By Terence Dooley
Matthew Macklin jets out to Freddie Roach’s Los Angeles-based Wildcard Gym this Thursday after successfully completing his first week of sparring for the September 18th British and European middleweight title challenge to Darren Barker at Birmingham’s LG Arena. Macklin, 26-2 (18 stoppages), has been sparring 2009 ABA middleweight champion Hosea Burton and fledgling pro Liam Cullen at the Kerry Kayes-owned, Denton-based Gallagher’s Gym.
Joe Gallagher, who is set to join Macklin in LA for the next two weeks and will be involved in the former British and European champion’s corner come fight night, is happy with the Brummie’s progress. “Macklin has just got back into sparring and has done some good rounds with Hosea and Liam,” declared Gallagher.
“He’s in good shape and looked sharp. Hosea and Liam are both good boxers and have been perfect early preparation for Matt, who has been able to work on certain things. Both lads have been doing similar things to what we expect Barker to do and they’ve shown Matt some good, orthodox boxing.”
“It’s good to see him looking sharp early and he can now go out and get some great preparation at the Wildcard, where Matt will spar [WBC ‘silver’ middleweight title-holder] Julio Cesar Chavez Junior, who will be perfect preparation for Barker,” revealed Gallagher.
Barker, 22-0 (14 early), annexed the EBU title vacated by Macklin with a stirring points win over Affif Belghecham in April; the Barnet-based boxer cruised to an early lead before weathering a spirited late-rounds surge from the Frenchman. Darren, who is trained by Tony Sims, has won Commonwealth, British and EBU titles in recent years, the 28-year-old stylist is in the form of his life going into this domestic blockbuster.
Macklin, though, has had an equally successful spell, the 28-year-old won the British title in March 2009 by knocking out Wayne Elcock in three rounds and added the EBU strap to his haul with a single stanza icing of Amin Asikainen last September; a nose-injury prevented Macklin from defending the belt, he had previously given up the British title in order to pursue EBU glory, neither title was lost in the ring.
Please send news and views to neckodeemus@hotmail.co.uk
