Enzo Maccarinelli vs. Dmytro Kucher: Fight Time, Date, Live Stream and TV Info

Enzo Maccarinelli gets a chance to reclaim the European cruiserweight title when he takes on Dmytro Kucher at the York Hall in Bethnal Green, London, on Friday.

Welshman Maccarinelli (41-7, 33 KOs) stopped Alexander Kotlobay in a hurry in 2010 to claim the vacant belt, only to lose against Alexander Frenkel in his first defence.

However, the 35-year-old is enjoying something of a late-career renaissance. Victory over Roy Jones Jr. last time out has opened the door to a fight for the vacant strap.

Kucher (23-1-1, 17 KOs) stands in his way. The Ukrainian had an opportunity to become European champion in his last fight, only to draw with Belgian Bilal Laggoune.

When: Friday, June 10, 10 p.m. BST (5 p.m. ET)

Where: York Hall, Bethnal Green, London

TV: BoxNation (UK)

Live stream: BoxNation (UK)

Changing Roles

VASILY MAXIMOV AFP/Getty Images

If things had gone to plan, Maccarinelli would have been sitting at ringside as part of the media on Friday.

Ovill McKenzie was initially scheduled to face Kucher, but injury forced the former out of the contest.

As he explained to Nick Parkinson of ESPN.co.uk, Maccarinelli went from working the bill as an analyst for BoxNation TV to topping it in the main event:

"

I had a phone call from BoxNation TV asking if I wanted to do the commentary on McKenzie vs. Kucher and then an hour later [promoter] Frank Warren rang me up and asked if I wanted the fight because McKenzie had pulled out injured.

I'm always in the gym training so I thought, why not? If I win this and look good, make a statement, then it's a step closer to a possible world title shot. But one step at a time.

"

The former WBO cruiserweight champion certainly looked good in dispatching Jones Jr. in Moscow last December.

That result needs to be put into context, though. Jones Jr. is a shadow of the fighter he once was. In fact, he may even be his shadow's shadow.

Still, Maccarinelli has won three on the spin—all of them inside the distance—since ending his stint at light heavyweight with a tough loss to Juergen Braehmer in 2014.

Much happier back at cruiserweight, he is entering the twilight of a career that has been full of ups and downs.

While there may not be too many more fights left in him, the man from Swansea still believes he can mix it at the highest level. Friday should go a long way to proving just what he has left in the tank.

Second Time Around

Kucher could argue he should already have been crowned European champion before.

The 31-year-old was unlikely not to be awarded the victory against Laggoune in Belgium, as the 12-round contest was settled by some interesting scoring, to say the least.

While one judge had it 115-113 to Kucher, another official made it a draw. The third judge, however, gave home fighter Laggoune the victory by a surprisingly wide score of 118-112.

The split-decision draw meant the belt remained vacant.

Tony Bellew briefly claimed it in December 2015 by beating Mateusz Masternak on points. However, the Englishman moved on to bigger things, as he was handed the chance to challenge for the WBC belt.

Bellew became world champion on May 29 by stopping Ilunga Makabu, a fighter Kucher took the distance in 2013 before losing on a close majority decision.

That result against Makabu still remains the only blemish on Kucher's CV.

He also boasts an impressive 68 per cent knockout ratio, per BoxRec, and has experienced fighting on the road before, including three trips to the United States.

In analysing the fight, Scott Christ of Bad Left Hook wrote: "Kucher isn't some sort of devastating, massive puncher, but he's got enough power that you have to respect it, and Enzo Maccarinelli is not known for his punch resistance."

Prediction

This fight has all the ingredients to be a cracker.

When Maccarinelli's in the ring, you never quite know what will happen next. All seven of his career defeats were by knockout, albeit against good opponents.

This is a risk worth taking for Maccarinelli, who keeps himself in good shape and is experienced enough to cope with fighting on relatively short notice.

Per Odds Shark, the Welsh veteran is a 3-2 underdog. If it goes the distance, expect an upset. However, if the contest ends by stoppage, Kucher will be the one celebrating.