By Scott Gilfoid: Matthew Macklin (28-3, 19 KO’s) believes he’s at the same level as WBC Diamond middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (48-2-2, 27 KO’s) on Saturday night at the Madison Square Garden, New York, New York. Macklin doesn’t have a lot of power and his stamina is also a big question mark going into this fight. To be at Martinez’s level, Macklin needs power and stamina, because he looked woefully inadequate in losing to WBA World middleweight champion Felix Sturm last June.

Macklin told ESPN.co.uk “I’ve always believed in myself and said I belong at this level. I proved it against Felix Sturm and everyone, bar the two judges who scored it for him, could see that. Fights like the Sturm one and this Martinez fight are the type of fights I’ve craved my whole career. I’m at this level now and I’m determined to stay here.”

It remains to be seen whether Macklin is really able to compete at this level because the only fight he’s had against a true 1st tier fighter came against Sturm, who many boxing fans see as a fading fighter on the downside of his carer. Even then, Macklin still couldn’t beat him and ran out of gas after round five and threw a lot of weak arm punches in the second half of the fight. He’s not going to beat a world class fighter like Martinez fighting like that and thing is that’s probably the best that Macklin can do. He’s a good four round fighter but after that he’s very mediocre and beatable. Martinez is going to probably destroy Macklin around the mid point of the fight when Macklin has hit the wall in terms of his stamina and will start to get really beaten up by Martinez. Macklin will probably turn red when he’s reached the exhausted state like he did against Sturm and it will be downhill from there for Macklin until he’s blasted out.