Enzo cooking with oil

Eurosport - Fri, 08 Feb 17:46:00 2008
WBO cruiserweight champion Enzo Maccarinelli has revealed the secret of his punching power - he soaks his hands in pure virgin olive oil.

'Big Mac' faces hammer-fisted WBA/WBC world champion David Haye at the O2 Arena in London on March 8 in an eagerly-anticipated all-British showdown.

The Swansea fighter may speak with a broad Welsh accent, but his dad Mario hails from Italy, and it is to the Mediterranean that Big Mac has turned in his bid to become the undisputed number one.

"When I was an amateur, my dad made me soak my hands regularly in pure virgin olive oil from the hills around his home town of Brescia and I nearly knocked everybody out by the time I got out of a vest and headguard," said the 27-year-old who has halted 21 of his 29 professional opponents, with 16 coming inside three rounds.

"Originally it was a tip from one of the old-time boxers from the town who passed it to my dad, who was a boxer in his day, and he then passed it down to me.

"After training and fights, I fill a bowl with the olive oil and leave my hands to soak for a while and then give them a good massage.

"I thought my dad was having me on when we first tried it, but then I started banging them out one by one so I just kept it up."

In preparation for his big showdown against Haye, Mario has been shipping over hundreds of bottles from Brescia.

Enzo added: "To be honest I neglected it a bit when I turned professional but have started doing it regularly again. Some of my best knockout wins have been as a result of giving my hands a good soaking before the fight like against Marcelo Dominguez.

"It makes my hand really supple, and it's probably the reason I never have any problems with hand injuries.

"My dad has had quite a few boxes delivered from Italy, they must think we are running a restaurant over here!"

"This fight will come down to who lands first and I'm going to be all over Haye like an oil slick right from the first bell."