Matthew Macklin has been rewarded for last year’s impressive performance against Felix Sturm in Germany by earning a shot at king of the middleweight division, Sergio Martinez at Madison Square Garden in March.
The Argentinean, ranked third best pound-for-pound fighter, will go into the fight on the back on his battling victory against a brave Darren Barker last year.
Without taking too much away from Barker, Macklin should offer Martinez a tougher test than his fellow Brit managed and the experienced South American will need to be fully focused on the former European champion if he’s to avoid an upset. People following the boxing betting will be keeping an eye on this.
Macklin lost a hugely controversial split-points decision to WBA champion Sturm last summer, in a result that caused outrage among many who were in Cologne that night – with the German broadcasters even having Macklin ahead by four rounds at the end.
The 29-year old took a step up in class when taking on Sturm in Germany, and impressed many in the process, but Martinez is a genuine world-class champion and Macklin is well aware of how tough a test he will face on March 17. Fans of Betfair betting online should remember this.
“The press conference was absolutely packed out today, I couldn’t believe it.”
“It was huge. It brings it home how big this is. Felix Sturm is a big deal over in Germany but this was a different level.”
“I don’t think he is under-estimating me, though, from what he was saying today.”
Macklin gained plenty of admirers with his performance against Sturm, however, that won’t have done much to banish the feeling of injustice. The Birmingham-born fighter will be determined to prove he deserves to be viewed upon as being among the best middleweights in the world, although Martinez could be a step too far.
The Argentinean will have a huge amount of support in New York and Macklin will certainly be the away fighter when the two step into the ring.
Light-heavyweight contender Tony Bellew has stated he hopes David Price can come through his clash with John McDermott and then beat British heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (Price 1/8, McDermott 9/2 – bet365 fight prices).
British heavyweight sensation Price faces McDermott in a British title eliminator in Liverpool on January 21 and Bellew wants his fellow Scouser to come through that bout and give himself a date with the undefeated Fury.
Bellew said in the Liverpool Echo: “Next year I would love to see Price shut Tyson Fury up and there is a good match.”
“I’m just dying to see Pricey shut Fury up,” he added.
The 29-year-old Bellew is hoping for another world title shot in 2012 – he lost to WBO light heavyweight Nathan Cleverly in October – and has also been linked with a Commonwealth title defence against Danny McIntosh.
“I would’ve liked a rematch with Cleverly but it’s not happening for whatever reason. I’ve got a team who have managed to get two fighters – Dereck Chisora and James DeGale – major title shots straight away after losses,” he stated.
“I?m coming off a disputed loss in a world title fight and all I?m asking for is fair treatment and to be looked after. I think 2011 has been a good year but 2012 could be massive.”
Bellew’s stable mate, Dereck Chisora, has been given a date with Vitali Klitschko in February (Klitschko 1/16, Chisora 7/1 – bet365 fight prices), while James DeGale next faces Jose Maria Guerroro (DeGale 1/100, Guerrero 16/1 – bet365 fight prices).
Amir Khan says his fans can expect something special when he defends his WBA and IBF light-welterweight belts Lamont Peterson on Saturday.
The Bolton-born star has an impressive professional record so-far with 18 of his 26 professional wins coming via knockout and he’s predicting Peterson to come to the same fate at the weekend in Washington. People looking at the boxing betting should remember this.
“The viewers at home know they are going to get fireworks. They know when Amir Khan fights it is going to be explosive, there’s always that explosive style there” Khan told Sky Sports News.
“They are going to be on the edge of their sofas and the fans that are going to be here will be on the edge of their seats. It is going to be a great performance from me. I am sharp, I am ready, I am in the best condition I can ever be in.”
All through his training camp, the 24-year-old has insisted that he is in the best shape of his life and his coach Freddie Roach belies his man is as prepared as he ever will be ahead of the bout.
The 2004 Olympic silver medallist has fought back from a shaky start since turning pro and has now established himself as one of the world’s premier fighters. Fans of sports betting online should bear this in mind.
Victory on Saturday could see Khan move on to much higher-profile opponents with both Floyd Mayweather and Tim Bradley being lined-up as possible future rivals opponents and the trainer knows that Khan cannot afford to lose.
