Irish fight fans will always lament the fact that the brilliant and exciting career of Matthew Macklin ended without him ever buckling a World title around his waist.

However, if pushed on their main Macklin regret it was the fact he never met Andy Lee or John Duddy to give the country an Irish derby with an International feel.

‘Mack The Knife’, who claimed Irish, British and European straps and shared the ring with some of the World-s best before retiring officially last month, agrees it was a ‘shame’ a Tipperary Limerick bout never took place.

The two-time World title challenger claims he agreed to the fight on more than one occasion, but it never materailised. Both middleweights have both expressed a willingness to trade leather, but the timing just never seemed right.

It won’t happen now, and Macklin like Irish fight fans laments the fact.

Speaking in a brilliant in-depth interview with the Irish Post Macklin said,

“It was put to me a few times, and I accepted it, but for whatever reason it just never happened.

“I’m sure Andy believes on top of his game he would have beaten me and likewise on top of my game I believe I would have beaten him. It’s just a shame, when I was flying, he wasn’t, and when he was flying, I wasn’t.”