St Patricks Weekend Fights

Fight fans are in for a proper treat this weekend with top class pugilistic action taking place on both sides of the Atlantic.

In Sheffield Kell Brook boxes Matthew Hatton in a cracking and all too rare fight between the two best domestic boys in the division.

'Special K' Brook is WBA Inter-Continental champion while Hatton holds the IBF International welterweight crown. Truth be told both belts are pretty worthless but the fight itself has the potential to sizzle.

Hatton is taking lace in his 50th contest and knows a win could finally see him move out of brother Ricky's shadow and be regarded as a top fighter in his own right.

Matt has already reigned as European champion and fought for the WBC light-middleweight belt, when helost on points to Mexican hotshot Saul Alvarez. However he is still not getting his props from those in the trade. It's obvious this frustrates him but he seems a level-headed chap and is confident that he can deliver on Saturday.

When the fight was made I had priced Brook as a slight jolly in my head so was surprised to see him as short as 1/11 in places to win at the Metropoint Arena.

Given the fact that Hatton holds the edge in experience and can hardly be described as over the hill at 30 it's odd to see him so high - he is 6/1 for the win with some firms.

However, Brook is a fighter with the X-Factor. A product of the Wincobank gym in Sheffield that spawned Herol 'Bomber' Graham, Ryan Rhodes and 'Prince' Naseem Hamed, he's a boxer who has the raw tools to get to the very top.

Unbeaten in 26 fights (18 inside) he often makes it all look so effortless and he's building up quite a following in Sheffield, with over 9000 tickets having been shifted for this one according to Eddie Hearn.

Brook is flashy but also a thinker when he's in there and I don't see complacency costing him here. Speaking ahead of this he told reporters: "Matthew is a very dangerous opponent and one that I am full of respect for.

"I know that if I take him lightly he will beat me so I have been 100 per cent focused on him - I'll let others do the talking about these fights in the future, right now it's all about Hatton."

I see Brook winning this, but I don't see it as the cakewalk the layers seem to think it will be. Brook can punch (KO ratio approaching 70%) however Hatton stood toe-to-toe with Alvarez, a fearsome puncher at light-middle last time out, in Mexico, and never budged.

He has a rock solid chin and while he doesn't have the body-punching or ring tenacity of his more famous brother, he does have a decent set of cojones and can definitely hear the final bell in this one. 5/4 about a Brook win on points won't be the biggest price of the year but it looks an absolute banker bet all things considered.

At Madison Square Garden this weekend Matthew Macklin dares to dream against Sergio Martinez, the Argentine who may not have a bona fide world title now but who nonetheless is regarded as the best middleweight on the planet.

Macklin was brilliant in his last fight against WBA world middleweight king Felix Sturm but lost a split decision in Germany. That was all he lost on the night however as his all-action display won him a new army of fans. The much-travelled Brummie goes straight into another high profile affair, with the newly minted WBC Diamond title on the line in New York.

'Mack the Knife' has a decent 28-3 (19) record and does most things well. However in Martinez he is meeting a master boxer who has lost just twice in 52 starts. 'Maravilla' holds wins against the likes of Paul Williams, Kelly Pavlik and Serhiy Dzinziruk, and last time out he eased to a points win over another Brit in Darren Barker.

Martinez at his best is a silky smooth box-fighter who can do it all. His record suggests he should have far too much for Macklin but at 37 there is always the risk he will come apart at the seams in a fight like this.

Macklin will have to box out of his skin, keep the pressure on Martinez and evade those heavy hooks and counters. If he does, and Martinez does show his age, the upset - Macklin is 15/2 in places - could be on.

More likely however is that Martinez boxes within himself to do just about enough on the cards in front of an enthusiastic, pro-Irish crowd in St Paddy's Day at MSG.