Roach said: “There will be no slip-ups. He is in great shape. He has trained really hard. We have had great sparring for this fight and he is just 100 per cent ready for this fight.”
Oscar de La Hoya believes Amir Khan will become the best pound-for-pound boxer before too long and feels the British fighter is learning quickly (bet365 Fight Prices – Khan 1/14, Lamont Peterson 7/1).
The man from Bolton has lost just one of his 27 professional fights to date and is the current IBF light welterweight and WBA Super Light Welterweight title and holder.
Khan will head back into the ring at the weekend, when he goes toe-to-toe with Lamont Peterson in Washington (Khan to win in rounds 1-3 15/2), with the both belts on the line in the American capital.
Former 10-time world title holder de La Hoya is confident Khan will pass his latest test and go on to challenge the likes of Floyd Mayweather Jnr and Manny Pacquiao.
The Boxing promoter said: “You can make that argument for him to become the best fighter in the world. We know Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are on top at the moment, but Amir is right on their backs.”
De La Hoya says the 24-year-old is “getting better” in each fight and that the former Olympic silver medalist is “learning at a rapid pace”.
Martin Murray believes he can cause a huge upset and become Britain’s latest world champion by beating WBA middleweight champion Felix Sturm on Friday night (Murray 10/3, Sturm 1/5 – fight betting with bet365).
The St Helens-based fighter is making a huge step up in class in a bid to take Sturm’s title, his most recent fight having been for the British belt back in June.
Having captured the British crown from Nick Blackwell, Murray has skipped out going for a European belt and will travel to Mannheim looking to shock the boxing world by beating Sturm.
The German fighter has just two defeats on his 39-fight record, one of which is regarded as one of the most controversial in history after being beaten by Oscar Del La Hoya on points.
Since then Sturm has gone on to be recognised as the best middleweight on the planet, winning all ten defences of his WBA belt.
Recently Sturm defeated fellow Brit Matthew Macklin in a very tight encounter, the German fighter getting the win via a split decision.
Having watched Macklin push Sturm all the way Murray hopes he can go one step further and make it 24 fights without defeat as he looks to emulate his promoter Ricky Hatton by capturing a world title.
“I am the underdog but, even though people might be thinking it’s a step up in class, I belong at that level,” Murray told BBC North West Tonight.
“I’m in the best condition I’ve ever been in, so we’re really up for the fight and we really do believe we can go over there and beat him.”
Britain could have two world champions called Murray by the end of the weekend, with John Murray set to challenge WBA lightweight champion Brandon Rios on Saturday night in New York.
Rios is 1/14 to beat Murray, with the Brit 7/1 with bet365.
WBA lightweight champion Brandon Rios will stop John Murray when the two clash on December 3rd, according to his trainer Robert Garcia. (Rios 1/12 to win with bet365)
The 25-year-old US fighter is undefeated in the lightweight division and takes on British challenger Murray at Madison Square Garden looking to further enhance his reputation as one of the best fighters in the weight division.
Murray, 26, is coming into this bout off the back of a stoppage loss to Kevin Mitchell back in July, but before that defeat he had won 21 straight bouts since turning professional.
He stepped in to face Rios after Mitchell was denied a visa and Garcia, who himself is a former IBF super featherweight champion, reckons the Brit might well be stopped a second time.
Garcia told The Boxing Lab Radio show: “Murray is a great fighter but Brandon is a tough guy and he can take a punch. He could end it early and I see that happening.”
Murray (6/1 to win with bet365) has warned his opponent of underestimating him, stating he knows people in America are writing him off and Rios himself is looking past him and talking about future opponents.
“That suits me because I’m going to over there and upset all of that. I am going to shock the boxing world by winning,” Murray added.
George Groves has played down calls he could be in line for a world title fight – following his stunning second-round knockout of Paul Smith. The Londoner followed up his narrow victory against bitter rival James Degale in May with a comprehensive performance against Smith.
Groves recovered from an early Smith right-hand to floor the Liverpudlian early in the second round with a heavy right of his own. Smith was down again almost immediately after beating the 10-count – this time the referee forced to step in and end the fight – extending Groves’ unbeaten record to 14-0, with 11 KO’s. Even those following the Pacquiao odds will be impressed.
