Enzo Maccarinelli will now tackle unbeaten Mohamed Azzaoui on November 3 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. The power-punching Welshman will put his WBO World Cruiserweight title on the line against the New Zealand-based Algerian, who is ranked number eight by the IBF, and number 15 by both the WBA and the WBO, and boasts a 22-0-2 record.
And he is in shape after fighting just last weekend on the undercard of the big Evander Holyfield-Sultan Ibragimov card in Moscow, stopping Henry Saenz in eight rounds.
“Azzaoui looks a tough fighter,” said Maccarinelli. “It’s never easy taking on someone at short notice, and I know he’ll be in shape because he was coming off the back of a good win when he took the call to face me and he will be really up for taking the title from me.
“But I have to overcome these type of challenges if I’m to cement my position as the best cruiserweight in the world.
“I had a good win over Wayne Braithwaite last time around, and now I want to go one better and get a big KO in front of my home crowd.
“I’ve fought twice at the Millennium Stadium and had spectacular victories, and now I’m looking to make it a hat-trick of early finishes.”
Former Olympian Azzaoui holds regional WBA and IBF titles, and says working at a timber-mill in Mt Pokaka, Auckland, keeps him in shape between fights.
“I always get time off to train, but the physical work I do there is something else,” said 31-year-old Azzaoui. “It makes boxing seem like a walk in the park.
“Maccarinelli may not know too much about me, but I’ve already been studying his fights, and he’s in for a big surprise on November 3. I’m bringing that title back home to New Zealand.
“The rugby team got knocked out of the World Cup in the quarter finals, and that’s left everyone pretty depressed, but they will cheer up once I’ve done the business on Maccarinelli.”
As an amateur, Azzaiou was a six-time African Games gold medallist, winning 199 of his 210 fights.
Maccarinelli-Azzaoui will be chief support to Joe Calzaghe’s super-middleweight unification fight against Mikkel Kessler, and will be aired live on Setanta Sports in the UK and HBO in the USA.
Joe Calzaghe vs. Mikkel Kessler is exclusively live on Setanta Sports 1 on Saturday, November 3rd from 8.15pm. To subscribe, visit www.setanta.com or call 08712 00 42 54. Calzaghe vs. Kessler is not available on a pay per view.