Enzo Maccarinelli
Encyclopedia
Enzo Maccarinelli is a Welsh professional boxer
who fights in the light heavyweight division. He is a former World Boxing Organization
(WBO) cruiserweight title holder and also held the European
title at that weight limit. He is promoted by Frank Warren
.
. Swaby, from Lincoln, England, sent Maccarinelli down with a crushing right hand, knocking Maccarinelli down in the third round. Maccarinelli never took the rematch against Swaby.
On 28 June 2003, Maccarinelli, known as "the Big Mac" won the vacant WBU cruiserweight title when he defeated Bruce Scott by fourth-round TKO. He made seven successful defences of his WBU title before vacating.
On 8 July 2006, Maccarinelli fought against former World Boxing Council
(WBC) cruiserweight champion Marcelo Fabian Domínguez
for the WBO interim
cruiserweight title. Maccarinelli won the title with a ninth-round TKO.The natural progression was a title fight against the then WBO title holder, Johnny Nelson
. Due to several injuries to Nelson this matchup never transpired, and On 22 September 2006 he announced his retirement, automatically relinquishing the belt and allowing Maccarinelli to be promoted to full champion status.
On 14 October 2006 Maccarinelli made his first defence of the WBO title, stopping former opponent Mark Hobson
in the first round in a fight that was widely expected to last the distance. This was followed by another first round win over Bobby Gunn on 7 April 2007 at the Millennium Stadium
, Cardiff
. The Gunn fight was stopped with just :25 seconds remaining in the first round by referee Mark Nelson, even though Gunn was not down and only had a small cut. It was widely and erroneously reported that Maccarinelli had broken Bobby Gunn's nose, but it was a small cut to the bridge of the nose that caused the bleeding. Gunn's nose was not broken and most observers at ringside thought the fight was stopped prematurely.
On 21 July 2007 Maccarinelli defended his WBO cruiserweight championship against former WBC champ Wayne Braithwaite
and won by unanimous decision, after dominating the match. On 3 November 2007 Maccarinelli successfully defended his WBO cruiserweight title against Mohamed Azzaoui winning by TKO in the 4th Round.
. The fight took place on 8 March 2008 at the O2 Arena
, London
and was much hyped in the weeks running up to the event, being given the tagline “bombs away” (referring to the high KO percentages and punching power both men boasted). Maccarinelli lost the fight and his WBO belt when he was knocked out in the 2nd round. A right hand by Haye knocked Maccarinelli down towards the end of the round and although he was able to get back up it was on unsteady legs and the referee stepped in to stop the fight.
After the fight Haye announced that he would be moving up to the heavyweight
division with immediate effect and would therefore be vacating his newly won belts. Because of this Maccarinelli received an immediate opportunity to reclaim his WBO belt in a matchup against undefeated American Jonathon Banks for the now vacant championship, but due to injury Banks was forced to pull out. After several replacements were unable to fight Maccarinelli instead stepped up to heavyweight to face Matthew Ellis. Maccarinelli won after a 2nd round KO in what was his debut at the higher weight. After the fight Frank Warren
announced that Maccarinelli would face Banks in a re-scheduled bout for the WBO belt during February 2009.
Once again the Banks fight proved to be a non starter (Banks opted to make an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to win the IBF cruiserweight title against Tomasz Adamek
) and instead Maccarinelli’s next fight was against the American based Londoner Ola Afolabi
for the “interim” WBO title. The fight took place on March 14 at the M.E.N. Arena
in Manchester
, on the undercard of the Amir Khan
vs Marco Antonio Barrera
bout. Maccarinelli was favoured by most observers to win, however things did not go as expected as Maccarinelli struggled in the early rounds and was staggered in the 3rd round by a short chopping right hand from the slick Afolabi. Despite managing to recover and win the majority of the next few rounds he was knocked out by Afolabi in round 9 when a huge overhand right put him on the canvas and forced the referee to call off the fight.
on 18 July 2009. As with the Afolabi contest the fight took place at the M.E.N. Arena on the undercard of an Amir Khan fight, this time Khan’s WBA
light-welterweight title challenge against Andreas Kotelnik. From the very beginning of the fight Maccarinelli struggled with the power of his opponent and by the end of the second round his right eye had swollen completely shut from the punches landed by Lebedev. In the third round Lebedev rocked Maccarinelli with an uppercut which landed cleanly through his guard and after a further barrage of unanswered punches the referee stepped in and called a stop to the fight.
