Enzo Maccarinelli retained his WBO Cruiserweight championship with a unanimous point's verdict over Wayne Braithwaite. In the battle of the big hitters, Maccarinelli was rarely troubled as he overcame the Guyanese fighter.

Cheered on by a passionate home crowd in Cardiff, Maccarinelli triumphed 119-108, 118-109, and 120-107 in a surprisingly one-sided encounter.

The pre match build up was centered on two of the biggest hitters in boxing going toe-to-toe in a match not expected to go the distance. However, Maccarinelli was the one with the big punches as Braithwaite struggled to cope with his opponent.

Maccarinelli, receiving encouragement at ringside from good friend and sparring partner Joe Calzaghe, floored his opponent in the fifth round with a straight left, left hook combination. He continued to trouble his opponent throughout the fight but, to his credit, Braithwaite took the hits well.

Maccarinelli controlled the fight with a series of jabs and used uppercuts and left hooks to the body to hurt his opponent. He took some punishment in the fight but was never in trouble of being knocked down. He shook his opponent up throughout the fight, at one point knocking his gum shield into the spectators around the ring.

After the fight Maccarinelli was ecstatic to have won but had respect for his opponent.

Credit to him, he took a lot of good shots in there.' Always the true professional, he was quick to state there was more to come from him. I didn't box at my best and my trainers a perfectionist so we'll be back in the gym going over what we can improve' Buoyed by his success in a fight some did not expect him to win, Enzo will now be looking to unify the Cruiserweight division but the chance to fight David Haye, another British fighter, will be an incentive for him to prove he is the number one Cruiserweight both at home and abroad.

Glen Robertson