Scandals & Feuds ·
After Maccarinelli’s First Knockdown, the Fight Went On
Alexander Frenkel’s seventh-round knockout in Birmingham left Enzo Maccarinelli needing ringside treatment. David Haye and Frank Warren criticised referee Erkki Meronen for allowing the bout to continue.
Enzo Maccarinelli got back to his feet after Alexander Frenkel’s left hook dropped him in the seventh round at Birmingham’s LG Arena on 18 September 2010. He was still unsteady and leaning against the ropes, but referee Erkki Meronen allowed the fight to continue. A short burst of punches from Frenkel put him down again, ending Maccarinelli’s first defence of the European cruiserweight title.
Maccarinelli, 30, had won the vacant European crown in April by stopping Alexander Kotlobay in the first round in St Petersburg. Against Frenkel, he had worked his way into a close contest and was ahead on points before the knockout. The decisive change came with a single counterpunch.
Maccarinelli threw a wide right hook. Frenkel ducked and came back with a left that caught him on the chin. Maccarinelli fell heavily, then rose before Meronen completed the count. When boxing resumed, Frenkel’s follow-up sent him back to the canvas and made Frenkel the European champion.
Medics treated Maccarinelli for five minutes before he was moved, giving him oxygen as a precaution. A suspected broken jaw was reported afterward, but not a confirmed diagnosis. Frenkel did not celebrate the finish and showed concern for his opponent as paramedics attended him.
“I found it extremely upsetting and sobering to watch Enzo lose like that,” Haye said after the fight. “I was disgusted with the way the referee and Enzo’s own corner allowed him to continue to fight on.” Haye, who had previously stopped Maccarinelli, said the Welshman had been in a worse state after Frenkel’s first knockdown than during their own fight.
Warren also blamed the referee’s decision. “The referee got it horribly wrong by letting it go on,” he said. “It was a shame for Enzo to go out like that after all he’s done.” Haye urged Maccarinelli to take time over whether to keep boxing. “It’s not for me to say whether Enzo should retire or not,” he said.
Haye’s account extended beyond the ring. “I actually saw Enzo leave in the ambulance after the show on Saturday had ended,” he said, “and it was quite an emotional sight.”