ENZO Maccarinelli is the man who finally gave Swansea its

first world boxing champion. Others had tried and failed.

The likes of Ronnie James, Brian Curvis, Colin Jones and

Floyd Havard all made valiant bids only to fall agonisingly

short.

But it was different for Maccarinelli.

Big things were expected of the cruiserweight when he made

the switch to the professional ranks. Certainly, he packed the

raw power needed to make an impression on the division.

Fierce punches are what Maccarinelli is renowned for. Behind

a good jab he boasts the ability to unleash devastating hook

shots.

And when he is capable of producing them in quick

combinations, it is some weapon to have in your armoury.

In June 2003 Maccarinelli won the vacant WBU cruiserweight

title when he stopped Bruce Scott in the fourth round. He went

on to defend the title seven times as he forged a reputation as

one of the biggest hitters in the game.

But the fight Maccarinelli regards as his defining moment

came three years later when he faced up to former WBC title

holder Marcelo Dominguez for the WBO interim cruiserweight

crown.

The Argentinean was a tough opponent, but Maccarinelli

stopped him in the ninth. And when Johnny Nelson gave up the

belt through injury later that year, the Swansea fighter was

promoted to full champion status.

Defeats of Mark Hobson, Bobby Gunn, Wayne Braithwaite and

Mohamed Azzaoui raised his profile further and by the time

Maccarinelli took on David Haye in March 2008 it was a fight

being hyped up to rival the classic Benn-Eubank encounters of

the early 1990s.

Londoner Haye went on to win in the second round, though few

would bet Maccarinelli does not claim a version of the world

title again in the near future.