Moore ko's Macklin in thriller

By James Slater: Where do I start in writing an adequate and worthy description of the absolutely mesmerising fistic action this reporter has just had the privilege to have witnessed? Expectations were high for the British junior-middleweight title affair between great rivals Jamie Moore, the defending champion, and Matthew Macklin. Tonight, at the G.H Carnell Leisure centre, they were surpassed. Massively! Without exaggerating, I have never been present at a more intensely compelling and thrilling battle held inside a British fight arena. Certainly not in this, now six year old decade, anyway.

So how to sum up the unforgettable action that unfolded tonight? Firstly, the tickets for tonight's boxing were sold out within seventy-two hours of going on sale. The fans knew something special was about to happen but not one of them could imagine just how special!

Round one got underway, and both men met in the middle of the ring. There was no feeling out process in this one. The pattern of the fight was set straight away. Both fighters had some initial success, but on my card Macklin took the opener, namely due to two crisp and accurately placed inside left uppercuts. He had come to take Jamie's title.

In the second, Matthew focused his attacks on the body more. At times working away with Moore on the ropes - a position Jamie likes fighting in, it must be said - Matthew was looking to land some hurt. Already I put down a single word in my fight notes at ringside. The word was War! And this fight was fast becoming one. Jamie took his turn at landing an eye-catching uppercut in this session. He also scored with a couple of noticeable right hands to the head. Round one to the challenger, round two to the champion.

The third, and some great inside action took place. Both men landed with uppercuts - the punch favoured by the pair of them on more than a few occasions tonight. And the heated battle continued. The rowdy crowd already had plenty to shout about, yet the best of the action was still to come. In the next seven rounds of slugging the bout approached epic status. I scored the third round for Matthew.

In the fourth round both boxers showed the first signs of fatigue. The pace was indeed a blazingly fast one. In fact the fight had already reached the point of being gruelling - less than twelve minutes in. I felt as though the match was being fought on Moore's territory in this session and I gave him the round. All four completed rounds had been very close, however, and a case could be made for either fighter having won them. For what it's worth, I now had the fight dead level.

Round five now. Both finely conditioned boxers, both of whom were completely against the idea of relenting even slightly, were putting on an admirable and exciting slugfest. They went punch for punch here and it was a very hard job splitting them. This was what boxing is all about, both warriors giving one hundred percent. By now both guys had some facial injuries. It really was no wonder considering the number of punches they were hitting home with. Jamie's left eye had a nick above it and some swelling, while Matthew's right eye had an angry mouse developing underneath it. Moore looked the fresher of the two in this round, if only slightly. The pace was telling on both men. It was the champion's round for me though.

Round six, and a big punch landed at once by Moore sent the sweat spraying off Macklin's head. I felt the fight was starting to turn the champion's way. Still, there was yet more effective body work by Macklin as Jamie was on the ropes. He appeared to like it there, however, and both men wanted the win so much. A round I scored for Matthew.

The seventh was the best round yet - something I wrote on my pad in each subsequent round from then on! The war really was at boiling point now. Just when one guy seemed to have the upper hand his rival would come tearing back and grab the initiative. There were hard body shots landed by both men in this round, before a massive burst of hurtful punches landed from Macklin as he really went to town. But then Jamie turned his man and came roaring back himself! This was one superb round of fighting. Matthew finished the stronger though, dominating the last twenty seconds or so in a round I scored even amid the ecstatic cheering.

Was the seventh the round of the fight so far? Well if it was then round eight made me think of fight of the YEAR terms. Never did I think the action could get any better. But here it did just that. Moore was roughing Macklin up somewhat now, and his challenger was tired looking and open mouthed. There was no quit in either guy though, as evidence by the fact that Matthew had Jamie in some distress later in the round. Then Moore came back and hurt him, then the champion was hurt some more, and so on. Really, words cannot adequately describe the torrent of changes in momentum. Jamie did look quite badly stunned though. Was Macklin starting to get the better of him? Matthew certainly won the round, that's for sure.

With fight of the year scribbled furiously on my note pad, round nine began. During the terrific action in this round of fighting I started to wonder how much more I could take. It was almost as if the gutsy brawlers were giving too much. The writer sitting/standing next to me summed things up quite succinctly when he bellowed how this cracker was the British equivalent of Gatti v Ward. He was damn right! Matthew was looking to be on the verge of exhaustion now. Not that Moore was much fresher, as his almost full circle spin around due to loss of balance indicated. As he lost his footing Macklin jumped on him and went on the attack. Jamie again retreated to the ropes, but then, in one more amazing switch of momentum, he came blazing back at his tormentor. Who was winning? By now I had almost given up trying to keep up. This was a fight to simply gawp at, open mouthed, and I couldn't do much else at this incredible stage.

Then came the shocking finish. Something had to give. It had been that way for round after round. And in this session something did give. With both brave battlers slugging it out as they had by now grown accustomed, Macklin went down. Ruled a slip, the war resumed. But not for long. Matthew appeared to be all gone, his amazing chin finally giving way to the relentless Moore onslaught. Then, at one minute and twenty-nine seconds, the end came. Jamie landed two flush shots to the head, a right followed by a smashing left, and Macklin collapsed face down on the canvas. There was no need for the count which was given. Matthew was out cold. The termination to the fight was one that was truly chilling. For agonising minutes the fallen fighter remained motionless. A stretcher was called for and oxygen was given to him. Thankfully he regained consciousness and responded as best he could to the cheers his recovery inspired.

One of the finest fights ever to have been fought in recent years was over. And though the frightening ending to it served to sober a crowd that had been at absolute fever pitch mere seconds earlier, the fight was a genuine classic. Both boxers, the beaten Matthew Macklin especially, will forever be filled with pride knowing the tremendous effort they gave. For although he lost, Macklin gave it absolutely everything he had. They both did.

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September 29, 2006