Matthew Macklin vs Brian Rose Preview April 9th
The vacant IBF Inter-Continental Middleweight Title will be on the line at the O2 Arena in London, England this Saturday, April 9th when Brian Rose takes on fellow Englishman Matthew Macklin in a 12-rounder. The fight is on the undercard of the Anthony Joshua vs Charles Martin IBF Heavyweight Title tilt and can be seen live in the UK on Sky Sports Box Office while Showtime airs the main event in the U.S. Rose and Macklin both hail from Birmingham and this is a must-win situation for Macklin if he hopes to receive one more world title shot.
Macklin vs Rose Betting Odds
Here are the winner odds from online sportsbook 5dimes.eu
- Matthew Macklin +120
- Brian Rose -140
My Pick
The 31-year-old Rose will be entering the ring with a record of 28-3-1 with just 8 kos while the 33-year-old Macklin is 34-6 with 22 Kos under his belt. Both boxers realize they’ll never become a world champion if they can’t emerge with a victory in this big domestic contest. Rose has already had one shot at a world belt, but fell short when he was beaten by Demetrius Andrade of America via a seventh-round stoppage in a WBO Super Welterweight bout in 2014 in Brooklyn, New York. Rose admitted that Andrade deserved the win, but feels he also performed under par that night.
Macklin is a former British and European Middleweight Champion who took on Sergio Martinez of Argentina for the WBC belt in March of 2012, but was stopped in the 11th round. He also lost a title fight to Felix Sturm in the champion’s homeland of Germany in what many feel was a hometown decision for Sturm. Also, Macklin was stopped in the third round by current middleweight king Gennady Golovkin in June of 2013 in a title bout and was stopped in 10 by Jorge Sebastian Heiland in November, 2014. His other two losses came earlier in his career prior to 2007, but Macklin has been stopped in four of his six defeats.
Macklin’s chin certainly has to be questioned at this stage of his career, but on the bright side, he possesses some pretty good power of his own. Macklin has fought the tougher opponents throughout his career when you consider who he’s taken, so he definitely gets the nod in experience over Rose. Another bonus for the aggressive Macklin is the fact that Rose doesn’t have much in the way of power. With eight Kos to his name, Rose’s current knockout ratio is just 25 per cent while Macklin’s is 55 percent.
As far as size goes, Rose is a decent height at 6-feet-tall while Macklin is a couple of inches shorter at 5-foot-10. Rose has an unlisted reach while Macklin’s is 71 inches. All three of Rose’s losses have been by stoppage as the former British champion has been beaten by the likes of Carson Jones and Max Maxwell as well as by Andrade. His biggest wins have been against Joachim Alcine and Vivian Harris. Rose has boxed 221 rounds since turning pro in 2005 while Macklin has gone 219 since 2001. Since both of them have questionable chins Rose needs to make sure he boxes rather than slugs it out since Macklin definitely has the edge in power.
Prediction……
This should be a decent fight and a must-win for both guys if they have any shot at a world title. Macklin is past his prime and Rose hasn’t been a consistent winner up to now. Rose is a couple of years younger and has the edge in height, but Macklin gets the nod in power and experience. There’s a chance this doesn’t go the distance, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if it goes all 12 rounds. Either way, Macklin should do enough to win this bout.
This is another close call with Macklin getting my vote due to his experience.
Play: Macklin +120 @ 5dimes.eu
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Brian Rose betting • Matthew Macklin betting