Matthew Macklin v Amin Asikainen Video
This is the main event from the first televised card promoted by Ricky Hatton. It’s a clash between two highly rated middleweights as Matthew Macklin (24-2) takes on Amin Asikainen (26-2) for the vacant European middleweight title.
Macklin (27) is probably my favourite middleweights to watch fight. He’s one of those guys who is just never in a dull match up. He has not put a foot wrong since getting knocked out in a classic against Jamie Moore back in 2006, and I think now is the right time for him to really make some noise in the division. You will be hard pressed to find a more perfect punch than the wicked left hook which sends Asikainen to the floor for the first knock down.
Asikainen was on paper a very tough opponent, and was considered a big step up in standard for Macklin. He was ranked number 6 in the world by The Ring going into this bout, and has been a mainstay in the top 10 for the past three years. He had also gone 1-1 in a two fight series with current IBF champion Sebastian Sylvester. There was the feeling that he might be beginning to deteriorate, but nobody has ever been able to deal with him in such a convincing fashion.
This was a huge win for Macklin, and it may put him in line for a World Title shot. He was in attendance at the O2 arena in Dublin for the Dunne vs Poonsawat fight on Saturday, and stated that his team was confident that they could bring a title fight against Sebastian Sylvester to Dublin.
Wow. What a left hook.