"Big Macc", from Swansea, is a former WBO World Cruiserweight champion, a hard hitting & entertaining fighter to watch & one of the most likeable men in the sport; it has been a shame to see his career fall apart over the past few years. Although he has 25 stoppages to his name, cementing his standing as one of the biggest punchers in world boxing, the Braithwaite fight surprisingly went the distance. It was a very impressive performance against a respected former world champion as the Welshman won every round, including a 5th round knock down, keeping his opponent on the end of his powerful jab before showing a nice variety of attack, with heavy hooks mixed in with body shots & spiteful uppercuts. It showcased Maccarinelli at his best & as far more talented than just a slugger. The fight was the third of his four successful world title defenses & led into the unification fight the following year with WBC champion David Haye. Which was the beginning of the fall...
Dubbed "Bombs Away", the clash was highly anticipated & pundits were split over the likely outcome beforehand. However the fight didn't live up to expectations; Maccarinelli looked tense & uncomfortable on his ring entrance, in stark contrast to the demeanour of Haye, & he remained stiff when the bell went. The first round was cagey but two big right hands form Haye wobbled Maccarinelli badly in the second & the Londoner quickly followed up to bring about the stoppage (watch here)
The following year saw Maccarinelli suffer back to back knock out defeats to Ola Alofabi (last seen virtually decapitating Terry Dunstan on the Haye-Klitschko undercard) & Denis Lebedev, and with vague comments on retirement & a flirtation with MMA, it looked like the end was approaching. His fall from prominence was highlighted when he became seen as an "opponent", having to travel to St Petersburg to face unbeaten local Alexander Kotlobay for the vacant European title. However Enzo showed he still retained his ambition & power as, away from home & with no attention from the British media, he pulled off a stunning victory in only 2 minutes
Sadly the celebrations didn't last long as Maccarinelli suffered a 4th knock out in his first defense against unbeaten German Alexander Frenkel. It's worth noting that he was actually fighting well & winning the fight before Frenkel pulled out the huge left hook. Enzo bravely made it back to his feet but had no control of his legs & looked concussed; disgracefully the referee, Erkki Meronen, allowed it to continue & a defenseless Maccarinelli had to endure another two heavy shots before it was ended; he needed treatment from medics in the ring afterwards. It was the most appalling officiating I've ever witnessed, it could have led to a disaster & how that idiot can be allowed to continue to referee is beyond me
There were a lot of calls for Enzo to retire following the brutal defeat & he hasn't fought since (that was back in September 2010) but recent news suggest he is continuing & is to drop down in weight to light heavyweight. He is back working with former trainer Enzo Calzaghe & the target is a meeting with fellow Welshman, WBO champion Nathan Cleverley. I'm not sure how sensible it is; while he is only 30, four heavy knock out defeats in the past three years suggest his punch resistance has gone & it would be horrible if anything more serious was to occur. Yes he can get fit, he can still punch, probably even more devastatingly at the lower weight, & he still has a lot of ability, but none of that will matter if he is unable to take a punch anymore. There is also the issue of a career cruiserweight boiling his 6"4 frame down to 12"7.
Personally I'd like to see Enzo walk away now; he's provided plenty of entertainment,made it to the top when becoming world champion & I don't want to see him risk his health further. Sadly boxing is full of fighters who couldn't resist having "one more" attempt.
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