Euro Glory Report
Macklin Claims The Vacant European Title
There were many that believed that Matthew Macklin vs. Amin Asikainen was a 50:50 fight before their bout. However, Matthew Macklin proved all the English bookies right, and demolished his Finnish foe.
Highlight Reel Knockout For Macklin
Both looked supremely confident in the minutes before the fight, although the bout started tentatively. The feeling out process wasn't to carry on though, as Macklin landed a sublime left hook which sent the battling Asikainen to the canvas.
Asikainen got up, but Macklin went in for the kill, and knocked 'Idi' down once more. The Finnish contingent in the crowd were to go home disappointed, as even though Asikainen got up, the referee decided to call a stop to the bout, rendering Asikainen unfit to continue.
This was a tremendous win for Macklin, who's World Title aspirations don't seem that far out of his reach. Asikainen was a dangerous opponent, and the way he was dealt with so clinically sends a statement out to the rest of the middleweight division.
Renda and Murray Score Good Wins
Cello Renda defeated the previously undefeated Sam Horton in two rounds in the chief support. While Horton had the better skills, Renda had the evident power advantage in close, and Horton elected to fight Renda on the inside.
Renda made him pay for this, knocking him down twice en route to a vicious knockout after a hook. The unlucky Horton needed oxygen after the bout, and hopefully, he will be back to full fitness soon. As for the victorious Renda though, he has just earned himself a British Title shot, and his power will stand him in good stead.
Martin Murray's opponent was dreadful, and the St. Helens man finished George Aduashvili in one round. The fleshy Georgian couldn't take the body shots of Murray, and after two knockdowns, he elected not to meet the eight count.
Manchester Prospects Do Well On Undercard
Denton Vassell defeated Vasile Surcica on points, although had he got into gear earlier he could have stopped him. The Georgian was the butt of jokes from fans, as he wore converse shorts to the ring as opposed to proper boxing attire. However, to be fair he was durable, and did well to last the distance against a powerful Vassell.
Bury's Scott Quigg took out Nico Schroeder in two rounds, and appeared not even to break a sweat. The German was down twice in the second, and always looked out of his depth.
Rhys Roberts remained undefeated and showed he has the class, but maybe not the power to mix at the top level when he beat Walsall's Steve Gethin on points.
Anthony Crolla also had to be content with a points win, as Jon Baguley made him fight for a victory. Crolla always had it in the bag though, and won by a 40-36 margin.
Joe Murray had no problems getting rid of Delroy Spencer, as the Olympian defeated the journeyman via TKO in the very first round.
Mark Thompson also walked out victorious, after stopping Gari Abajian in a snoozefest. Abajian was relunctant to throw anything which made for a tedious six rounds.
Best Of The Rest
Blackburn's popular Dezzi Higginson outpointed Sheffield's Adam Kelly in what was arguably the fight of the night. This was contested in good spirits, at a good pace and was evenly matched throughout.
The opener was contested between Norweigan prospect Andreas Evensen and Italy's Gianpiero Contestabile. Evensen wasted no time, and having knocked Contestabile down in the first, he TKOed him in the fifth.
Final Thoughts On Euro Glory
While it was a disappointing card to attend live (as none of the fights went very long), most went home happy after Macklin's stunning performance. The Birmingham native will most definitely be looking to move onto world level now, as the big fights are finally in his grasp.
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