yebes fought well enough to deserve a draw if not a win.
Macklin feels that he has the boxing skills to beat any other middleweight in the division with the exception of WBA champion Gennady Golovkin. This would mean that Macklin fancies his chances of beating Jermain Taylor, Peter Quillin, Daniel Jacobs, Hassan N’Dam, Curtis Stevens and Marco Antonio Rubio.
“Golovkin is the best middleweight in the world, but I am confident I could beat any of the other fighters in the division,” Macklin said via Skysports.com.
I wish I could agree with Macklin that he’d beat the other middleweight contenders/champions, but I just can’t. I see N’Dam, Stevens, Rubio, Taylor, Quillin and Jacons all doing a number on Macklin, and I believe some of the other contenders would beat him as well. It goes without saying that Golovkin would beat him, because he already did last year in stopping Macklin in three rounds in June of 2013.
“Sebastian Zbik beat him [Heiland] in a very competitive fight in Germany, he’s a better fighter now and it’s a tough, tough fight, the fight I need at this stage and if I cannot beat him, then that’s it really, but I know I will beat him and it will set me up for a big 2015 where a World title shot will definitely come about,” Macklin said.
I believe Macklin will beat Heiland without any problems, but I also think Heiland shouldn’t be ranked in the top 15. Heiland doesn’t have any wins during his career over top level opposition that would tell me that he deserves to be fighting in the WBC’s eliminator bout. Heiland was beaten by Zbik in the biggest fight of his career in 2010, and since then he’s faced largely obscure opposition.
“I am so excited for the occasion of boxing in Ireland and also the fight, I underperformed in my last two fights but this one gets the juices going and it’s a big fight, he’s the champion and ranked above me so it’s a huge fight and I can’t wait,” Macklin said.
I wonder how WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto will react at learning that Macklin could be his WBC mandatory challenger. Cotto seems to be mainly interested in taking big fights at this point in his career. I don’t know if he’s going to go along with the idea of the WBC forcing him to fight a 3-time world title loser like Macklin. I can’t see Cotto willingly giving Macklin a title shot, and I’m not sure the WBC will force the issue if it means that Cotto could potentially vacate his title.
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