Before the fight Maccarinelli had admitted that the contest represented “the last chance saloon” in terms of getting his career back on track, following 2 KO losses in his last 3 fights, and talking immediately after the defeat he hinted that this latest setback could signal the end of his boxing career. In an interview with his local paper a few days later Maccarinelli apparently confirmed his intention to retire from the sport, although he retracted this in a later interview with the same source.
Maccarinelli began his latest comeback attempt on another Amir Khan undercard, this time Khan's WBA Light-Welterweight title defence against on December 5 at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle
. His opponent was the relatively unknown Hungarian journeyman Krisztian Jaksi. who provided little resistance and was knocked out in the 1st round. Maccarinelli managed a second consecutive 1st round KO victory against Hungarian opposition when he defeated Zoltan Czekus at the Echo Arena Liverpool on 13 March 2010.
His first defence of his newly won title came as part of Frank Warren
's "Magnificent Seven" fight card, which took place on 18 September 2010 at the LG Arena
in Birmingham
. His opponent for this defence was the undefeated Ukrainian prospect Alexander Frenkel
. Despite a tentative opening round Maccarinelli improved and managed to rock his opponent in the fourth round with a right hand. A clash of heads in the sixth led to a cut developing over his right eye, however the fight still appeared to be going Maccarinelli’s way until he was knocked down heavily towards the end of round seven by a left hook from Frenkel. Despite managing to rise by the count of nine he was extremely unsteady and appeared to be in no position to defend himself. However the referee allowed the bout to continue, only for it to be stopped a few seconds later when a three punch combination from Frenkel led to a second knockdown. The final blows were struck with such ferocity that Maccarinelli was knocked unconscious and required oxygen and medical attention before being able to leave the ring. At the time of the fight there was heavy criticism from both journalists and fellow boxers at the decision by the referee to allow the fight to continue after the first knockdown, when it was clear that Maccarinelli was in no position to defend himself.
As with the aftermath of the Afolabi and Lebedev defeats there were also been calls for Maccarinelli to retire from the ring, something which the boxer himself admitted to the press was a distinct possibility following his fourth KO loss in eight fights.
division, with a view to having his first fight at the weight limit later on in the year.
Several months later he made the further announcement that he would once again be working with former coach Enzo Calzaghe
, who was part of Maccarinelli’s team during his successful run at cruiserweight. At the same time he also expressed a desire to fight for a world title at the new weight limit in the future, and in particular put forward the idea of an all Welsh title fight between himself and current WBO belt holder Nathan Cleverly
.
Exactly 14 months after his last in-ring appearance Maccarinelli’s first fight at the new weight limit took place at the York Hall
in Bethnal Green on November 18th 2011. As with 2 of his previous 4 fights at cruiserweight the opponent was a Hungarian fighter, this time the undefeated (and relatively unknown) Gyorgy Marosi. Maccarinelli emerged victorious, scoring a 1st round TKO victory after just 91 seconds against an overmatched Marosi.
Following the successful debut at 175lbs Maccarinelli reiterated his desire to fight for a world title at 175lbs and again made reference to an all Welsh bout with Cleverly, although ruled out the prospect of such a matchup occurring straight away.
, someone born in Britain and of Italian heritage.
Maccarinelli attended Bishop Vaughan Catholic School in Swansea
. He studied there until sixth form but then carried on with his boxing career. He is married and a father.
He is a passionate Swansea City
supporter, and has appeared at the Liberty Stadium
with his championship belts.
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
who fights in the light heavyweight division. He is a former World Boxing Organization
World Boxing Organization
The World Boxing Organization is a sanctioning organization currently recognizing professional boxing world champions. The organization is recognized as one of the four major world championship groups by the IBHOF alongside the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Council and the...
(WBO) cruiserweight title holder and also held the European
European Boxing Union
The European Boxing Union is an organization that oversees competition in that sport over the continent of Europe.-History:The EBU started life as the International Boxing Union in Paris in 1910...
title at that weight limit. He is promoted by Frank Warren
Frank Warren (promoter)
Frank Darren Warren is an English boxing manager and promoter.-Early life and early career:The son of a bookmaker, Warren trained as a solicitor's clerk with J Tickle & Co on Southampton Row in London....
.
Early career
On 12 May 2000, Maccarinelli suffered his first defeat at the hands of southpaw Lee SwabyLee Swaby
Lee Swaby is a professional heavyweight boxer from Lincoln, Lincolnshire.-Professional career:Swaby began his sporting career as a kickboxer aged 14. He trained at the 'Still Kickboxing Gym' in Lincoln city. Swaby's trainer invited him to attend a trial to join the fighters class. This trial...
