Exclusive - Maccarinelli heading to Russia in love for Euro

[Faulks]

Enzo Maccarinelli has rediscovered his love for Boxing on the eve of his vacant European cruiserweight title challenge in Russia next week. The Welsh dragon will take on Russia’s Alexander Kotlobay in St. Petersburg on Tuesday and is hoping to put behind him a turbulent two-year spell which has left him pondering his future following three stoppage defeats in his last six fights.

 

“Preparation has gone well. Despite winning and defending a world title I wasn’t getting that much sparring. But this time I’ve had some really good sparring against Sam Sexton for three weeks down in Norwich and Derek Chisora and a couple of other boys from Don Charles’ stable in London. I feel great and I know I’ve got a point to prove after a nightmare time over the last two years,” admitted Maccarinelli to BoxRec News.

 

Maccarinelli hasn’t looked the same fighter since he was stopped in two rounds by David Haye in their cruiserweight unification clash in March 2008.The Welshman suffered a stunning one-punch KO against Ola Afolabi when attempting to regain his WBO crown and was pummeled in three rounds by Denis Lebedev last July.

 

Although he has since recorded back-to-back first round wins over low key opposition, next Tuesday’s daunting mission against a fighter boxing in his own Russian backyard will really reveal whether ‘Big Mac’ has turned the corner.

 

“I’ve never turned down a challenge. I didn’t have to take the David Haye fight, there was no pressure on me to do so, but I did. I had the choice of entering the Prizefighter tournament or this European title shot and there was no doubt in my mind which option I was going to take. I spoke to Frank (Warren) and we agreed that this was the best choice for me and I have no problems going out to Russia for it. If you want to win titles and get yourself back to the top these are the things you’ve got to do,” said Maccarinelli.

 

“I’m pretty confident that I’m more than capable of knocking out any cruiserweight in the world but I can box as well and I don’t think people give me enough credit for my boxing ability which I showed in the (Wayne) Braithwaite fight. I’ve seen Kotlobay in action and he looks strong but he hasn’t fought anyone at my level, or anyone similar to the calibre of opponents I’ve boxed. But he has the chance to win a European title in front of his own fans so he’s going to be difficult to beat.”

 

Not even the fear of boxing on enemy territory or the threat of his fight being postponed due to the volcanic ash cloud has affected Maccarinelli’s mood in the build-up to his make-or-break clash as the Welshman appeared in excellent spirits.

 

“I’m going out there virtually on my own because its been difficult for my family and friends to secure visas so, overall, it’s a rotten scenario but I’m confident in my ability to get the job done. This thing with the volcanic ash never really bothered me because I’m not due to fly out until Sunday anyway so I was optimistic that I’d be cleared to fly by then.”

 

“I’m totally loving boxing again. I’d never totally fell out of love with the sport, it’s just for a period I allowed myself to be distracted by other things such as MMA. I wasn’t giving boxing the credit or the respect it deserved. Over the last couple of years I’ve attempted to change my style, for the Afolabi fight I bulked up and put a lot of weight on which affected me. In the Lebedev fight I changed my style completely, it was just a very confusing time for me,” explained Maccarinelli.

 

“I make no excuses for my losses. Boxing is a game of preparation and the better prepared men won on the night. I sat down and watched my fight against Lebedev and thought ‘Who the f**k is that in the red shorts?’ because I couldn’t believe that it was me. I was just a shadow of my former self. After that I decided that I was going to give boxing one last go but I was going to do it my way,” he continued.

 

A change of attitude and style will see Maccarinelli return to the swashbuckling powerhouse that caused havoc amongst the cruiserweight division’s leading contenders culminating in him capturing the WBO title.

 

“This time I’ve had some good sparring against heavyweights and they’ve remarked on how strong I am. I’ve trained harder this time and my weight is currently 14st 3lbs. I’m going to go back to my old attacking style for this fight. I’m naturally an aggressive, come forward boxer who throws lots of punches and feel more comfortable boxing in this way.”

