Enzo Maccarinelli facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Enzo Maccarinelli
Maccarinelli (right) and Lebedev, 2009
Statistics
Nickname(s)	Big Mac
Rated at	Light-heavyweight Cruiserweight
Height	6 ft 4 in
Reach	74 in
Born	(1980-08-20) 20 August 1980 (age 44) Swansea, Wales
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	49
Wins	41
Wins by KO	33
Losses	8

Enzo Maccarinelli (born 20 August 1980) is a retired Welsh professional boxer. He competed from 1999 to 2016. Enzo was a world champion, holding the WBO cruiserweight title from 2006 to 2008. He also won important regional titles. These included the European and British cruiserweight titles. He also held the Commonwealth light-heavyweight title.

Enzo's Early Life and Start in Boxing

Enzo Maccarinelli was born in Swansea, Wales. His father, Mario, came from Italy in the 1950s. Mario was a boxing champion in the Italian army. He continued boxing in Wales as an amateur.

In 1985, Enzo's father took over the Bonymaen Amateur Boxing Club. He encouraged Enzo to start boxing very young. Enzo began going to the gym at age four. He started training properly at eight and had his first fight at ten. Enzo also learned kickboxing and earned a brown belt.

He won his first youth boxing title at age ten. He won eight more titles during his early career. Sometimes, Enzo's lifestyle affected his training. He would skip practice to meet friends. His father said Enzo "wasn't preparing himself properly" and "was overweight." But his father also knew Enzo was "something special." As a teenager, Enzo worked as a bricklayer's helper. He stopped after breaking a bone in his hand when a breeze block fell on it.

Enzo's Professional Boxing Career

Starting as a Professional Boxer

Enzo Maccarinelli became a professional boxer in 1999. He chose a new trainer, Charlie Pearson. His first professional fight was on October 2, 1999. He won against Paul Bonson by points. In the next four months, he won two more fights by TKO.

In his fourth professional fight, Enzo lost to Lee Swaby. This was a surprise, as Enzo was expected to win. Enzo had knocked Swaby down earlier in the fight. But Swaby stopped Enzo in the third round. Enzo later said this loss was due to his lifestyle. He admitted he was "drinking and eating junk food" before the fight. He said he learned from this defeat to "keep his feet on the ground."

Seven months later, Enzo returned to win against Chris Woollas. From 2001 to 2003, Enzo won eight fights in a row. Before a fight against Valeri Semiskur, he failed an eye exam. He had poor eyesight but had passed exams before by cheating. After this, he had laser eye surgery to fix his vision. He then defeated Semiskur in the first round.

Winning His First World Title

On June 28, 2003, Enzo fought Bruce Scott for the WBU cruiserweight title. He was knocked down early in the fight but got back up. Enzo then took control and won his first WBU title. He knocked Scott out in the fourth round. This made him the first boxer from Swansea to win a world title.

He defended his title three months later. He stopped Andrej Karsten in the first minute. For his wins, Enzo was named British Boxing Writer's Club young fighter of the year for 2003.

Enzo's second title defense was against Earl Morais. Enzo stopped Morais in the first round with a left hook. His promoter, Frank Warren, said Enzo was "one of the hardest punchers in the world." In his third defense, Enzo beat Gary Delaney. He knocked Delaney down seven times before the fight stopped in the eighth round. This was the first time Enzo had fought past the fourth round.

He defended his WBU title successfully seven times before giving it up.

Becoming WBO Cruiserweight Champion

On July 8, 2006, Enzo Maccarinelli fought Marcelo Fabian Domínguez. He won the WBO interim cruiserweight title by TKO in the ninth round. The WBO champion, Johnny Nelson, then retired due to injuries. This meant Enzo became the full WBO champion.

Defending His WBO Title

On October 14, 2006, Enzo defended his WBO title for the first time. He stopped Mark Hobson in the first round. He then had another first-round win against Bobby Gunn in April 2007. The referee stopped the Gunn fight early, which some people thought was too soon.

On July 21, 2007, Enzo defended his title against Wayne Braithwaite. He won by unanimous decision after controlling the fight. On November 3, 2007, he successfully defended his title again. He beat Mohamed Azzaoui by TKO in the fourth round.

The "Bombs Away" Fight and Losing His Title

Enzo's next big fight was against David Haye on March 8, 2008. This was a unification fight, meaning Enzo's WBO title was on the line against Haye's WBA and WBC titles. The fight was called "bombs away" because both boxers had strong punches. Enzo lost the fight and his WBO belt in the second round. Haye knocked him down, and the referee stopped the fight.

After this, Haye moved to the heavyweight division, leaving the belts empty. Enzo had a chance to win back his WBO belt against Jonathon Banks. But Banks pulled out due to injury. Enzo then fought Matthew Ellis at heavyweight and won by KO in the second round.

Enzo later fought Ola Afolabi for the WBO interim title. Enzo was expected to win, but Afolabi knocked him out in the ninth round.

Lebedev Fight and Comeback

Enzo's next fight was against Denis Lebedev on July 18, 2009. Enzo struggled from the start. His right eye swelled shut by the second round. In the third round, Lebedev landed more punches, and the referee stopped the fight.

After this loss, Enzo thought about retiring from boxing. He had lost three of his last four fights by knockout. However, he decided to make a comeback. He won his next two fights by first-round knockout against Hungarian opponents.

Fighting for the European Cruiserweight Title

After his quick wins, Enzo fought Alexander Kotlobay in Russia. This was for the vacant European cruiserweight title. Enzo won by TKO in the first round.

He defended his new title against Alexander Frenkel in September 2010. Enzo was doing well until he was knocked down in the seventh round. The referee allowed the fight to continue, but Frenkel knocked Enzo out again shortly after. This was Enzo's fourth knockout loss in eight fights. Many people called for him to retire again.

Moving to Light-Heavyweight

After some time away, Enzo announced he would move down to the 175-pound light-heavyweight division. He also started working with his former coach, Enzo Calzaghe. Enzo hoped to fight for a world title in this new weight class. He even mentioned fighting fellow Welsh boxer Nathan Cleverly.

In November 2011, Enzo had his first fight at the new weight. He won by TKO in the first round against Gyorgy Marosi. In July 2012, Enzo faced a temporary ban from boxing due to a rule violation related to a substance.

Return to Cruiserweight and Final Retirement

In 2015, Enzo Maccarinelli returned to the cruiserweight division. In December, he knocked out 46-year-old Roy Jones Jr. in the fourth round in Moscow. In June 2016, he fought Dmytro Kucher for the vacant European cruiserweight title. Enzo lost by TKO in the first round. After this fight, he announced his retirement from boxing.

Professional boxing record

See also

In Spanish: Enzo Maccarinelli para niños

• List of Welsh boxing world champions