HEAVY-HITTING Enzo Maccarinelli makes the second defence of his WBU cruiserweight title against South Africa's Earl Morais in the rearranged main event at the National Ice Rink in Cardiff tomorrow night (Saturday, December 6). This one was elevated from chief support to Joe Calzaghe's WBO title defence against Armenian Mger Mkrtchian after Calzaghe withdrew with the flu in late November.
Swansea's Maccarinelli expressed sympathy for his fellow Welshman, but says he is determined to seize his chance on the big stage.
"I'm disappointed for Joe and hope he gets well soon, but this is a great opportunity for me," he said.
"I'm getting a good following in Wales and, like Joe, I've got what the fans want - action, excitement and the big knockout punch."
Maccarinelli had expected to face Argentinian veteran Jorge Castro, but The Board quickly vetoed him as an opponent after reports of his July challenge to IBO champion Sebastian Rothmann in South Africa referred to the 36-year-old "clowning around" and being less than competitive. Chile's former IBA cruiserweight champion Carlos Cruzat was then mooted as a replacement, but a long-standing knee injury flared up and scuppered his chance. Arias lacks their top-flight experience (Castro had been the distance with the likes of Roy Jones Junior and Vassili Jirov; Cruzat with Mike McCallum), but should have more ambition as the reigning South African cruiserweight champion.
The champion remains unpeturbed: "My training has gone really well for this fight and the change in opponent has not affected my preparations," he said. "I understand that opponents can change at the last minute and as a champion you have to deal with it. Whoever is put in front of me will still be knocked out. Morais is a big puncher but will not be able to stand up to my power."
A pro since 1994, Morais first challenged for the South African title back in 1999 against the exceptional Sebastian Rothmann and was stopped in 10 rounds. Rothmann then came over to England and kayoed Rob Norton in eight rounds in Birmingham for the WBU cruiserweight crown, enabling Morais to pick up the vacant national title with an eighth round kayo himself over Melusi Khoza in 2000. He's defended the title four times (but was held to a draw in a recent defence by Burrie Theunissen), and also picked up something called the WBA Pan African cruiserweight title with a points win over Kenya's Chris Sirengo in 2001, but lost it quickly in Panama City to Luis Pineda, who stopped him in four rounds. Morais was also beaten in eight rounds in a challenge for the vacant IBA continental title in Denmark last year by Jesper Kristiansen. The useful Dane wore him down with body shots and dropped him face first in the eighth with a big right hand. Kristiansen led by 68-64 on all three cards at the time of the knockout.
He's boxed only once since, when he retained his South African title in August this year by stopping Baldwin Hlongwane in six in Johannesburg.
"I've seen the South African's record and he certainly looks like he can punch," said Maccarinelli. "I'm noted for my punch power as well so it will be a case of who lands first. But I will not let my title go without a fight."
Certainly, Morais looks a good puncher with a 10 early finishes in his record of 15-5-3, but he's never been a busy fighter in terms of regular fights (averaging two or three a year) and his recent form is uninspiring (one win and a draw in his last four outings). To make things worse, all five of his career losses have come inside the distance, which suggests his chin isn't as strong as his punch. At 32, he's hardly the freshest opponent in the world either. Still, he has plenty of championship rounds under his belt and has been 12 rounds on a couple of occasions. And the 10 rounds he lasted with compatriot Rothmann puts him on a par of sorts with British and Commonwealth cruiserweight champion Mark Hobson, who retired after nine rounds against Rothmann in 2001 in Liverpool.
But Maccarinelli, with 11 quick finishes in his 15 wins, and just the one early loss to Lincoln southpaw Lee Swaby, is clearly the man on the way up. The Italian-Welshman won the vacant WBU title when he overcame a heavy first round knockdown to flatten Hackney's favoured and vastly more experienced Bruce Scott in four rounds at a packed Cardiff International Arena in June. His finishing left hook was a beauty against a man who had previously gone 12 rounds with Johnny Nelson in a challenge for the WBO cruiserweight crown. And he needed less than a round to dispose of Estonia's Andrei Kiarsten in his first defence at the Newport Sports Centre in September. A sharp right uppercut followed by a left hook sent Kiarsten, in truth a blown-up light-heavy, crashing down for the full count after just 70 seconds. He has still to go beyond four rounds as a pro, not that it worries him. "I trained hard for the full 12 for Kiarsten, and would have done that easily," he said. "But you don't get paid for overtime."
His obvious potential was confirmed recently when he was made Young Boxer Of The Year by the Boxing Writers' Club.
The tall, lean, Swansea puncher turned pro in 1999 after a successful amateur career and cruised to three straight wins before suffering a shock knockout at the hands of Lee Swaby in his own Swansea backyard. "That was the best thing that could ever have happened to me," he says now. "It gave me the kick up the backside that I needed. It showed me that I couldn't just turn up and win fights automatically."
