By Ronnie Nathanielsz
A former opponent of Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao is convinced that should Pacquiao fight Floyd Mayweather Jr, he will “expose” the former world No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter and knock him out.
Todd Makelin, a former Australian flyweight and bantamweight champion who fought Pacquiao in a ten round super flyweight bout and suffered a 3rd round TKO in Kidapawan on February 20 1999, told well-known Australian IBF supervisor and boxing writer Ray Wheatley that “Manny easily defeated Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton. He scored much more convincing wins against them than Mayweather did.
Makelin who first won the vacant Australian bantamweight title with a 4th round knockout over Alf Wiley on October 18, 1996 and then scored a first round TKO over Jack Russell to win the Australian flyweight crown on February 28, 1997 said Pacquiao “will expose Mayweather and score a knockout.”
In his interview in the monthly “World of Boxing” magazine Makelin who is now an accomplished trainer said “my tip is a Manny KO victory in round nine.”
Makelin trained Tommy Browne who fought South Korea’s WBC featherweight champion In Jin Chi and dropped a twelve round unanimous decision in Seoul on January 30, 2005 and later battled Indonesia’s Chris John for the WBA world title and lost by a 10th round TKO on August 7, 2005.
Makelin also handles brothers Roberto and Danilo Lerio from the Philippines who now fight out of Sydney .