While Groves admitted there was little left for him to prove on a domestic level, although the 23-year old was quick to calm speculation he would soon be in-line for a world-title shot, insisting he was willing to bide his time as he continues to improve his all-round performance.
“I have cleaned up the domestic level but I’m not ready for world level fights. It’s up to me to improve. It [a title shot] is going to come sooner rather than later,” he said.
“I want to chip up that ladder towards world titles but I need to make more improvements.”
With Groves last week ruling out an immediate rematch with DeGale, it would appear America could well be the next destination in the youngster’s career. A possible bout against former sparring partner Andre Dirrell has been mentioned, although that could well be too much too soon for Groves – although on this sort of form, anything is possible.
David Haye has warned George Groves that he will be in for a tougher battle against Paul Smith (Groves 1/7, Smith 4/1 to win fight with bet365) on Saturday night than he faced when taking on James DeGale back in May.
Groves surprised many with an impressive performance in a majority decision over the Olympic gold medallist to win the British super-middleweight title, but the betting suggests he will not have too much to worry about at Wembley tonight.
Haye has tried to warn his protege against complacency (Groves 7/4 by Decision or Technical Decision with bet365) and warned Groves he will be in for a ‘gruelling’ night.
Haye said: “I’ll be at Wembley for the fight. It is a big test for George but if he can transfer what he’s been doing in the gym he’ll have a good night.
“I think this is a harder fight than the DeGale fight because that was a strategic fight but this is more physically gruelling. Paul brings a lot to the table in terms of experience and physical ability so we’re expecting a tough fight.
“But George has been looking really good in the gym.”
Manny Pacquiao has made his intentions clear when he once again steps into the ring with long-term rival Juan Manuel Marquez on November 12 in Las Vegas. The bout will be the two fighters’ third meeting in the ring, with the two previous clashes both going the full 12 rounds, the first ending in an absorbing draw, with Pacquiao claiming victory in the second, albeit in without convincing everyone watching he had done enough. The Pacquiao v Marquez Odds suggest it should be another close fight.
The Pilipino may have the upper hand in regards the two fighters’ head-to-head records, but many have argued Marquez should have been awarded the victor in at least one of the fights. Pacquiao has made it clear he will be going into the ring looking to put an end to all the talk, admitting he will be out to ensure Marquez doesn’t have any excuses come the end of the bout.
“Juan Manuel Marquez has the right to make alibis about not winning our two previous fights. It’s because of those alibis that I am so motivated for our upcoming fight,” Pacquiao said.
“I want to end all the questions he has raised about who won our past fights and who the better fighter is.”
The Pilipino has made no secret of the fact that his boxing career could be coming to an end over the next year or so, with a career in politics already underway. With any mega-fight against Floyd Mayweather seemingly as far from happening as it ever has been, Pacquiao will be hoping to put on a real show in every fight and Marquez will need to be at his best if he’s going to be able to handle his opponent.
European middleweight champion Darren Barker steps into the ring against Sergio Martinez on Saturday with the underdog tag in the fight (Martinez 1/20, Barker 9/1 with bet365).
Barker is putting his unbeaten record on the line in New Jersey at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall when he faces the current The Ring world middleweight champion, who has also held the WBC and WBO belts in the weight division.
The Argentine is regarded as one of the top five pound-for-pound boxers in the world at the moment, and could be in line for a fight with Manny Pacquiao, if he can secure an impressive victory over the Englishman.
However, the London-born boxer will be hoping to spoil those plans, and look to add to his 14 knockouts from 23 victories against Martinez (Barker Ko, Tko Or Disqualification 12/1 with bet365).
Barker believes he has not been show the respect he has deserved so far, and is looking forward to making a name for himself on Saturday.
“They’ve written me off massively over here,” he said. “At the moment it’s Darren Barker with a question mark behind my name – but I’m going to straighten that out.”
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Matthew Macklin has been rewarded for last year’s impressive performance against Felix Sturm in Germany by earning a shot at king of the middleweight division, Sergio Martinez at Madison Square Garden in March. 
