| Matthew Macklin | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Matthew Macklin |
| Nickname(s) | Tipperary Tornado, Mack The Knife, or The Roscommon Rock |
| Rated at | Middleweight |
| Nationality | British-Irish[1][2] |
| Born | 14 May 1982 Birmingham, England |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 31 |
| Wins | 28 |
| Wins by KO | 19 |
| Losses | 3 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
Matthew Macklin (born 14 May 1982, Birmingham, England), known as "The Tipperary Tornado", is a British-Irish professional boxer[3] who fights at middleweight or the divisions either side.[4][5]
He is the former Irish, British and European middleweight champion.[6][7]
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Macklin was born in Birmingham, England, his father being from County Roscommon and his mother from Tipperary. Macklin and his brother Seamus, also a boxer, spent much of his youth in his mothers native County Tipperary and it was there that he learnt to play one of Ireland's national sports, hurling.[6]
Macklin became a talented hurling player in his own right, and is a close friend of leading hurler Eoin Kelly and attends hurling events such as the Poc fada and GAA events when Tipperary are playing.[6][8]
Following his education at the independent Solihull School, at the age of 18 and whilst studying law at Coventry University, Macklin won the 2001 national senior ABA welterweight title for the Small Heath Boxing Club by beating Justin Turley in the final.[9]
Macklin left the amateur ranks and turned professional in September 2001, winning his first fight at the Bellahouston Sports Centre, Glasgow, Scotland, in which Macklin beat previously undefeated Ram Singh from Wisbech in a first round knockout on a card which included Scottish fighters Scott Harrison, Alex Arthur and Willie Limond.[10]
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, Manchester, England. Macklin later confessed to having major problems trying to make the weight for the fight.[10]
There has been speculation of a potential Irish title fight against New York based Derry native John Duddy. 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.
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!".[11]
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.[12]
Macklin beat Finnish Super-fighter Amin Asikainen by brutal 1st round KO at the Manchester Velodrome, England on 25 September 2009 for the vacant European middleweight title.[10]
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 the 18th of 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.
Mathew fought WBA Middleweight champion Felix Sturm on the 25th of June 2011. The fight ended in a controversial split decision win for Sturm. Many pundits have slated the result as many had Macklin winning the fight. Even the German television network covering the fight had Macklin winning by four rounds.
| 28 Wins (19 knockouts, 9 decisions), 3 Losses 0 Draws | |||||||
| Res. | Opponent | Type | Rd | Date | Location | Notes | |
| N/A | Sergio Gabriel Martinez | - | ? (12) | 2012-03-17 | Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States | The Ring middleweight title on the line. | |
| Loss | Felix Sturm | SD | 12 | 2011-07-02 | Lanxess-Arena, Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen | WBA Super World middleweight world title on the line. | |
| Win | Ruben Varon | UD | 12 | 2010-12-11 | Echo Arena, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom | Retained EBU (European) middleweight title. | |
| Win | Shalva Jomardashvili | RTD | 6 (12), 0:02 | 2010-09-18 | LG Arena, Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom | Won vacant EBU (European) middleweight title. Shalva retired in corner after round 5 the time announced as being two seconds into the 6th. | |