By Scott Gilfoid: It wasn’t bad enough that Matthew Macklin (28-3, 19 KO’s) got beaten in his last fight against WBA Super World middleweight champion Felix Sturm last June by a 12 round split decision, but now the 29-year-old Macklin is coming back for what stacks up to be another loss for the UK fighter when he faces arguably the best middleweight in the division in Sergio Martinez (48-2-2, 27 KO’s) on March 17th at the Madison Square Garden in New York.

Macklin’s loss hasn’t affected his ranking yet, as he’s still ranked #3 WBC, #4 WBA, #6 WBO in the middleweight rankings but I suspect that will change soon after he tastes defeat against Martinez. Don’t get me wrong; I would like nothing better than to see Macklin beat Martinez simply because it would make the division a little more interesting with some new blood at the top but I got to be real about this, Macklin’s going to get knocked cold on March 17th.

At their recent press conference Macklin had this to say about fighting Martinez: “The fact that it’s March 17th, Saint Paddy’s day, here in New York, a big Irish community here. So I’m going to be the home fighter with the home crowd. I’m the physically stronger fighter; the bigger middleweight. I’m used to fighting that kind of fight. I feel like I have a big advantage in this fight.”

Oh brother, Macklin sounds like he’s been drinking from the same kool-aid that fellow UK fighters David Haye and Dereck Chisora has been drinking from. The sounds cocky as heck. Do I think Macklin will be stronger than Martinez? Well, if Macklin is talking about weightlifting or wrestling on a mat. Yeah, I think he might be able to beat Martinez in those kinds of activities. Macklin can probably play a mean game of cricket, but this is boxing and Martinez hits a harder than this guy. Macklin wasn’t even the harder puncher in his fight against Sturm, so what does that tell you? I smell a mismatch coming on this March 17th, and I think Macklin is in for a little beating.