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Monday, August 18, 2008, 09:00
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.
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