Matthew Macklin
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Matthew Macklin (born 14 May 1982) is a British-Irish former
professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...
who competed from 2001 to 2016, and has since worked as a boxing manager and commentator. He challenged three times for
middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...
world titles between 2011 and 2013, and held multiple regional championships at that weight: the
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
title from 2005 to 2006, the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
title in 2009, and the
European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
title from 2009 to 2011.


Early life

Macklin was born in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
, England to
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
parents, his father being from
County Roscommon "Steadfast Irish heart" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Roscommon.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Connacht , subdi ...
and his mother from
County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...
. He is a dual citizen and travels on an Irish passport. Macklin and his brother Seamus, also a boxer, spent entire summers and much of their youth in their mother's native county. It was there that he learned how to play one of Ireland's national sports,
hurling Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...
, and he is still an avid supporter of
Tipperary Tipperary is the name of: Places *County Tipperary, a county in Ireland **North Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Nenagh **South Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Clonmel *Tipperary (town), County Tipperary's na ...
today. He became a talented player in his own right, and is a close friend of now retired hurler Eoin Kelly. Macklin attends the
Poc fada The All-Ireland Poc Fada Hurling & Camogie Championships is an annual tournament testing the skills of Ireland's best hurlers and camogie players. ''Poc Fada'' is Irish for "long puck". The championships are sponsored by Martin Donnelly (who has ...
and other GAA events when Tipperary are playing. Following his education at the independent
Solihull School Solihull School is a coeducational Independent school (UK), independent day school in Solihull, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Founded in 1560, it is the oldest school in the town and is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmi ...
, at the age of 18 and whilst studying law at
Coventry University , mottoeng = By Art and Industry , established = , type = Public , endowment = £28 million (2015) , budget = £787.5 million , chancellor = Margaret Casely-Hayford , vice_chancellor = John Latham , students = () , undergr ...
as an amateur boxer, Macklin won the 2001 national senior ABA welterweight title for the Small Heath Boxing Club by beating Justin Turley in the final.


Professional career


Debut fight

Macklin left the amateur ranks and turned professional in September 2001, winning his first fight at the
Bellahouston Bellahouston ( gd, Baile Ùisdean, sco, Hughstoun) is a district in the southwest of Glasgow. It is bordered by Dumbreck, Ibrox, Pollokshields, Craigton. History Bellahouston Estate in the parish of Govan was purchased in 1726 by James Row ...
Sports Centre,
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, Scotland, in which Macklin beat previously undefeated Ram Singh from
Wisbech Wisbech ( ) is a market town, inland Port of Wisbech, port and civil parish in the Fenland District, Fenland district in Cambridgeshire, England. In 2011 it had a population of 31,573. The town lies in the far north-east of Cambridgeshire, bord ...
in a first-round knockout on a card which included Scottish fighters Scott Harrison,
Alex Arthur Alex Arthur, (born 26 June 1978) is a Scottish former professional boxer and political candidate for the Alba Party. Competing from 2000 to 2012, he held the WBO and WBO interim super featherweight titles in 2007. At regional level, he held ...
and
Willie Limond Willie Limond (born 2 February 1979) is a Scottish professional boxer. He held the EBU European Union super featherweight title in 2004, the Commonwealth lightweight title from 2006 to 2007, the Commonwealth super lightweight title from 2013 ...
.


Macklin vs. Jamie Moore

In September 2006, Macklin was involved in his highest profile fight when he was defeated in a fight of the year contender bout against Manchester's Jamie Moore for the British light middleweight title which took place at the George Carnell Leisure Centre,
Davyhulme Davyhulme is an area of Greater Manchester, England, historically in Lancashire. The population at the 2011 census was 19,634. Davyhulme Sewage Works The area is notable for Davyhulme Sewage Works, one of the largest wastewater treatment pl ...
, Manchester, England. Macklin later confessed to having major problems trying to make the weight for the fight. It was one of the best action fights ever held in a British boxing ring and nearly won 2006 Fight of The Year.


