Big Mac gets Beered Up for Afolabi

Posted on | March 5, 2009 | No Comments

Khan-Barrera headlines Mar. 14 PPV show also featuring Cook-Martinez title fight

HOBOKEN, N.J. (March 4, 2009) – Former WBO cruiserweight champion Enzo Maccarinelli has been working on a unique training method for his March 14th WBO cruiserweight title fight against NABO title-holder Ola “Kryptonite” Afolabi, headlined by the showdown between 22-year-old lightweight prospect Amir Khan and Hall of Fame bound multiple world champion, “The Baby Faced Assassin” Marco Antonio Barrera, on pay-per-view love from The M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, United Kingdom.

WBO No. 1 contender Maccarinelli (29-2, 22 KOs) recently revealed his secret for his clash with No. 2 rated Afolabi (13-1-3, 5 KOs), who now has famed trainer Freddie Roach working his corner, for their vacant WBO cruiserweight championship bout – a dozen beer barrels. The Welshman has been lifting, not draining, them to improve his strength and conditioning.

Integrated Sports is distributing three 12-round championship bouts featured on the “Khan-Barrera” pay-per-view card, presented by Frank Warren, in North America for live viewing at 4 PM/ET – 1 PM/PT on cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, TVN, DirecTV and Dish Network in the United States, as well as Viewer’s Choice, Shaw Cable, Star Choice and Bell TV in Canada, for a suggested retail price of only $24.95. Veteran blow-by-blow announcer Ian Darke and color analyst, former WBC lightweight champion Jim Watt, will be calling the action from ringside for Sky Box Office and Integrated Sports PPV.

The Ring No. 6 rated Maccarinelli balances half-full kegs over his head to increase his core muscle power, in addition to beating car tires with a sledgehammer. “I’ve tried lifting weights before but it’s not really my kind of thing,” Mazzarinelli explained. “So, when a pal of mine suggested something a bit different, I jumped at the chance. It’s a bit tempting to crack open one of the barrels after a hard day’s training, but I’ll leave that until after the fight.

“I’m desperate to get in the ring and take out all my frustrations on Afolabi. 2008 was a bit of a disaster after I lost to David Haye and then couldn’t win back my WBO title. But 2009 is going to be my time. I hear that Afolabi is a bit of a nightmare and dangerous, but that’s just what I wanted. I want to face the best and beat the best, so as far as I’m concerned, bring on the 14th. I am going to unleash hell once I get between those ropes.”

The 12-round main event finds Khan (19-1, 15 KOs), 2004 Olympic silver medallist, defending his WBA International lightweight crown against WBO No. 1 ranked Barrera (65-6, 43 KOs).

In addition to Khan-Barrera and Maccarinelli-Afolabi, another terrific fight will be shown on PPV as WBO super middleweight champion Nicky “Cookie” Cook (29-1, 16 KOs) defends his title belt against undefeated No. 1 contender Roman “Rocky” Martinez (21-0-1, 12 KOs).

Former European champion Cook, rated No. 6 by The Ring, won the WBO super featherweight title via a 12-round unanimous decision in his last fight against Alex Arthur (26-1). NABO super featherweight title-holder Martinez, fighting out of his native Puerto Rico, is ranked WBA No. 9 by The Ring.

Integrated Sports: North America’s leading distributor of International Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit sports events is Integrated Sports. Among the many events brought to North American viewers by Integrated Sports include World Championship boxing matches featuring Ricky Hatton, Christian Mijares, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Nicolai Valuev and Ruslan Chagaev. In addition, Integrated Sports has distributed numerous International soccer matches showcasing teams like Club America of Mexico and the National Team of Argentina. For more information on upcoming Integrated Sports events visit www.integratedsportsnet.com.

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