By James Slater: Today in Manchester, it was announced how 28-year-old Matthew Macklin, 28-2(19), will be facing Khoren Gevor on April 16th, in a final eliminator for the WBA middleweight title. 31-year-old Gevor, 31-5(16) and a southpaw, has challenged for a major belt three times previously and he will be hoping he can get the better of the Brit when he meets him on the Khan-McCloskey under-card next month.
Present at today’s Ricky Hatton-hosted press conference, I had the opportunity to speak with the always-exciting Macklin.
Here is what “Mack The Knife” had to say about his upcoming fight:
James Slater: Thanks for taking the time to speak with Eastsideboxing.com, Matthew. First of all, you said you were disappointed to have lost the Winky Wright fight. Is there any chance you will have a problem getting up, getting motivated, for the fight with Gevor?
Matthew Macklin: No, there’s no problems getting motivated; I’m very familiar with Gevor. The first time I saw Gevor was back in 2005. I was fighting on the under-card of Hatton-Mauser, and I fought a Russian guy, Alexey Chirkov. He was 17-1 then and his only loss was on points to Gevor. I watched the DVD of that fight, so I’ve been familiar with Gevor since then. As you do, you keep an eye on fighters who are in your weight class; thinking you may cross paths in the future. So this is a fight I have to be motivated for. He’s a really good fighter. Obviously, Winky Wright’s credentials speak for themselves – but though Gevor may not be as well-known in this country, he is a proven fighter himself. He’s been in with the best, and a lot of people thought he won the fight [he had] with [Felix] Sturm (in July of 2009).
J.S: What are Gevor’s strengths?
M.M: He’s small and he uses that to his advantage. He tucks up well and makes himself even smaller. He pushed Arthur Abraham hard (in August of 2007). He really is a good fighter.
J.S: Do you see a points win next month, or a KO win?
M.M: Bar his getting stopped in the 11th-round by Abraham, I don’t think anyone has ever come close to stopping him. He may have lost an early fight on a cut, I’ll have to check (Gevor was TKO’d in the 8th, by Lukas Konecny in 2002, this loss followed a TD loss to the same man, earlier that same year). He’s a tough guy and he’s got a pretty good defence. So I don’t know….. I’ll certainly be looking to bag rounds, put points away. If a KO comes, it comes. I’m a pretty big puncher at the weight, so if I do land clean it could well be a KO. But I’m not going to go in there looking for one necessarily.
J.S: Looking ahead: have Golden Boy pretty much promised you the fight with Sturm after?
M.M: Pretty much, but they still have to actually make the deal, don’t they? But this fight is an elimination and I’m ranked number-three by the WBA anyway. I’ve waited a long time, I’ve paid my dues and I think I deserve my chance. I’ve fight some really tough guys, I’ve been a European champion twice, and I deserve my opportunity.
J.S: There’s no doubt about that. Would you go to Germany to fight Felix Sturm? He seems to be hesitant to fight outside of Germany.
M.M: I’d go to Germany. I think Sturm is very beatable. He’s very good, a technical boxer, sharp, with a lovely jab and a tight defence – but he isn’t a big puncher and I don’t think he’s the most physically strong fighter. I’d fancy a fight with Sturm big time, and I wouldn’t mind going to Germany.
J.S: Do you feel you are at your peak right now?
M.M: I honestly think I’m getting better. Little bits of experience, tweaking little things…. Look at the likes of Joe Calzaghe, and even Sergio Martinez now. Those guys are/were in the best stage of their careers when in their mid-thirties. And look in the past: Steve Collins, he beat [Chris] Eubank when he was 31. And Nigel Benn: though it was a tragic fight, he beat Gerald McClellan when he was 31 and that was probably the peak of his career. So I think that at 28, the best is still out there. I’m still improving. You get cuter, and learn little things in the gym – whether it’s not to do too much of that, or if it’s to do a little more of this. As long as I get the right fight in front of me, where there is something on the line, a fight I can get up for, I think I can beat anyone in this division.
J.S: Talking about getting up for fights: is a fight with you and Darren Barker still out there or have you moved on now?
M.M: I’m still up for the Barker fight. It’s just the way it worked out. I signed a contract to fight him in September and he pulled out ten days, two weeks or whatever it was, before. I signed to fight him and he pulled out, not me. And then I was offered the fight with Winky Wright, which I couldn’t turn down. So for now, I don’t see the fight happening until later down the line. I win this [Vs. Gevor] and, please, God, it will be a world title shot next. Then, if he [Barker] keeps winning, maybe we will meet in a world title fight. I’m a fighter, and I think I’ve proven I will fight anyone. I leave it up to my management and my team
J.S: It’s been great speaking with you. For my final question: people still talk about the classic you had with Jamie Moore – I know you lost that one! But it’s a YouTube favourite. Have you ever watched it yourself?
M.M: I’ve watched it many times. I watched it the next day. It was that type of fight; I had really struggled to make the [light-middle] weight. Even as early as rounds two and three, I was tired and fighting on heart. I lost but I don’t regret [taking] it. I know now how far I can dig deep. You always think you’re tough, but you don’t ‘know’ until you ‘know,’ and because of that fight I know I’ve got it inside me. As I say, on the right night, with the right preparation, I believe I can beat any middleweight. I am unbeaten at middleweight.
J.S: Certainly, neither Gevor nor Sturm will be able to push you like Moore did, and that fight had the weight factor as you said. Thanks for your time and best wishes for the April 16th fight.
M.M: Thank you.