Potential Duddy fight

There was speculation of a potential Irish title fight against New York based
Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...
native
John Duddy John Francis Duddy (born 19 June 1979) is an Irish actor and former professional boxer who fought from 2003 to 2010. He challenged once for the vacant WBC Silver middleweight title, losing in his final fight to Julio César Chávez Jr.
. In the summer of 2006 Macklin made a guest appearance in Dublin to hand over the Irish middleweight title to fellow stablemate Dubliner
Jim Rock Jim Rock (born 12 March 1972) is an Irish former professional boxer who competed from 1995 to 2009. He is the only boxer to have held the Irish title at four different weights divisions: light-middleweight, middleweight, super-middleweight and ...
. At post fight press conference John Duddy's then matchmaker Jim Borzell stated that if Macklin won "the European title then maybe you'll have something John wants." Macklin replied, "maybe I have something for him he doesn't want!". In December 2009, Macklin moved closer to a world title shot with a points victory over Rafa Sosa Pintos at the National Stadium in Dublin. The fight never happened and Duddy retired in 2011.


European middleweight champion

Macklin beat Finnish Super-fighter
Amin Asikainen Amin Asikainen (born 21 January 1976) is a Finnish former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2011, and in 2016. He held the European and European Union middleweight titles between 2006 and 2007, and the Finnish middleweight title in 2 ...
by brutal 1st-round KO at the
Manchester Velodrome Manchester Velodrome is an indoor Olympic-standard cycle-racing track in Manchester, England, which opened in 1994. Part of the National Cycling Centre, the facility has been home to British Cycling since 1994, coinciding with the nations rise to ...
, England on 25 September 2009 for the vacant
European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
middleweight title. Matthew Macklin was later forced to vacate his European title. However he would get in first for the fight for the vacant title. A fight against Englishman Darren Barker was arranged for 18 September 2010 on Frank Warren's Magnificent Seven bill on Sky Box Office. The fight would be a big step closer to a world title fight for both men however Barker was forced to pull out of the contest through injury only weeks before the fight. He was replaced with Georgian slugger Shalva Jomardashvili and won the fight via a technical knock out two seconds into the sixth round after shoma pulled out. Macklin regained his EBU title and stated after the fight he wanted to go on to fight for a world title next.


World title challenges

Mathew fought WBA Middleweight champion
Felix Sturm Adnan Ćatić (born 31 January 1979), known as Felix Sturm, is a Bosnian-German professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the WBO middleweight title from 2003 to 2004, the WBA middleweight ti ...
on 25 June 2011. The fight ended in a controversial split decision win for Sturm. On 17 March 2012 otherwise known as St. Patrick's Day. Matthew Macklin met WBC Diamond Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez in
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
, New York City. Macklin would go on to lose that fight after his corner retired him on his stool after round 11, a round in which Macklin was dropped twice near the end by massive straight lefts from the southpaw Martinez after gaining a slight lead on the scorecards in the middle rounds. See Sergio Martinez vs. Matthew Macklin


Career rebuilding

Coming off two consecutive losses in title fights, Macklin came back on 15 September 2012, he fought on
HBO World Championship Boxing ''HBO World Championship Boxing'' (in later years stylized in its title card as ''HBO Boxing – World Championship'') was an American sports television series on premium television network HBO. It premiered on January 22, 1973 with a fight that s ...
PPV on the undercard of the WBC World Middleweight Title fight between Mexico's then defending WBC Middleweight Champion
Julio César Chávez, Jr. Julio is the Spanish equivalent of the month July and may refer to: *Julio (given name) *Julio (surname) *Júlio de Castilhos, a municipality of the western part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil * ''Julio'' (album), a 1983 compilation albu ...
and Argentina's Lineal Middleweight Champion Sergio Martínez in the
Thomas & Mack Center The Thomas & Mack Center is a multi-purpose arena located on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada. It is home of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team of the Mountain West Conference. History The facility was fi ...
in
Paradise, Nevada Paradise is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the city of Las Vegas. It was formed on December 8, 1950. Its population was 191,238 at the 2020 census, making it the fif ...
. Macklin fought former
Light-Middleweight Light middleweight, also known as junior middleweight or super welterweight,PeBoxRec/ref> is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing The light middleweight division (also known as junior middleweight in the International Boxing Federation, IBF or ...
world champion
Joachim Alcine Joachim Alcine (born March 26, 1976) is a Haitian-Canadian professional boxer fighting out of Montreal, Quebec, where he now resides. He is a former WBA light middleweight champion. Professional career Alcine defeated Jose Hilton Dos Santos on ...
(33–2, 19 KO's) of Canada and won with a knockout in the first round. On 30 June 2013, he suffered another setback with a loss to
Gennady Golovkin Gennadiy Gennadyevich Golovkin (Cyrillic: ; also spelled Gennady; born 8 April 1982), often known by his nickname "GGG" or "Triple G", is a Kazakhstani professional boxer. He has held multiple middleweight world championships, and is a two-time ...
by KO in the 3rd round when Golovkin landed a brutal left hook to the liver.


