Exclusive - Macklin handed date for maiden European defence

Matthew Macklin will make the first defence of his European middleweight title against Russian Dimitry Pirog in Birmingham on a Hatton Promotions show on April 16. The venue is yet to be confirmed but the LG Arena or the NIA are believed to be the frontrunners.

Macklin was originally due to defend his crown against Pirog on February 19 but some bruising to his stands, sustained in his points triumph over Rafael Sosa Pintos in Dublin in December, brought about the postponement.

The 27-year-old Macklin captured the European title with a chilling one-round demolition of Finland’s Amin Asikainen in September and is on a nine-fight winning streak since memorably losing to Jamie Moore in 2006.  The Birmingham fighter’s rich vein of form has placed him on the verge of securing a world title shot. Macklin is currently ranked at 11 by the WBA, 9 by the WBC, 6 by the IBF and 4 by the WBO.

The aggressive Pirog is unbeaten in 14 fights (11 inside) and holds respectable wins over former world title challenger Kofi Jantuah (UD 12) and Geard Ajetovic (pts 10), the latter who has also been outpointed by Macklin.