A Closer Look at Thomas Stalker & Enzo Macarinelli Returns to the Action this Weekend!

By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart

The captain, Thomas Stalker, 11-1-3 2 KO’s, did it and managed to get himself, at the third time of asking, a European lightweight belt. It was the performance we had been looking for, from a former Olympian who needs now to kick on and make his play for world glory.
As you may have gathered from my piece on the AIBA decision to allow professionals into the Olympics, over in the UK we take our amateur sport really seriously. That the British Boxing Board of Control has asked AIBA to rethink is testimony to just how seriously we take the amateur game.

To have the captain of our flagship Olympian effort in London, therefore, languishing someway behind the others in terms of professional glory just felt a tad uncomfortable. Stalker is now able to look towards some form of world glory and it didn’t take his people long to work out who to target; Terry Flanagan, 30-0, 12KO’s.

31 year old Stalker has now moved into the WBO’s top 15 at lightweight and that should be enough to get his name mentioned as a future possible opponent. He is certainly hoping it will get him in Flanagan’s way. Flanagan is fighting on the Tyson Fury, 25-0, 18 KO’s – Wladimir Klitschko, 64-4, 53 KO’s undercard in July and he would, should he get past Mzonke Fana, 38-9, 16 KO’s, get him a voluntary defence of his title. Against a top 15 fighter is the only stipulation and Stalker now fits the bill. Reports are coming out that people have already talked from both sides to each other so here’s hoping…

For now though Stalker wouldn’t mind a title defense which could serve as a decent tune up for a 2017 domestic fight for a world title that would be added to the number of UK based fights involving two UK based fighters that are firing the imagination and fuelling the image and progress of boxing on these shores.

As for the fight, Stalker won the belt on points against a rugged Portuguese opponent in Antonio Joao Bento 30-16, 18 KO’s, who did hit the canvass during the fight. He got up to give Stalker plenty to contend with and now his contemplation is far more positive about his future.
And so to this weekend and the last man to put Roy Jones, JR., 63-9, 46 KO’s, on his backside.

Enzo Macarinelli, 41-7, 33 KO’s, is an enigma. A very decent boxer who has been through some tough wars as his 7 defeats testify to but a durable and likeable guy who will not duck out of any face to face battle. This coming Friday night he takes on a dangerous opponent in Dmytro Kuchner, 23-1-1, 17 KO’s, for the European cruiserweight title.

Macarinelli is an explosive fighter who comes to war equipped with what is needed to fight it. Never fearful of taking risks, he can entertain and cause his team palpitations in equal measure. At 35 years of age it could be said that his best years are behind him but he keeps coming back to the ring and making waves. The last time was in Moscow where he put Roy Jones Jr, the new circus act, on his backside and knocked him clean out.

It’s not always been plain sailing or a smooth ride and in 2008-09 he went through a pretty lean spell but that seemed to galvanise him and make him more durable as he got back in the ring and made noises about facing the best he could find. The thing about Macarinelli that I like the most is that rather than bitching about not getting the chances he took what was on offer and made the attempt to progress. He is still in there and fighting for a European title when he has fought for world honours is not – to his mind – any kind of come down. In fact, it is an opportunity he relishes; it’s a belt he has previously won… and lost.

His flirtation with light heavyweight now a distant thing of the past he is now comfortable at a weight where he looks mighty and impressive and this could be the start of another leg on the Macarinelli world tour.
His opponent though has pretensions of his own and Kuchner is no bum. OK so he has only 1 loss on his record and that record may not be that impressive but his only loss was against Ilunga Makabu, 19-2, 18 KO’s, who came to conquer Liverpool last weekend and left empty handed. It was a majority decision loss and those who have watched him are convinced that Kucher shall give Macarinelli a decent test.

And if styles make fights this should be a cracker. Kucher is not a big puncher but he has been known to out punch people. Macarinelli is known for switching off and getting caught – makes for a decent contest. At 35, Macarinelli should not fall for such lapses in concentration but you never know with the likeable Welshman. The things is, I think that if Kuchner is to win, he needs to stop Macarinelli – Macarinelli does not lose decisions. If it goes the distance it belongs to Macarinelli – how’s that for sitting on an uncomfortable fence?

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