MATTHEW MACKLIN HAS his sights set on a New York City showdown against Daniel Geale but knows that if he is to have any shot at a title fight, he must first beat Joachim Alcine.
Geale added the WBA super middleweight title to his IBF crown in a split-decision win against Felix Sturm in Germany on Saturday night.
With an immediate rematch against Sturm ruled out, Macklin expects the Australian to try to crack America next and feels that he is an ideal contender for the top of a televised US bill.
“I guess Geale will now want to make an impact Stateside and that’s a fight I would relish,” he wrote in his training diary ahead of his meeting with former world champion Alcine on 15 September.
“Obviously I have to deal with Joachim Alcine first and foremost but I know Brian [Peters, Macklin's manager] will be speaking to my promoter Lou DiBella about the possibility of another big fight in New York with myself and Geale.”
The Alcine bout is part of the undercard for pound-for-pound king Sergio Martinez’s unification fight against Julio César Chavez Jr in Las Vegas.
On St Patrick’s Day, Irish fans packed out New York’s Madison Square Garden Theatre to roar on the Birmingham-born Tipperary native when he was stopped by Martinez in the 11th round, a defeat from which he is anxious to bounce back.
“Obviously the Martinez – Chavez fight is intriguing as well and I know a good win over Alcine puts me right back in the mix for any of those fights so it’s exciting times,” he wrote. “Alcine is a former World Champion and so this is fight I am taking very seriously.
“I’ve been on a pretty tough run of fights over my last four, starting off with Ruben Varon who I defended my European title against, then it was onto the Sturm fight in Germany, next up was Sergio Martinez in New York and now I have another proven world class opponent in Joachim Alcine.
“I’ve really enjoyed the fights and the buildups to them recently because you work all your life to get to this level and these are the kind of high profile challenges and occasions that you relish but I won’t be satisfied until I’ve wrapped a World title belt around my waist.”