Retirement

Follow a devastating knockout loss to Argentine contender
Jorge Sebastian Heiland Jorge Sebastian Heiland (born 5 February 1987) is an Argentine professional boxer and the current WBC International middleweight champion. Professional boxing He made his debut in 2007, defeating Ceferino Juan Jose Coronel by UD decision. In 2 ...
, Macklin took some time off from the sport, being undecided on whether he would retire or not. In the meantime, he set up the Macklin's Gym Marbella gym in
Marbella Marbella ( , , ) is a city and municipality in southern Spain, belonging to the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is part of the Costa del Sol and is the headquarters of the Association of Municipalities of the r ...
, Spain with
Daniel Kinahan Daniel Joseph Kinahan (born 25 June 1977) is an Irish boxing promoter and suspected crime boss. He has been named by the High Court of Ireland as a senior figure in organised crime on a global scale. The Criminal Assets Bureau has stated he "c ...
. Past his best but in hopes of one final title shot, Macklin returned the following year and took part in a couple of easy warm up fights, before dropping down a weight division to defeat domestic level
Jason Welborn Jason Welborn (born 9 May 1986) is an English professional boxer who challenged once for the unified WBA (Super), IBF and IBO light-middleweight titles in 2018. At regional level, he held the British middleweight title in 2018, and challenged ...
. He won by close 10 round unanimous decision, on a packed card in his home town of Birmingham. Macklin then defeated former world title challenger Brian Rose by a narrow 12 round majority decision on the
Anthony Joshua Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua (born 15 October 1989) is an English professional boxer. He is a two-time former unified world heavyweight champion, having held the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO titles twice between 2016 and 2021. At r ...
- Charles Martin undercard. Shortly after the Rose fight, Macklin announced his retirement on May 13, 2016. Having struggled with fighters who he feels he would have beaten comprehensively a few years earlier, Macklin saw it was time to finally hang up the gloves. In 2017 Macklin announced that his partner Kinahan would be stepping back from boxing promotion due to bad publicity. The gym rebranded as MTK - Mack the Knife, as
MGM Resorts International MGM Resorts International is an American global hospitality and entertainment company operating destination resorts in Las Vegas, Massachusetts, Detroit, Mississippi, Maryland, and New Jersey, including Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, and Pa ...
filed a trademark lawsuit over its use of the 'MGM' initials. MTK was bought out by external investors, with Matthew Macklin remaining on the board in an advisory capacity. He became a pundit for
Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...
. In April 2022 Macklin was prevented from boarding a flight to the United States at a London airport because of links to Daniel Kinahan. He was travelling to
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
to cover a fight between
Shakur Stevenson Ash-Shakur Stevenson (born June 28, 1997) is an American professional boxer. He is a former world champion in two weight classes, having held the WBO featherweight title from 2019 to 2020, the WBO super featherweight title from 2021 to 2022, and ...
and
Óscar Valdez Óscar Rafael Valdez Fierro Jr. (born 22 December 1990) is a Mexican professional boxer. He is a former two weight world champion, holding the WBC super featherweight title from 2021 to 2022, and the WBO featherweight title from 2016 to 201 ...
on 30 April.


Professional boxing record


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Macklin, Matthew 1982 births Living people Boxers from Birmingham, West Midlands Alumni of Coventry University British people of Irish descent British male boxers Light-middleweight boxers Middleweight boxers European Boxing Union champions British Boxing Board of Control champions Boxing commentators