By Ryan Burton

Middleweight contender Mathew Macklin (29-4) is a very happy man after his recent first round destruction of former world titleholder Joachim Alcine at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bout took place on September 15th as part of the HBO pay-per-view undercard to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.-Sergio Martinez. 

"You can never plan on a first round knockout but I know I have that type of power,'" Macklin stated to BoxingScene.com.  "It was nice to beat a former champion such as Alcine in such devastating fashion.  It was nice to get an early night.  My last few fights went twelve rounds and the Martinez fight went eleven. I believe I made a statement in the middleweight division."

Macklin mentioned the 11 hard rounds that he and Sergio Martinez battled last year before he ultimately suffered a knockout loss. "Mack The Knife" was winning the fight through 9 rounds before Martinez exerted his dominance which culminated in the knockout.  Macklin said that he was extremely impressed with Martinez's dominating win over Chavez and that it makes his performance against the Argentine look even better.

 

"After having watched Sergio put on such a dominating performance against Chavez Jr. prior to the last round and to think in our fight I was ahead after 9 rounds.  It shows where my standing is in the middleweight division and I believe I am the only middleweight in the world that can justifiably say that I can beat Sergio Martinez.  It was a master class performance by Sergio.  He schooled him really.  If you look at my performance I am really the only one who can say I can beat Martinez.  He is the king of the middleweight division and I am the heir to the throne," Macklin told BoxingScene.com.

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