Matthew Macklin: "Losses Made Me The Fighter I Am Today"

Matthew Macklin has revealed how two early career losses have helped mould him into the fighter he is today. Speaking shortly after Andy Lee’s non-title victory in Limerick, Macklin, the current middleweight champion of Europe, outlined how tasting defeat can help change a boxer for the better.

 

“When I fought Andrew Facey I didn’t see it as a loss because I felt I’d won the fight and looking back, it was maybe a fight too soon for me at that time anyway,” said the 27-year-old Birmingham man. “Against Jamie Moore I just couldn’t make light-middleweight anymore and it taught me to keep an eye on things like weight loss and nutrition.

 

“Apart from that I learned how to pace myself better because Jamie dragged me into a fight and I got too gung-ho. The ending was from pure exhaustion because I’d never been down, amateur, pro or in sparring. In my last two fights I’ve taken my time, boxed and the knockout’s have come naturally, so you sometimes need that little reminder not to go out looking for the finisher.”

 

Matthew added that he was receptive to a future all-Ireland clash with once-beaten rival Andy Lee and insisted that his future foe had also shown improvements since Brian Vera inflicted a first pro loss.

 

“Andy’s still getting his confidence back after the Vera loss,” assured Macklin, “and the French guy [opponent on the night Affif Belghecham] waited for him to tire, saving his energy, before making a late charge. He tried to burgle Lee a bit at the end and let’s be honest; Andy had won every round to that point and was only troubled late-on - it was an impressive performance.”

 

The popular Anglo-Irish talent thought that Lee’s undoing in the Vera fight was a lack of experience when hurt and under fire. He also added that Andy showed against Belghecham that he had learned from that experience and kept his hands higher after being tagged, when in the past he had displayed a scattered defence.

 

“He slugged it out and didn’t hold (when facing Vera) whereas tonight he got caught with clean shots and tied his man up,” added Macklin, “turning him and walking him back to ring centre – dictating with better boxing skills. To me, that shows he’s learned from the Vera experience.”

 

With a non-title scrap of his own pencilled in for Dublin next month and a European mandatory early next year, it seems we may have to hold fire on a proposed Macklin-Lee clash. So long as it happens eventually, Irish boxing is prepared to wait for such a mouth watering prospect.