. Swaby, from Lincoln, England, sent Maccarinelli down with a crushing right hand, knocking Maccarinelli down in the third round. Maccarinelli never took the rematch against Swaby.
On 28 June 2003, Maccarinelli, known as "the Big Mac" won the vacant WBU cruiserweight title when he defeated Bruce Scott by fourth-round TKO. He made seven successful defences of his WBU title before vacating.
On 8 July 2006, Maccarinelli fought against former World Boxing Council
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
(WBC) cruiserweight champion Marcelo Fabian Domínguez
Marcelo Dominguez
Marcelo Fabián Domínguez is an Argentine professional boxer. Although he has fought for and held several major titles, he has the unique distinction of having never fought in the United States as a professional.Domínguez turned pro in 1991 and was able to land a title shot in only his sixteenth...
for the WBO interim
Interim championship
An interim championship is a temporary world championship that is awarded in all four major sanctioning bodies of professional boxing and in other combat sports, such as kickboxing and mixed martial arts.The IBF have no Interim Champions...
cruiserweight title. Maccarinelli won the title with a ninth-round TKO.The natural progression was a title fight against the then WBO title holder, Johnny Nelson
Johnny Nelson
Ivanson Ranny "Johnny" Nelson is a former professional boxer from Sheffield, England. He was the WBO cruiserweight champion for over six years, having successfully defended the title 13 times. Nelson also held the European and British cruiserweight titles...
. Due to several injuries to Nelson this matchup never transpired, and On 22 September 2006 he announced his retirement, automatically relinquishing the belt and allowing Maccarinelli to be promoted to full champion status.
On 14 October 2006 Maccarinelli made his first defence of the WBO title, stopping former opponent Mark Hobson
Mark Hobson (boxer)
Mark Hobson is a British former professional boxer fighting out of Huddersfield in England. He competed in the cruiserweight division and is a former British & Commonwealth cruiserweight champion and former world title challenger....
in the first round in a fight that was widely expected to last the distance. This was followed by another first round win over Bobby Gunn on 7 April 2007 at the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
, Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. The Gunn fight was stopped with just :25 seconds remaining in the first round by referee Mark Nelson, even though Gunn was not down and only had a small cut. It was widely and erroneously reported that Maccarinelli had broken Bobby Gunn's nose, but it was a small cut to the bridge of the nose that caused the bleeding. Gunn's nose was not broken and most observers at ringside thought the fight was stopped prematurely.
On 21 July 2007 Maccarinelli defended his WBO cruiserweight championship against former WBC champ Wayne Braithwaite
Wayne Braithwaite
Wayne Braithwaite is a professional boxer. Nicknamed "Big Truck", Braithwaite looked like an invincible force that would rebuild credibility in the cruiserweight ranks, but the invincibility was short lived....
and won by unanimous decision, after dominating the match. On 3 November 2007 Maccarinelli successfully defended his WBO cruiserweight title against Mohamed Azzaoui winning by TKO in the 4th Round.
'Bombs Away' and loss of title
Maccarinelli’s next fight was an all-British unification fight against the WBA/WBC champion David HayeDavid Haye
David Deron Haye is a retired English professional boxer,Haye is the former WBA heavyweight champion. He is also the former unified world cruiserweight champion, holding the WBA, WBC, WBO, and The Ring cruiserweight titles, and also the former European cruiserweight champion.- Amateur :Haye...
. The fight took place on 8 March 2008 at the O2 Arena
The O2 arena (London)
The O2 Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the centre of The O2, a large entertainment complex on the Greenwich peninsula in London, England.With a capacity of up to 20,000 depending on the event, it is second largest...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and was much hyped in the weeks running up to the event, being given the tagline “bombs away” (referring to the high KO percentages and punching power both men boasted). Maccarinelli lost the fight and his WBO belt when he was knocked out in the 2nd round. A right hand by Haye knocked Maccarinelli down towards the end of the round and although he was able to get back up it was on unsteady legs and the referee stepped in to stop the fight.
After the fight Haye announced that he would be moving up to the heavyweight
Heavyweight
Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...
division with immediate effect and would therefore be vacating his newly won belts. Because of this Maccarinelli received an immediate opportunity to reclaim his WBO belt in a matchup against undefeated American Jonathon Banks for the now vacant championship, but due to injury Banks was forced to pull out. After several replacements were unable to fight Maccarinelli instead stepped up to heavyweight to face Matthew Ellis. Maccarinelli won after a 2nd round KO in what was his debut at the higher weight. After the fight Frank Warren
Frank Warren (promoter)
Frank Darren Warren is an English boxing manager and promoter.-Early life and early career:The son of a bookmaker, Warren trained as a solicitor's clerk with J Tickle & Co on Southampton Row in London....
announced that Maccarinelli would face Banks in a re-scheduled bout for the WBO belt during February 2009.
