Frankie Gavin and Matthew Macklin are making big plans

Apr 10 2011 by Ian Johnson, Sunday Mercury

THE boxing jungle drums are making as much noise as a football ground full of Vuvuzelas over Birmingham pair Matthew Macklin and Frankie Gavin and their next fights.

The plans of both brilliant boxers are shrouded in mystery at their training camps in Manchester but I understand talks are well underway for Macklin to challenge Felix Sturm in Germany for the WBA middleweight title sometime in June.

And Gavin will be on the next Frank Warren bill at the O2 Arena in London on May 21 but against who is not known. Gavin however has been told to train for a 12-round fight which should mean a title will be at stake.

What is not in doubt is that Gavin has signed a new deal to keep him in the Warren stable until 2014. Gavin said: “I am coming to the really exciting part of my career. I feel that I have done the ground work now and it is time to start moving up the ladder of titles and championships.

“Frank Warren has done a great job and he is planning for me to have at least five fights between now and next February. In that time my ambition is to become British champion.

“The Lonsdale Belt is the best in the world and I would love to go on and win one outright. Pat Cowdell has done that and I can understand why he is so proud of his achievement. At the moment I don’t know about my next fight but I am pretty sure it will be important. It is still six weeks away so there is plenty of time for me to get into peak condition.

“My stable mates James DeGale and Nathan Cleverley are also on the O2 bill so I won’t be short of support.

“DeGale fights George Groves for the British and Commonwealth titles and that will be a tremendous scrap.

“And Cleverley challenges Juergen Braehmer for the WBO light heavyweight title which will be another cracker,” added Frankie.

Macklin versus Sturm is a mouth-watering thought but at the moment that’s all it is.

It would be a dream come true for Macklin whose sole aim in boxing has been to become a world champion.