Matthew Macklin In High-Stakes Bout in Dublin

UPDATE 2: Macklin advisor Anthony Catanzaro of Brooklyn checked in with TSS, and told us about the scrap. “It was a hellacious pace, a very taxing and grueling fight,” he said. “It was close going into the tenth round, then Heiland capitzalized on the fatigue factor. Matthew fought real hard, the crowd and the electricity in the arena was fantastic. I’m proud of him!”

And, was there talk of retiring, or continuing? “I had breakfast with him the next day,” Catanzaro said. “He won’t think about that till after the holiday.”

UPDATE: We told you Matt Macklin was in tough Saturday, and that he knew it. That was made much more clear when Macklin got stuck on the ropes in Dublin, and foe Jorge Sebstian Heiland knocked him senseless with a right hook, scoring a KO10 win over the likeable Irishman.

A left hand down the middle, in tight, followed by a right hook which exploded on his chin made Macklin unable to defend himself. He sunk to the mat, eyes glazed, and the ref knew he was in no condition to continue.

Will he continue in this savage sport? We shall see; he is 3-4 in his last seven and has been stopped twice in that span.

It goes without saying, but we say it anyway–we wish a good man well, whatever he decides is his next move.

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Fan friendly hitter and all-star good guy Matthew Macklin gets it on tonight in Ireland, and he’s in tough, with a guy not known to the American boxing heads, but yes, no pushover.

“I’ve been training with Joe Gallager back in Manchester, Enaglnd, and I’ve not felt this good since I fought Felix Sturm (June 2011),” the 32-year-old boxer with a 32-5 record told TSS. “I’m in great condition and felt good in sparring with lefty Craig McEwan.”

The foe tonight at the 3 Arena in Dublin, on an Eddie Hearn promotion, is one Jorge Sebastian Heiland, a 24-4-2 Argentine on a three fight win streak. He’s a southpaw, who, Macklin tells me, “has a high work rate, high volume of punches, likes to be aggressive and overwhelm his opponents. He likes to work to the body and basically pile on the pressure. He’s a durable guy, never been stopped. He’s avenged two of his four losses, the other two were to Sebastian Zbik and Nilson Julio Tapia.”

The WBC international middleweight title will be up for grabs in what should be a sold out joint.

And, is this guy Heiland comparable to anyone on the rock-solid Macklin resume? Mack the Knife, who grew up in Ireland, has been in with Sturm, Sergio Martinez, Gennady Golovkin, Joachim Alcine…

“It’s difficult to say, I mean he hasn’t fought in the class of an Alcine..but he’s bigger, stronger and fresher, definitely more solid, a better chin too.”

Sounds like a stern test?

“Yes, a proper fight…but I’m in a good place,” Macklin stated.

His advisor Anthony Catanazaro, whose rep within the game ticked higher when we saw his kid Sadam Ali upset Luis Carlos Abrego on HBO last weekend, told me the same, that this is no gimme fight. He said that the stakes are immense, that the winner could get a crack at the WBC middleweight title now around the waist of Miguel Cotto, who is negotiating to fight Canelo Alvarez in May.

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