Enzo Maccarinelli will now take on rising star Ola Afolabi for the Interim WBO World Cruiserweight title on Saturday 14 March. The bout will feature on the same card as Amir Khan’s showdown against Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera at the M.E.N Arena in Manchester. Maccarinelli, the former WBO World champion, was due to face Argentine Victor Emilio Ramirez, but he will not be ready in time to face the big punching Welshman..
Instead Big Mac faces the dangerous Afolabi who is Nigerian born and moved to London with his parents where he was raised and now resides in Los Angeles.
Afolabi, 28, is under the famous Duva boxing banner with promoter Dino raving about of his prospect: “The most amazing thing about him is that for a man of his obvious tremendous skills, he never had an amateur fight! I’ve never seen a fighter with incredible skills despite having no amateur background.”
Known as ‘Kryptonite’, Afolabi is ranked at number five by the WBO – a higher position than Ramirez – and at number 12 by the WBC, and holds the NABO title.
The best win in his career was inflicting the first defeat to the then unbeaten prospect Eric Fields – who was making big waves on the US scene – with a tenth round stoppage.
What made the win more impressive was that he took it at only a month notice and it was his first bout in two years.
Maccarinelli, 28, is desperate to become world champion again and he was supposed to fight Johnathon Banks for the WBO title last December, but the bout fell through when Banks injured his ankle. Francisco Alvarez stepped in to replace Banks but he then failed a medical at the weigh-in leaving Maccarinelli with no option but to step up to heavyweight and take on Mathew Ellis – who he destroyed in two rounds.
Big Mac says he will take his anger out on Afolabi on the night.
“After the nightmare at Christmas I’m just looking forward to taking my anger out on someone and it will be Afolabi that will get the full brunt of it,” Said Maccarinelli.
“Mathew Ellis got away with it lightly, I’ve been saving this for the world title fight!”
“To be honest I’m not bothered who is put in front of me, I just want to fight, win and get my hands back on my old title again,”
“It’s been a frustrating few months but it will all be sorted out on March 14,”
“They are making a big thing of Afolabi because he beat Eric Fields, it was a good win but I am a much better fighter than Fields and can punch twice as hard,”
Maccarinelli v Afolabi features on a blockbuster show promoted by Frank Warren that also includes Nicky Cook’s WBO World Super-Featherweight title defence against Roman Martinez; Commonwealth Light-Middleweight Champion Bradley Pryce defending his title against Matthew Hall; and Paul Smith challenging for the Vacant WBA International Super-Middleweight title.
Tickets, priced at £40, £50, £75, £100, £150, £200 and £300, are available from the following outlets: See Tickets 0871 220 0260 www.seetickets.com
DON BACKS THE LITTLE GUYS!
Super-flyweight prospect Don Broadhurst will be keeping a close eye on this weekend’s super-clash between the division’s leading lights in America.
Vic Darchinyan will defend his IBF, WBC and WBA world titles against Jorge Arce in a mouth-watering showdown in California, a bout to be shown live on Showtime in the States.
Unbeaten Broadhurst says the clash is bringing some much needed exposure to the division – and he will be studying videos of the fight in the hope that he might one day fight the winner.
“They are two great fighters and it’s fantastic to have a super-fight at my weight,” said Broadhurst.
“People are always talking about the middleweights and the welterweights, but now we’ve got a great fight down at super-flyweight, and boxing fans are going to realise that us little guys can produce the goods as well.”
Broadhurst makes a defence of his Commonwealth title on February 28 at the NIA in Birmingham, on a card that will also see the professional debuts of the 2008 Olympians.
And he’s hoping for an even bigger show to come to Birmingham in the next few years.
“I’ve been tracking Arce and Darchinyan since they were flyweights and I was a flyweight, and hopefully our paths will cross at some point in the future,” he said.
“I’d love to meet one of them at Villa Park here in Birmingham either next year or in 2011.
“I’ve dreamed of big fights ever since I turned professional and I’m going to make sure I get them.
“I’ve been running up and down hills in the snow all week, and that’s the kind of committment I’m going to show for the next 18 months as I battle for a world title.”
COX EYES UP BROOK
Swindon star Jamie Cox has set his sights on a mouthwatering showdown against British welterweight champion Kell Brook.
Undefeated Brook is just one fight away from winning a Lonsdale belt outright, and has won his title fights in the seventh, first and second rounds.
But his red-hot punching power isn’t deterring Cox, also unbeaten, from demanding a fight – and the 22-year-old star is eying a clash with the Yorkshireman later in 2009.
First he fights in his hometown at the Oasis Sports Centre on February 13 against Doncaster warrior Jason Rushton over eight rounds.
And he knows an impressive performance in front of the Sky Sports cameras and his home town fans could move him a step closer to his dream showdown.
“Kell is great fighter but I reckon I will be ready for him later this year,” said stylish southpaw Cox, who won a gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
“It’s going to be coming to me soon, whenever he’s ready to have the fight.”
And Cox shrugged off the fact he’s just had nine professional outings since turning over in 2007.
“Kostya Tszyu won a world title in his 14th fight,” he said. “I don’t want to run before I can walk, but I know that I will soon be ready for Kell Brook.
“I know it is going to be an exciting fight, the public know it is going to be exciting.
“He should be watching me, he should be studying me to know what I’m about.
“I hit to the body and head just as hard as Kell Brook but I think I have got a much better boxing brain.”
Cox was ringside to see Brook successfully defend his British title at York Hall on Friday with a second round stoppage of Stuart Elwell.
And the manner of the victory didn’t stop him handing Brook a written invitation afterwards asking for the fight.
FRANK WARREN
In association with
KM Promotions
Proudly Present
CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING
OASIS LEISURE CENTRE, SWINDON
Friday, February 13, 2009
THE COMMONWEALTH LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
12 X 3 Minute Rounds at 12st 7lb (175lb)
NATHAN CLEVERLY (Cefn Forest, Wales) vs. SAMSON ONYANGO (Nairobi, Kenya)
8 X 3 Minute Rounds Light-Heavyweight Contest
DEAN FRANCIS (Basingstoke, England) vs. JOEY VEGAS (Tottenham, London, England)
8 X 3 Minute Rounds Welterweight Contest
JAMIE COX (Swindon, England) vs. JASON RUSHTON (Doncaster, England)
6 X 3 Minute Rounds Light-Welterweight Contest
BARRIE JONES (Rhondda, Wales) vs. JAY MORRIS (Isle of Wight)
4 X 3 Minute Rounds Middleweight Contest
MARLON REID (Swindon, England) vs. SHERMAN ALLEYNE (Luton, England)
4 X 3 Minute Rounds International Heavyweight Contest
BEN HARDING (Plymouth, England) vs. PRINCE GEORGE AKRONG (Accra, Ghana)
4 X 3 Minute Rounds Super-Featherweight Contest
CHRIS HIGGS (Gloucester, England) vs. SID RAZAK (Birmingham, England)
4 X 3 Minute Rounds Light-Welterweight Contest
DAN STEWART (Bristol, England) vs. JOHNNY GREAVES (East Ham, London, England)
4 X 3 Minute Rounds Lightweight Contest
ADAM CUMMINGS (Bristol, England) vs. KARL TAYLOR (Birmingham, England)