The former Irish, British and European Middleweight champion lost out recently on a controversial points decision against World Champion Felix Sturm in Germany, a result which many believe to have been unfair and has been at odds lately as to what his next professional move should be. His gutsy performance did, however earn him the respect of many big names around the globe and even got him some positive press in the local German tabloids after the fight.

Now, Macklin’s world title dreams have taken a significant step forwards after signing a lucrative deal with American promoter Lou DiBella. Macklin's manager Brian Peters thinks it was the right thing to do for his career and now they have Sergio Martinez firmly in their sights to put the Irish boxer's career back on track.

Peters commented, "Lou is the right guy at the right time to take us where we want to be and help us achieve what we want to achieve,” Speaking to Dan Rafael of ESPN, Peters went on to say “I think Lou is the man to deliver. I’m looking forward to November. We’ll see who’s available and get the ball rolling and then look for a Martinez fight or a Sturm rematch."

Dibella seems to be very enthusiastic about Macklin and is very positive about what he believes he can achieve. There are talks starting of a possible Sturm re-match in either New York or somewhere in Ireland.

More on the story here at ProKick.com as it happens...