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Rose meets Maciel in WBO 154-pound final eliminator

Fighters Network
10
Sep

British star Brian Rose will meet Javier Maciel in a final eliminator for the WBO junior middleweight title at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield on Oct. 26.

Demetrius Andrade, THE RING’s No. 5-rated junior middleweight, and Vanes Martirosyan, the No. 9 contender, face off for the vacant crown in Texas on Nov. 16 and the winner will be obligated to fight Rose or Maciel, who collide on the undercard of Kell Brook’s welterweight bout against Vyacheslav Senchenko.

“This is a great chance for me to land the world title shot I have been working my whole life for,” said Rose. “Maciel is a tough opponent and I know I will have to be at my very best to beat him, but we’ve got seven weeks to go until fight night and myself and Bobby Rimmer will leave no stone unturned in the gym to get the win.”

Maciel lost on points to then WBO middleweight titleholder Dmitry Pirog in 2011 but has rebounded with ten straight wins, nine of which came inside the distance. His power is not to be underestimated and Rose could have his work cut out for him against the experienced Argentinian.



“This is a golden opportunity for Brian to secure his world title shot and become mandatory for the WBO Junior Middleweight title,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “Maciel is by far the biggest test of his career but I believe he is ready to make a statement in this fight.  I’m delighted to be working with Top Rank and the WBO to make this fantastic bout.”

Rose, from Blackpool in England, is the former British light middleweight titlist who won the acclaimed Lonsdale belt outright, following a string of impressive performances against solid opposition in the UK. 

The British stylist also holds a knockout victory over former champion, Vivian Harris, and recent back to back wins over Joachim Alcine and Alexey Ribchev have pushed him closer to the division’s best.

Olympic Gold medalist Anthony Joshua MBE, Scot Cardle, Callum Smith, as well as unbeaten bantamweight sensation Kal Yafai, will all appear on what is now a stacked card in the Steel City of Sheffield.

 

 

Tom Gray is a member of the British Boxing Writers’ Association and has contributed to various publications.  Follow him on Twitter: @Tom_Gray_Boxing

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