Once again the Banks fight proved to be a non starter (Banks opted to make an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to win the IBF cruiserweight title against Tomasz Adamek
Tomasz Adamek
Tomasz Adamek is a Polish professional heavyweight boxer. His record is 44-2 .He is the former WBC world light heavyweight champion and the former IBF, IBO and The Ring magazine cruiserweight champion. As of the end of 2009, Ring Magazine has ranked Adamek as the 30th best boxer in the world...
) and instead Maccarinelli’s next fight was against the American based Londoner Ola Afolabi
Ola Afolabi
Ola Afolabi is a US-based British professional boxer of Nigerian heritage. He is a contender in the cruiserweight division, listed as #9 in the Ring Magazine as of March 2009 and holds a "interim World Boxing Organization title"....
for the “interim” WBO title. The fight took place on March 14 at the M.E.N. Arena
Manchester Evening News Arena
The Manchester Evening News Arena is an indoor arena situated in Manchester, England. It is adjacent to Manchester Victoria station near Corporation Street...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, on the undercard of the Amir Khan
Amir Khan (boxer)
Amir Iqbal Khan , is a British Pakistani professional boxer who is currently the unified WBA & IBF light welterweight champion....
vs Marco Antonio Barrera
Marco Antonio Barrera
Marco Antonio Barrera Tapia is a Mexicanprofessional boxer. He has won numerous world titles in three different weight classes; he is a former two-time WBO super bantamweight , WBC, Lineal, & The Ring featherweight , and WBC & IBF super featherweight champion...
bout. Maccarinelli was favoured by most observers to win, however things did not go as expected as Maccarinelli struggled in the early rounds and was staggered in the 3rd round by a short chopping right hand from the slick Afolabi. Despite managing to recover and win the majority of the next few rounds he was knocked out by Afolabi in round 9 when a huge overhand right put him on the canvas and forced the referee to call off the fight.
Lebedev fight, "retirement" and return
Maccarinelli’s next fight was against the unbeaten Russian Denis LebedevDenis Lebedev
Denis Lebedev , is a Russian professional boxer from Stary Oskol. He is a contender in the Cruiserweight division.-Professional career:...
on 18 July 2009. As with the Afolabi contest the fight took place at the M.E.N. Arena on the undercard of an Amir Khan fight, this time Khan’s WBA
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
light-welterweight title challenge against Andreas Kotelnik. From the very beginning of the fight Maccarinelli struggled with the power of his opponent and by the end of the second round his right eye had swollen completely shut from the punches landed by Lebedev. In the third round Lebedev rocked Maccarinelli with an uppercut which landed cleanly through his guard and after a further barrage of unanswered punches the referee stepped in and called a stop to the fight.
Before the fight Maccarinelli had admitted that the contest represented “the last chance saloon” in terms of getting his career back on track, following 2 KO losses in his last 3 fights, and talking immediately after the defeat he hinted that this latest setback could signal the end of his boxing career. In an interview with his local paper a few days later Maccarinelli apparently confirmed his intention to retire from the sport, although he retracted this in a later interview with the same source.
Maccarinelli began his latest comeback attempt on another Amir Khan undercard, this time Khan's WBA Light-Welterweight title defence against on December 5 at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
. His opponent was the relatively unknown Hungarian journeyman Krisztian Jaksi. who provided little resistance and was knocked out in the 1st round. Maccarinelli managed a second consecutive 1st round KO victory against Hungarian opposition when he defeated Zoltan Czekus at the Echo Arena Liverpool on 13 March 2010.
EBU title shot
Following his two quick comeback wins Maccarinelli's next fight took place on 27 April 2010 when he fought Russian prospect Alexander Kotlobay in St Petersburg for the vacant European cruiserweight title. Despite now being the fighter that had to travel and fight on someone else's patch, Maccarinelli scored his third consecutive quick victory when he knocked Kotlobay down with an overhand right before the referee stepped in to end the fight at 2:15 of the first round.His first defence of his newly won title came as part of Frank Warren
Frank Warren (promoter)
Frank Darren Warren is an English boxing manager and promoter.-Early life and early career:The son of a bookmaker, Warren trained as a solicitor's clerk with J Tickle & Co on Southampton Row in London....