Southpaw Swaby was no mean opponent. He entered the fight with 17 fights behind him and had just gone 10 rounds with Kelly Oliver. In hindsight, it was too ambitious a match for a 19-year-old three-fight pro.
"It was a long road back, but I was just 19 and perhaps wasn't enjoying the sport as much as I should have been," adds Enzo. "It made me sort a few things out."
Three years and 12 consecutive wins later, Maccarinelli has backed up his words. At 23, the world really is his oyster. "I want for three or four defences in the next 12 months," he says, "then I'll be looking for (WBO champion) Johnny Nelson by the end of 2004."
"I've been working hard. I feel I've been improving all the time."
Questions marks remain over the sturdiness of his chin following the Swaby knockout and the knockdown he suffered against Scott in winning the title, but the challenger looks more vulnerable. The knockout he suffered to the capable but unremarkable Kristainsen last year was a bad one. Still, he showed no ill effects in his one outing since in defence of his South African title in August. His lack of activity is probably more of an issue leading into this challenge, along with the glaring fact he has been starched on the only two occasions he has boxed outside of South Africa, against Kristiansen in Denmark and Luis Pineda in Panama. A packed Ice Rink in Cardiff will hardly be the warmest, most welcoming of away destinations either.
The 6' 4" Welshman clearly enjoys fighting at home: "The response I got after my last two fights was fantastic," he says. "And I want to produce a similar result." Morais won't be a total pushover. South Africa has a history of producing good cruiserweights and Morais is the country's champion, and has been since 2000. Moreover, the challenger's 15 career wins, while hardly awe-inspiring, match that of the champion's. He also has a similar stoppage record (10 compared to Enzo's 11).
But it seems that if Morais gets hit, he is liable to lose heart as well as his footing, whereas Enzo has shown recently he can fight back from such calamaities. And he can hit of course. The reason he has never been beyond four rounds as a pro is because he does hit so hard. I think he'll wear down Morais tomorrow night and force a stoppage around the ninth round.
Enzo fights a bit of a pushover
Enzo fights a bit of a pushover
Last edited by bennie on 06 Dec 2003, 14:03, edited 1 time in total.
Sad to see a fight like this masquarading as a 'world title' fight!.... Enzo is a big hitter and entertaining but nowhere near world class... his beating of Bruce Scott looked impressive but Bruce was faded and hadn't fought for god knows how long, yet came close to winning early.... I predict that the first fighter with a decent chin and punch (and of the same weight!) to be let loose at Enzo will ko him... enzo's got a poor defence and suspect chin... bad combination!.
I think the reason Enzo has been steered the way he has is because those behind him know that there are a good few domestic Cruisers who would expose him and take advantage of his defensive flaws and dodgey chin.... in many ways it's the Anthony Farnell story all over again.... fighter not up to winning British title is installed as 'World champ' and then fights diet of tomatoes till he is eventually found out.... which will happen eventually even against tomatoes..... 'eat enougth tomatoes and you'll eventually choke on the pips!'
If Enzo was just taking this as another learning fight then ok.... but it is the fact that it is billed as a 'world title' fight and Enzo a world champion that really makes my blood boil.... I ve nothing against Enzo personally but when you look at boxing history and see all the great fighters who never won a title or even fought for a title then todays situation regarding titles does seem more than a little sick.
Yes. Enzo totally ignores the British title and gets rewarded with a so-called 'world' title. It's a joke. Would Enzo beat British champion, Mark Hobson? Well, Hobson has beaten Lee Swaby, the only man to have beaten Maccarinelli. So, on that premise, no.silkov wrote:If Enzo was just taking this as another learning fight then ok.... but it is the fact that it is billed as a 'world title' fight and Enzo a world champion that really makes my blood boil.... I ve nothing against Enzo personally but when you look at boxing history and see all the great fighters who never won a title or even fought for a title then todays situation regarding titles does seem more than a little sick.
WBU, WBF, IBO and even WBO titles offer fighters in this country a chance to bypass the difficult British and European title route, and that's wrong. There's no way you should be able to call yourself a 'world' champ if you're not even champion of your own country. That's why you have to admire someone like Clinton Woods, who won the legitimate British and European titles before going for the WBC crown. Even Joe Calzaghe and Ricky Hatton won British titles before going for the WBO and WBU title respectively. But more and more fighters, like Enzo, are being allowed to use the alphabet titles to avoid legitimate championship fights. The Board should put a stop to that.
I had to laugh when Matthew Barney beat Tony Oakey for the WBU light-heavyweight title recently. It totally exposed the worthlessness of the WBU title in comparison to the British title. Barney, after all, was British champion at a LOWER weight!!
Last edited by bennie on 07 Dec 2003, 09:18, edited 1 time in total.
