Matthew Macklin is ready to rumble on St Patrick’s Day

It's confirmed - Irish middleweight takes on Sergio Martinez at MSG

For Lee, the burning question was who would be in the opposite corner come fight night.  Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin (26-0, 20 KOs) was an early favorite, but it now seems that Giovanni Lorenzo (31-4) has taken over the mantle as a more likely opponent.

However, the public relations director at DiBella Entertainment, Kevin Rooney, Jr., said on Monday that no one had been confirmed as an opponent, but that “hopefully this week” something would be finalized.

Lee was hoping to be in the feature bout, but HBO decided that Macklin’s performance against Sturm last summer gave him the edge when it came to choosing an opponent for Martinez.

“There was a chance, and I am bit deflated now not to be fighting in the main event. But it is over now and I just have to deal with the situation and get ready,” Lee said Wednesday.

“If I go out and put on a good performance and knock somebody out, then there is nothing else for me to do to get a title fight. This is the year. I have talked to Lou, and he has assured me that the next fight will be a title fight or, if not, a very big fight,” he added.

In other news, the aforementioned Rooney is back in action on February 4 at Times Union Center in Albany.  The 27-year-old junior middleweight will fight Stanley Harvey (1-1) in a contest scheduled for four rounds.

Rooney told the Irish Voice at last week’s press conference that he will also feature on the undercard of Macklin/Martinez at MSG on St. Patrick's Day.

Finally, the Snooki/Final Round Promotions featherweight Patrick Hyland (24-0) will fight Emmanuel Lucero (26-8-1) at the Resorts Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City on January 28.

The Dubliner's fight will stream online at www.behindthering.com for $9.99. Hyland’s brothers, Paul and Eddie, will both fight on the undercard.
Check out next week’s Irish Voice for a full preview.

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Nster.com