By Terence Dooley
Boxing is not about staying undefeated forever, headlining show after show and then heading into the sunset after a career devoid of adversity. Well, not any more and certainly no longer on the UK scene. Boxing is about failing and redeeming oneself and this is apparent in the rebuilding process of Matthew Macklin (following an early point’s loss to Andrew Facey), a process about to culminate in his biggest fight yet, a title showdown with Jamie Moore.
Matthew's rebuilding process began the moment he walked into Billy Graham's gym after the Facey fight. Matthew had known Billy and Ricky Hatton for a long time due to their mutual Sports Network days and had felt this was the place to get the best out of himself in his professional career.
“There is so much more to come and Billy says it will come against Jamie (Moore). Jamie is a good fighter, that is undisputed, he is the British champion and probably one of the best British champions around at the moment, he is very established and there has been a lot of waiting so it is exciting but without any disrespect to Jamie I think that this [British] is his level whereas I think my level is a lot, lot higher.”
The fight has been off and on more time than a nymphomaniacs knickers so did Matt ever worry about withering on the vine?
“I was in the gym, not sitting on my arse doing nothing, and I was getting better and better. I also had two fights in American in 2005 and I was there for two weeks before each fight so I got two weeks of one to one (tuition) with Billy everyday and I am really improving.”
Matthew looked really solid in stopping Alexey Cherkov in a single round; the Russian was an amateur star with a World Silver medal plus a European Gold medal under his belt as well as a pro win over, a faded, Julio Cesar Vasquez.
“I was ecstatic at the end because I knew I'd won a fight that could have been a really hard fight, Chirkov didn't come to lose and he wasn't a guy who had lost more than he had won who would throw the towel as soon as things got heavy so it was great to beat him with an absolute beauty of a body shot.”
Matt also pointed out that this was a genuinely crushing KO.
“[After the fight] I'd been in the changing rooms and had a shower then came out to meet my friends and family then I went looking for Cherkov to say ‘hard luck' or whatever. I opened his changing room door and he was sat there with his boots on, his shorts on and a towel wrapped around himself staring at the floor like he couldn't believe what had just happened to him.”
Certainly Matt is now a power punching phenomenon and it is telling that of his thirteen stoppage wins six have been concussively clean count-out victories.
“It is always nice when you can get that power because it means that you are dangerous for twelve rounds and can change a fight with one punch. It is good to take a guy out with one shot and not go looking for it but it better to break them down and break their spirit but if I do land clean with certain shots, even in the first round, you are going to go. In my last fight I took on another tough guy (Marcin Piatkowski) (and) I took him out.”
Talk turned to punching in general as we discussed Matt's new-found ability to hit with both hands, he told me it made him harder to nullify and that he had sought out beyond the grave advice from puncher extreme Joe Louis.
“I'd said something in an article before and a few people picked it up saying I watch Joe Louis for my footwork but what happened was we'd said watch how Joe Louis is punch perfect in his mechanics and finishing. Watch Jamie Moore against Michael Jones (the third fight) and Jones should have finished Jamie but Jones couldn't finish to save his life so we'd said in an interview if you want to see how to finish watch Joe Louis. One of the things you don't want to do when watching Joe Louis is copy his footwork because he was a bit slow on his feet. His power was great though.”
Matthew said that there is a tendency to get a bit too mechanical as a top-level amateur and Billy had helped him overcome this to the extent that he felt his style was coming on great ahead of the big fight with Moore, top-quality sparring was a big help, both in America plus lacing the gloves-up to square off against Ricky Hatton.
“Sparring in Freddie Roach's gym, sparring Roman Karmazin (helped me). You definitely pick things up from the people you spar with and you pick things up just watching in those gyms. I've watched the champions like Kasim Ouma and James Toney sparring and I saw them do little slips, little blocks and moves and obviously you store them in your mind, reference it and copy it and it definitely rubs off.”
So far Matthew has done his work in the gym yet the acid test is about to come calling in the shape of the excellent British champion Jamie Moore.
“If Jamie loses it is a bigger setback for him because he is twenty-seven and I'm twenty-four but it would also be a big set back for me too because I'm grooming myself for world championship material. Although it will be a very, very proud moment and night when I win the (British) title it is not going to be the end, it is a stepping stone in my career where I think it might be, it may not be, as good as it gets for Jamie.”
