Boxing News Magazine’s Danny Flexen gives us his expert insider tips on this Saturday’s WBA Light Heavyweight showdown between Juergen Braehmer and Enzo Maccarinelli at the Stadhalle Rostock, Germany…
It’s not hard to find the value in this Saturday’s dust-up between WBA light-heavyweight champion, Juergen Braehmer, and Welsh veteran Enzo Maccarinelli. The German champion a big favourite fighting on relative home turf in Rostock, due partly to his fine technical skills and less miles on the clock, but the Swansea puncher has been fighting at a much lower level in recent times. It’s arguably a bigger leap than Cardiff’s promotion to the Premier League last year.
While my pick as a boxing journalist would be for Braehmer to score a late victory – having gradually broken the brave Maccarinelli down – the KO/stoppage option is a disappointing but understandable 2/5, although a home win in the 10th is available at a much more attractive 16/1.
The only chance to win big bucks is if “Big Macc” can pull off an unlikely, but far from inconceivable, triumph. He’s a big puncher with significant advantages in height and reach. His conditioning has appeared much improved since employing former stablemate Gary Lockett as his trainer. Enzo has nothing to lose and everything to gain. Not only that, the man has form for upsetting the applecart in foreign lands. In 2010, he entered St. Petersburg’s Yubileiny Spors Palace as the underdog against local hero Alexander Kotlobay and walloped the unfortunate victim in 135 seconds.
So with an Enzo stoppage seeming all the more plausible, have a cheeky punt on that at 6/1.
