By Sheldan Keay
Sturm who is widely regarded as one of the top two middleweights in the world along with Argentinean Sergio Martinez, has held the title for over 4 years, but has gained criticism for the level of opponent he has faced in his last couple of fights, Macklin will stop this trend. The Birmingham man goes into this fight on the back of eleven straight wins since his fight of the year candidate against Jamie Moore in 2006. A string of impressive wins has seen him capture the European Middleweight title, and while he enters the fight with Sturm as an underdog, many involved in the Sport believe that Macklin can cause the upset.
Sturm comes into this fight as the much more technical boxer, and if Macklin is to stand a chance of beating the German he may have to look to finish this fight inside the distance in order to win the belt, something he may find difficult as Sturm has only been stopped once in 38 fights. Although, as previously mentioned, Macklin possesses a much higher calibre of opponent than what Sturm has recently faced, and with 19 of Macklin’s 28 victories coming by way of stoppage, if he does land a big shot on Sturm then it could be curtains for the German.
However, this fight will also be a big step up for Macklin, who returns to the ring for the first time since last December, and competes in his first ever fight in mainland Europe. After 3 stoppages in his last 4 fights, a lack lustre performance against Ruben Varon earned Macklin his critics, but he believes that he has what it takes to earn himself his first world title. Speaking of Sturm, Macklin said “"I think that there is just a chance that he has taken me a bit lightly and that will be perfect on the night. I'm prepared for the fight of my life and I'll have to produce my best performance ever. He probably thinks that I'm an easy touch.”
If Macklin is able to defeat the German, a unification bout with fellow Englishman Darren Barker may be possible for next year, as Barker is widely expected to face Sergio Martinez in October. If that bout is to culminate, it could lead to the same sort of buzz that was created during the rivarly between Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn in the 1990's. But first things first, Macklin must overcome Sturm on Saturday, and I do believe that he can defeat the German to claim his maiden world title, and indeed shock the world.
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