Matthew does rate Moore very highly and is under no illusions about the task facing him:
“Jamie is an underrated boxer and he can definitely hit. He throws nice body shots. He has that nice southpaw jab and he has got plenty of heart. Jamie has got up off the floor to win so he'll definitely dig deep when he needs to; he brings excitement and a variety of punches. Jamie is a good fighter and a nice lad as well, if he was fighting someone else I'd be cheering him on but that is just the way boxing is.”
“I bring excitement to the table as well though. I'm aggressive, my record speaks for itself. If I can get you out of there I will get you out of there, I throw good combinations, I've got a good jab and I can knock you out with both hands. I think I've got the better chin. I'm not saying Jamie has a bad chin but he has been down a few times and been quite badly hurt but I've never been down in my life, amateur or pro. He has been to a high level as a pro in the sense that he has been British champion and made defences but he never fought anyone like me in those defences he has fought the likes of David Walker who have never been quite good enough (to trouble him) or Gary Logan who was past it and he fought Michael Jones who was so-so.”
What is clear though, what is very likely to happen, perhaps the key to the fight, is that Matthew will be asked testing questions by Jamie, questions no one has asked him before in the professional ring.
“That is the thing. That is the one thing people could argue, that Jamie is more experienced - he has been the main event (fighter) and has boxed twelve rounders. He has been caught and dropped, there is no harm in those things either as they will have to happen sometime down the line in your career but Jamie has sucked it up and came back from the questions, he has dealt with it. No doubt in my mind Jamie will ask those questions of me and equally there is no doubt in my mind that I will answer them.”
“People think that just because a question hasn't been asked before the answers aren't there but you just haven't had a chance to show them. When you are winning fights in third and second gear those questions don't get asked but when you are sparring people like Ricky Hatton you are getting asked (questions) all the time and it is constantly tough so there will be no problem there.”
“This is a bit of a throwback fight because usually when someone fights for the British title, say a few years ago when Frank Warren had a bit of a monopoly, it was a case where a) he wouldn't put two of his fighters together so he'd put one into a vacant British title fight and they'd select an opponent who is really not up to it or b) one of their fighters who is British champion and has come to the end of his days would be sacrificed for the upcoming star but this is not a case of that.”
For now I asked Matthew the same question I had asked Jamie, his manager calls to tell him his most sought after dream fight has been made, who is in the other corner?
“Well I'm not looking past this one so it is hard to say but I'd like to fight the European light-middleweight title holder Michele Piccirillo. Apart from Piccirillo John Duddy would be the big fight out there for me down the line but first of all I'll have to beat Jamie and go for the European title.”
I took my cue and asked Matthew how he had found it in America so far, both he and Duddy are appealing to the Irish fan base so did Matthew feel he had a ready-made audience in the USA?
“In America it doesn’t really matter what ethnic background you’re from as long as you can fight they will get behind you but certain ethnic groups have more passion for fighting, like the Mexicans, the Puerto Ricans and the Irish. When I went over there and had two fights they really got behind me like they are doing with John Duddy at the moment so having an Irish background helps but so does my style of fighting as well.”
Duddy is a name that is being touted in the US media and he is certainly a prospect to watch out for, what does Matt think about Duddy?
“Duddy? Yeah (I’d like to fight him). Somewhere down the line I think the fight with me and Duddy will take place. If he keeps winning and looking good and I keep winning we’ll probably cross paths.”
“So far Duddy hasn’t put a foot wrong. He is a good fighter and not just a brawler; he can box as well and was a top boxer as an amateur only to turn really aggressive as a pro. He hits with both hands, he goes to the head and body and can jab. There are a few things he could improve on and I could exploit but we are pretty similar. He is a good fighter and I’ve watched him live and he is exciting to watch. I’ve met too and he is a really nice lad. I wish all the best for him unless of course he has to fight me.”
As Matthew reminisced about watching Tyson come through the ranks I asked him about the heavyweight division and whether he through it was moribund at the moment.
“Heavyweight is not what it was is it? James Toney is my favourite heavyweight and I’ve watched him train a few times in the flesh and he is a bit of a throwback with the way he blocks and fights on the ropes, he is one of the best fighters in the world even though he is a middleweight basically with a big, fat belly!”
“Toney is a trash talker but I think that deep down he is alright. Bernard Dunne told me that Toney was sound even though he could seem to be a loudmouth.”
Matthew had been open and candid about his desires and goals and he certainly has a burning intensity as he takes the first step on his path to world honours when he takes on Jamie Moore later this month. Win, lose or draw one cannot fault the desire and will of both Matthew and Jamie Moore; they both deserve praise for taking a high-risk fight that could make or completely undo one of them.
