Jorge Heiland upsets Matthew Macklin in Dublin with 10th round TKO

Jorge Heiland was brought in as a tune-up foe for Matthew Macklin, but the Argentine and Macklin's own legs had different plans. Macklin looked tired and frankly a little old, and was stopped in the 10th round, with his career as a contender now likely over.

Macklin, 32, just couldn't keep pace with the 27-year-old Heiland (25-4-2, 13 KO), whose workrate and stamina were just too much for a fighter who has been through the wars over the years. He started slow and never really kicked into a second gear, while Heiland came out attacking and was able to keep that up.

After eight rounds, the WBC's open scoring had it 77-75 Heiland across the board, fair scores that revealed no home favoritism for Macklin. As he threw a shot from the corner in round 10, Heiland snuck in a sharp right hook, buckling Macklin's legs. As he slumped to the canvas, it was clear immediately that the fight was over.

Macklin (31-6, 20 KO) was looking to get himself back into position for a possible fourth world title shot in 2015, but that dream appears dead. It's certainly possible that he'll fight on, but it would now be a stunning career comeback for him to return to the higher levels.

It certainly wasn't the result Macklin wanted in his return to Dublin after a five-year absence.

Undercard

• Kal Yafai UD-12 Everth Briceno (119-106, 118-105, 120-104). Yafai 13-0 (9), Briceno 35-10-2 (26).
• Spike O'Sullivan TKO-1 Anthony Fitzgerald. O'Sullivan 18-1 (11), Fitzgerald 16-7 (4).
• John Joe Nevin TKO-1 Jack Heath. Nevin 3-0 (2), Heath 3-8 (2).
• Anthony Crolla PTS-6 Gyorgy Mizsei Jr. Crolla 29-4-2 (11), Mizsei 20-12 (12).
• Patrick Hyland PTS-8 Oszkar Fiko. Hyland 29-1 (13), Fiko 10-7 (8).
• Sam Eggington KO-1 Sebastien Allais. Eggington 13-2 (7), Allais 16-10-5 (4).