Matthew Macklin Stays Sharp With Win in Germany

Matthew “Mack the Knife” Macklin kept his edges sharp and added a W to his ledger, scoring a majority decision over eight rounds in Germany on Saturday, on the undercard of a promotion topped by Arthur Abraham.

The 31-5 Macklin, born in England, raised in Ireland, and who now runs a gym in Spain, met up with 12-5-1 Jose Yebes, a durable and crafty Spaniard.

“The fight served its purpose,” Macklin advisor Anthony Catanzaro told me. “We got the rounds in and the rust off.” He last fought in December, winning a UD10 over Lamar Russ. “We knew Yebes was durable going in, he’d never been stopped. He has a lot of fight in him. But the difference in class and experience made the difference.”

What’s the near term future for the winner?

Ideally, Macklin will meet Jorge Sebastian Heiland (24-4-2; from Argentina) in a WBC eliminator, with the winner of that to get a crack at the WBC 160 belt, currently held by Miguel Cotto.

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