By Ian S Palmer
WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Juergen Braehmer of Germany will square off against Enzo Maccarinelli of Wales in Rostock, Germany this Saturday, April 5. The champion will climb through the ring ropes with a record of 42-2 with 31 Kos while the challenger enters the contest with a mark of 38-6 with 30 Kos. The 12-rounder will be held at the Stadthalle in Rostock and can be seen in Britain on BoxNation.
The 33-year-old Maccarinelli is ranked number seven by the WBA and is a former WBO cruiserweight champion. He held the title from 2006 until losing it in 2008 when he was stopped in the second round by David Haye. He’s won his last three fights and realizes this could be his last shot at glory. This is because Braehmer has good power and mobility and utilizes an effective jab. And let’s not forget he’s also fighting in his own backyard here.
Maccarinelli also has good power, but his chin isn’t exactly of world-class quality. If he loses to Braehmer there’s a good chance Maccarinelli will think about retiring since the other 175 lb champions are Adonis Stevenson of Haiti and Russia’s Sergey Kovalev, who are both quite a bit better than Braehmer. This will be Braehmer’s first fight in Rostock since losing a decision back in 2008 to Hugo Hernan Garay. The 35-year-old is now in his second stint as the WBA light heavyweight king and this is his first defense.
The southpaw won the vacant title back on December 14 when he beat American Marcus Oliveira by a unanimous decision. He gives up quite a bit of height to the Welsh challenger who stands 6-foot-4. Braehmer is just 5-foot-11 and this could be a bit of a problem against Maccarinelli. Braehmer said this will be a tough challenge, but he’s confident the title will be staying in Germany on Saturday night.
Getting back to Maccarinelli’s chin. All six of his defeats have come by the way of knockout and some of them have been pretty brutal. He’s got a lot of heart and determination though, but those qualities won’t help him if he can’t stand up to the champion’s power. He’s also been stopped by the likes of Ola Afolabli, Denis Lebedev and Alexander Frenkel and in 2012 received a six-month ban for testing positive for Methylhexaneamine.
Maccarinelli said he’s not worried about what Braehmer’s going to do in the ring as he’s just going to focus on what he has to do to be successful. Braehmer’s been a pro for 15 years and has never been stopped so the challenger certainly has his work cut out for him as it’s going to be a tough task to earn a decision on the champions’ turf.
Prediction
Both men have power, but only one of them has a chin. This means Maccarinelli’s going to have to use his height advantage to box from a distance to keep Braehmer at bay. If he can take the champion’s best shots this could turn into an exciting brawl. But unfortunately for Maccarinelli he just might not be able to handle the champion’s power shots. Look for Braehmer to keep his belt by stoppage.