's "Magnificent Seven" fight card, which took place on 18 September 2010 at the LG Arena
LG Arena
LG Arena may stand for* LG KM900 , an LG Electronics multimedia phone* National Exhibition Centre , a multi-purpose arena in the UK...
in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. His opponent for this defence was the undefeated Ukrainian prospect Alexander Frenkel
Alexander Frenkel
Alexander Frenkel is a German Cruiserweight boxer of Ukrainian origin ranked seventh in the world by Boxrec...
. Despite a tentative opening round Maccarinelli improved and managed to rock his opponent in the fourth round with a right hand. A clash of heads in the sixth led to a cut developing over his right eye, however the fight still appeared to be going Maccarinelli’s way until he was knocked down heavily towards the end of round seven by a left hook from Frenkel. Despite managing to rise by the count of nine he was extremely unsteady and appeared to be in no position to defend himself. However the referee allowed the bout to continue, only for it to be stopped a few seconds later when a three punch combination from Frenkel led to a second knockdown. The final blows were struck with such ferocity that Maccarinelli was knocked unconscious and required oxygen and medical attention before being able to leave the ring. At the time of the fight there was heavy criticism from both journalists and fellow boxers at the decision by the referee to allow the fight to continue after the first knockdown, when it was clear that Maccarinelli was in no position to defend himself.
As with the aftermath of the Afolabi and Lebedev defeats there were also been calls for Maccarinelli to retire from the ring, something which the boxer himself admitted to the press was a distinct possibility following his fourth KO loss in eight fights.
Move to Light Heavyweight
After a period of inactivity following the Frenkel defeat, in February 2011 Maccarinelli announced that rather than retiring he would instead be dropping down in weight to compete in the 175lb Light HeavyweightLight heavyweight
In boxing, the light heavyweight is a weight division above 168 pounds [12 Stone or 76.204 kilograms] and up to 175 pounds [12.5 stone or 79.38 kilograms]), falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight...
division, with a view to having his first fight at the weight limit later on in the year.
Several months later he made the further announcement that he would once again be working with former coach Enzo Calzaghe
Enzo Calzaghe
Enzo Calzaghe MBE is an Anglo-Italian boxing trainer. He is the father of Joe Calzaghe and the head trainer for Team Calzaghe at the Newbridge boxing club...
, who was part of Maccarinelli’s team during his successful run at cruiserweight. At the same time he also expressed a desire to fight for a world title at the new weight limit in the future, and in particular put forward the idea of an all Welsh title fight between himself and current WBO belt holder Nathan Cleverly
Nathan Cleverly
Nathan Cleverly is a British professional boxer from Wales and current WBO light heavyweight world champion. He is also the former European, British and Commonwealth light heavyweight champion...
.
Exactly 14 months after his last in-ring appearance Maccarinelli’s first fight at the new weight limit took place at the York Hall
York Hall
The York Hall is a health and leisure centre and one of Britain's best known boxing venues.The venue is situated on Old Ford Road in Bethnal Green, London, England. The hall, opened in 1929 with a capacity of 1,200, stages boxing as well as providing a gymnasium and swimming pool.The hall is owned...
in Bethnal Green on November 18th 2011. As with 2 of his previous 4 fights at cruiserweight the opponent was a Hungarian fighter, this time the undefeated (and relatively unknown) Gyorgy Marosi. Maccarinelli emerged victorious, scoring a 1st round TKO victory after just 91 seconds against an overmatched Marosi.
Following the successful debut at 175lbs Maccarinelli reiterated his desire to fight for a world title at 175lbs and again made reference to an all Welsh bout with Cleverly, although ruled out the prospect of such a matchup occurring straight away.
Personal life
Maccarinelli considers himself a BritalianBritalian
Italians in the United Kingdom also known as British Italians or Britalians are British citizens or residents of Italian ethnic or national origin. The phrase may refer to someone born in the United Kingdom of Italian descent, someone who has themselves emigrated from Italy to the United Kingdom or...
, someone born in Britain and of Italian heritage.
Maccarinelli attended Bishop Vaughan Catholic School in Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
. He studied there until sixth form but then carried on with his boxing career. He is married and a father.
He is a passionate Swansea City
Swansea City A.F.C.
Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
supporter, and has appeared at the Liberty Stadium
Liberty Stadium, Swansea
The Liberty Stadium is a purpose-built sports stadium and conferencing venue in the Landore area of Swansea, Wales. The stadium is all-seated, with a capacity of 20,532 making it the largest purpose-built venue in Swansea and the third largest stadium in Wales after the Millennium Stadium and the...
with his championship belts.