Sergio Martinez vs. Matthew Macklin: Martinez Says He Will Knockout Macklin

Middleweight champ and pound-for-pound great Sergio Martinez made his upcoming St. Patrick's Day bout at Madison Square Garden in New York a little more interesting when he predicted he will knockout challenger Matthew Macklin in their scheduled 10-round bout, according to ESPN.com.

Martinez is one of the best fighters out there, but he is usually not as vocal about what he will do in a fight, leaving him under the radar of the casual boxing fan.

Why? Because Martinez lets his boxing do the talking in the ring.

Martinez showing a little personality will draw in some fans that may not have had the Martinez-Macklin fight on their schedules in a day filled with shamrocks and green beer.

Martinez seems very confident with his prediction:

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"He will not give up, but I will knock him out. He will never quit, but I will knock him out, I know I will win by knockout. The fight will definitely not pass the 10th round."

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Martinez (48-2-2, 27 KOs) will look to continue a three-fight KO streak, which is the longest streak of KOs that he has had since stringing four KOs together between 2005 and 2006.

Macklin (28-3, 19 KOs) is coming off a controversial split-decision loss to Felix Sturm in Sturm's homeland of Germany in a fight where most analysts watching, and even Martinez, thought Macklin should have won.

With the injustice Macklin feels he was dealt in his loss to Sturm, he should be ready to leave it in the ring to try and get his career back on track.

Macklin is confident and questioned Martinez's KO guarantee:

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"I don't think Sergio has got the power to knock me out. He's fast, and if you get hit with a shot you don't see, you never know, but I am not going to get hit with that kind of shot."

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Although Macklin will be ready to give the fight of his life, I don't see any reason to go against Martinez's prediction of an early stoppage in the fight. 

Macklin better be ready to meet the canvas more than once in the fight Saturday, and he may need more than a four-leaf clover to bring him some luck against Martinez come Saturday night.