Irish Boxing Opinion:Washed up Maccarinelli there for the taking!
By Paddy Appleton
An exciting weekend of Irish boxing sees cruiserweight Ciaran Healy taking on the spent force that is Enzo Maccarinelli on Saturday night at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena.
Healy will be hoping this fight in the limelight will help push his career on and a win for the Irishman could set up a lucrative next fight with an even bigger name than the Welsh fighter.
Maccarinelli has been there and done it but the Swansea man has endured a torrid time since losing his WBO Cruiserweight belt to David Haye in devastating fashion in 2008.
Big Mac never quite recovered from that punishing night at the O2 Arena and the former world champion could be there for the taking on Saturday night.
Healy goes into the fight as a huge underdog if you believe most outlets, but the Belfast man knows at this weight he’s always in with a chance and as he told us recently, if Enzo gets in the way of a good shot he’ll know all about it.
Many reporters in Wales and beyond are calling it a tune-up or warm-up for Maccarinelli’s British title fight with Shane McPhilbin in March, but even taking the 8 round fight at short notice has not deterred Healy.
He wouldn’t have accepted the fight if he didn’t believe, and belief could be the winning margin at the Motorpoint Arena as Maccarinelli has developed a recent knack of caving in when the chips are down.
2008’s Maccarinelli wouldn’t have even entertained the thought of trading blows with a fighter like Healy, and if he did would have dispatched the Irishman easily, but this is 2012 and Enzo Maccarinelli is not the force he once was.
Ciaran Healy has the opportunity of a lifetime in front of a big crowd on the Nathan Cleverly-Tommy Karpency undercard and he can take the chance with both hands, literally.
Most of Britain has this fight written up as a foregone conclusion, but in Ireland we know our fighters better than anyone, and Irish fight fans know Healy has a chance.
It will be a hostile reception in the Motorpoint for Healy in front of the Welsh support, but he will have plenty of Irish tuning in nationwide with fans able to catch the fight on Box Nation.
It’s an opportunity that has fallen in his lap, and Ciaran Healy knows that having the odds stacked against you are not always a bad thing.
Lets hope those odds are humiliated on Saturday evening when the 37 year old Irish cruiserweight takes to the ring in Cardiff.
See interview with Healy re Maccarinelli fight here:
http://www.irish-boxing.com/2012/02/ciaran-healy-looking-to-test-maccarinellis-chin/
