Macklin dropped to #6 in The Ring ratings after defeat against Martinez

By Scott Gilfoid: Middleweight contender Matthew Macklin (28-4, 19 KO’s) gave it a good go after WBC Diamond middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (49-2-2, 28 KO’s) last Saturday night but ended up failing in getting stopped in the 11th round by Martinez at the Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States. The loss knocked the 29-year-old Macklin from the No.3 spot to the No.6 position in The Ring ratings for the middleweight division.

They must have felt that Macklin failed to do something that he needed to do in order for him to keep his ratings in losing the fight. I can point out a number of things that Macklin failed to do that would have gone a long ways towards him fighting more competitively and perhaps even winning the fight. First of all, Macklin needed to be more aggressive in the first six rounds. He didn’t throw enough punches and seemed to be fighting in a paint by the numbers type of fighting style. Macklin was far too robotic for my tastes and looked like a fighter that still didn’t properly grasp how to fight at the world level. Macklin has never had great stamina to begin with, and he made things worse for himself by failing to really push the fight to the 37-year-old Martinez when he was still fresh.