 

“My trainer Carl Ince in Bolton tried to get me to adopt a new style for Lebedev, and no disrespect to Carl at all, although I put my trust in it I didn’t fully agree or feel comfortable with it. I was told to follow a gameplan and go on the back foot. I’ve boxed on the back foot before but that’s when I want to go there. I remember in the second round I hit Lebedev with a one-two and a left hook to the body and I heard him wince in pain. Normally as soon as I hear that, I move in for the finish, but I elected to go on the back foot again which is when I started getting caught with shots because I was hesitant,” revealed Maccarinelli.

 

“For this fight I’ve still been doing some work on the pads with Carl Ince but I’ve also been training locally with a couple of trainers in Swansea. I’ve left the weights alone this time and have just focused on doing lots of running and sparring and I feel much better in myself. I’m closer to home, I’m a family man and like being nearer to my wife and (five) kids as it’s important to me.”

 

“On Tuesday you’ll see the old Enzo. I’ll be brimming with confidence, brimming with power and I’ll definitely be taking the fight to Kotlobay to bring that European title back home with me,” the Welshman concluded.

 

http://news.boxrec.com/news/2010/exclusive-maccarinelli-heading-russia-love-euro-tilt

[Wheelchair]

The biggest problem for Enzo is his punch resistance, if anyone taps that chin he's going to go over.

[gavpowell]

I think Maccarinelli will lose, and again it will be beecause he can't pull the trigger anymore.

[Faulks]

I said months back that Enzo was finished and youve gotta admire his willingness to keep trying.

 

Sorry but i still think he's finished, good luck though Enzo i'll be glad to be proven wrong

[dulais_valley]

I always like Enzo despite his proven weaknesses at the top level and since. He came on a wave of great optimism for British boxing when we had a hatfull of "world" champs and finally some like Hatton and Calzaghe were fighting and beating big names. There was still a lot of optimism concerning Khan with much less of the cynicism he is now treated with too.

 

I remember after his fight with Olafabi he revealed he had done basically no sparring and it showed in the ring when he fell to pieces in a fight he didn't look like he was gonna lose.

 

I really enjoyed the Braithewaite fight because most people knew he was vulnerable around the whiskers but he put on a great display that night. It was a bit harsh the stick he got after getting blown out by Haye - as he says he could have taken the easy Warren route and defended his belt against Bobby Gunn's for years on end. At least he took the gamble even if it didn't pay off.

[The Hurricane]

I always like Enzo despite his proven weaknesses at the top level and since. He came on a wave of great optimism for British boxing when we had a hatfull of "world" champs and finally some like Hatton and Calzaghe were fighting and beating big names. There was still a lot of optimism concerning Khan with much less of the cynicism he is now treated with too.

 

I remember after his fight with Olafabi he revealed he had done basically no sparring and it showed in the ring when he fell to pieces in a fight he didn't look like he was gonna lose.

 

I really enjoyed the Braithewaite fight because most people knew he was vulnerable around the whiskers but he put on a great display that night. It was a bit harsh the stick he got after getting blown out by Haye - as he says he could have taken the easy Warren route and defended his belt against Bobby Gunn's for years on end. At least he took the gamble even if it didn't pay off.

 

Unfortunately for Enzo, it was following the Warren route that got him so brutally exposed. He was given the belt allowed to fight too many soft options for too long - the Gunn's and Azzaoui's he was racking up. Braithwaite was a pretty decent win admittedly, but Warren only agreed to the Haye fight as they thought he was done at the weight.

 

He has always seemed like a decent bloke and I wish him well in this fight but I think the lack of well matched opponents is always going to trouble him even at this level now.

[Wheelchair]

 

Unfortunately for Enzo, it was following the Warren route that got him so brutally exposed. He was given the belt allowed to fight too many soft options for too long - the Gunn's and Azzaoui's he was racking up. Braithwaite was a pretty decent win admittedly, but Warren only agreed to the Haye fight as they thought he was done at the weight.

 

He has always seemed like a decent bloke and I wish him well in this fight but I think the lack of well matched opponents is always going to trouble him even at this level now.

 

goodp//