Matthew Macklin! If you already didn't know..

[wiseman2007]

So in-case any of you didn't know ... Macklin is proud being from Ireland! Which is fine, But the guy is going over the top with it! Wouldn't be surprised if he's gets a tattoo of a big 4 leaf clover on his back.. I know its good marketing in america and Ireland, but come on! Most interviews, he has to bring it up! Don't forget The whole iv got paddy and shamos for fists at his Martinez press conference.. along with trying to speak Irish when he"s clearly got a brummy accent... its just cringe.. Don't get me wrong. I'm proud of my Irish heritage! But you don't see me walking about constantly wearing Guinness T shirts jamming to The Dubliners... Jesus I thought the yanks were bad...

[jessi]

Totally agree, always be proud of your routes but putting on an accent and continuously talking about a country you clearly never lived in is cringe worthy !

[Bronxbull666]

If a dog is born in a stable, it doesn't make it a horse. Shame on you Macklin

[15829]

This is gonna turn in to a great thread

[danconnollyeire]

As someone who is the 'same kinda Irish' as Macklin, it's only a recent thing! Going in to the Sturm fight he was 'British' and got the whole of the UK behind him. All of a sudden he's fight in New York on Paddy's Day so being of Irish hertitage got lots supporting and took it further. He forgot his nationality is English all together and kept urging Ireland to back him. He didn't urge the British fans to back him one. A little disrespectful

[gobbles]

Matthew has been introduced in every fight he has had as "from Birmingham, England". He has an Irish passport, but has never lived there. I don't think it's anyone's place to tell him if he should feel Irish or English, these things are not always cut and dried.
Look at someone like Sinan Samil Sam - the Bull of the Bosphorus, boxed for Turkey at high level as an amateur, yet born in Frankfurt.

[whiteboy]

As someone who is the 'same kinda Irish' as Macklin, it's only a recent thing! Going in to the Sturm fight he was 'British' and got the whole of the UK behind him. All of a sudden he's fight in New York on Paddy's Day so being of Irish hertitage got lots supporting and took it further. He forgot his nationality is English all together and kept urging Ireland to back him. He didn't urge the British fans to back him one. A little disrespectful

not entirely sure about that as they played the Irish anthem before the fight in Cologne

went over to NY for the Martinez fight and found the announcements a bit cringeworthy - "he may be from birmingham but is 100% irish and is fighting for irish people worldwide, blah, blah"

[danconnollyeire]

Matthew has been introduced in every fight he has had as "from Birmingham, England". He has an Irish passport, but has never lived there. I don't think it's anyone's place to tell him if he should feel Irish or English, these things are not always cut and dried.
Look at someone like Sinan Samil Sam - the Bull of the Bosphorus, boxed for Turkey at high level as an amateur, yet born in Frankfurt.

I agree. I feel as much Irish as English. But the Irish never supported him until Martinez and all he mentioned was the Irish fans, forgot everyone else!

[danconnollyeire]

went over to NY for the Martinez fight and found the announcements a bit cringeworthy - "he may be from birmingham but is 100% irish and is fighting for irish people worldwide, blah, blah"

That's the point! I'm Irish and I've lived in Ireland but I've lived here most of my life. That's just disrespectful as it was the 'British' fans that have followed him since day one...

[mfc_se15]

went over to NY for the Martinez fight and found the announcements a bit cringeworthy - "he may be from birmingham but is 100% irish and is fighting for irish people worldwide, blah, blah"

Was over there too, was very cringe worthy although lets be honest New York on St Paddy's day was pretty cringeworthy full stop!

[ShadrachSimmo]

He's held English, Irish and British titles but if he was trying to put on an Irish accent that's a bit farcical. He's obviously playing up to it too much. I remember Jamie Moore won the Irish title, I think his parents are Irish too but he didn't make a big deal of it.

[gobbles]

He has never tried to put on an Irish accent. But let's not forget, it was in Ireland with Brian Peters on RTE that he was able to keep his career going when he got caught in the middle of the allegedly-Billy Graham war.

[JamesH]

I'm an English-born Irishman, I don't try to speak like a native Irishman but there are Irish expressions I use which raise an eyebrow when delivered in my Cockney twanged home counties accent. My brother however, genuinely begins to sound more Irish in accent when he's pissed. Its not a deliberate thing, he'd be way to hammered to maintain it. My ex's mum was Scottish but only sounded Scottish when talking to here family based there.

Accents are a funny thing for which I generally make exceptions, but I do insist on drawing the line at Steve McClaren's dutch! I mean, with the best will in the world, he'd not been there a month. I mean, Jeshusssss.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZnoP4sUV90

[Adamj1987]

he's not on his own but he seems to do it worse than most, he may move there like margarito did with mexico after being born in america

[Datsue]

"Terry, listen to me: do this for the white race. You may be Irish, but they're almost white..."

[freddydoesdallas]

Totally agree, always be proud of your routes but putting on an accent and continuously talking about a country you clearly never lived in is cringe worthy !

Exactly, the yanks are very proud of their route 66.

As for Macklin, he's here to make money and for that i wish him the best. If people will get behind him through the odd 'ders more to oireland dan dis' etc then good luck to him.

It's all about the benjamins and the bentleys y'all

[Lenny]

Lenny's coming, quick hide

(no, not me obviously, that wouldn't make any sense)

[Bricks]

Brings a tear to my eye when i think of how barry McGuigan who was the real deal..the absolute 100% real deal and could have been a superstar to rival SRL in America had it all blown away.
McGuigan had the looks the charisma back in 86, he was a story and a half what with his unifying people during the troubles and his dad singing danny boy. Barry even looked like one of the pioneer turn of the century fighters with his moustache and dark hair.

If Macklin wants to go the whole hog he should take to growing a twirly moustache, and wearing a turn of the century suit with a waistcoat and clock attached to it, chew tobacco and speak in his irish accent

[dve3333]

In fairness who would attract a bigger crowd to a show in New York, an Irishman or an Englishman? Truth is there is a massive Irish contingent there that love their boxing and its been proved time and time again that by getting with the right promoter who is in sync with the Irish American audience there marketing a mediocre "Irish" guy such as John Duddy can sell out arenas for fun.
So its hard to blame him for maximising his Irish heritage when the dollars will undoubtedly follow.

[danconnollyeire]

The plastic paddy act always works a trick in the US, it looks ridiculous to us but we're not paying his wages when he's over there.

It worked for Clinton... even Obama's tried it!

[Final round]

[Final round]

The best two nights of Macklin's career:

1. Jamie Moore - LOST KO 10

2. Sergio Martinez - LOST RTD 11

PIGG

I would have said his performance against Sturm and the first round KO against Asikainen to win the EBU were his two best

[Lightsoot]

At least Macklin shows more loyalty to his 'country' than he does to his trainers.

[Bennyblanco]

Why doesn't he just be Irish once a year like all the other sheep on st Patrick's day

[lillywhite14]

In fairness who would attract a bigger crowd to a show in New York, an Irishman or an Englishman? Truth is there is a massive Irish contingent there that love their boxing and its been proved time and time again that by getting with the right promoter who is in sync with the Irish American audience there marketing a mediocre "Irish" guy such as John Duddy can sell out arenas for fun.
So its hard to blame him for maximising his Irish heritage when the dollars will undoubtedly follow.

Depends if the Englishman is Ricky Hatton I guess!

See where you are coming from though. I think it makes sense for Macklin to live up to the Irish thing. Those 1/32nd Irish yanks love it which means $$$.