Scotland’s Capital Has Professional Boxing at the MGM Scotland

By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart (At Ringside)

I have never managed the kind of sartorial elegance that comes with a fedora but I was dressed ready to enter the lion’s den – Edinburgh. Capital city of God’s own country it was a simple assignment, go see 10 fights and come home in one piece.
All I went armed with was my laptop and a winning smile; at least I thought it was a winning smile, my mother told me it was…

And so the drive over was just over an hour and here was I in the stadium built for the 1970 Commonwealth Games. These are the Games for all the countries that Great Britain once ruled before we realized it was a bad thing. Then we wanted to do a good thing and make them independent. Then we realized we didn’t rule the world any more. That we thought was a bad thing; but it wasn’t.

Top of the bill tonight was supposed to be a cracking fight for the Commonwealth belt at super flyweight. As I walked into the Meadowbank Leisure Centre, I was hit with not one but two pieces of disappointing information. One of the bouts was off and that Commonwealth belt was not up for grabs as the challenger had not made weight.

From there, the only way was up.

MGM Scotland are trying to make a big splash over here and have employed enough glitz to make things look like a Barbie party dream. From shiny shorts to glitzy entrances this was a night for remembering just why we all love the sport.

It all began half a mile away from the ring as we media types with twitter accounts were set up at the back of the ringside seats. I thought I might need opera glasses but a young guy came and said Sam was sorry he didn’t know we would be so far away and we can move into the ringside to see better; me and my smile, along with the laptop were there in a flash.

Sam is the baby faced front man for MGM Scotland. Looking for all the world like the guy who survived being on the milk run that morning he produces the goods and make sure it sells well.

It was time; time for the first contest.

Super middleweight Brian Forsyth, 4-0, 1 KO faced up to Bryn Wain, 0-7, denying Wain his first ever win in a professional ring. Forsyth worked hard to pin down Wain but Wain proved to be old beyond his years and got to the 4th round before the final bell heralded a 40-36 win for Forsyth. Forsyth returns to the ring on the 21st May so is being kept very busy…

It was a decent contest, one to wet the appetite and my, I was ravenous. With the obligatory ring girls in attendance we got the glamour on tap. Now I aint a fan. It is 2016 and beauty is more than in the eye of the beholder but we need to move on, don’t we? Of course it’s a paid gig for the girls and their emancipation means they know they are more than just eye candy, aint they? This bunch had some corporate jump suit number that was as unforgiving as their heels were high.

The second bout came hard on the heels of the first. This was an evening that refused to hang about and with the loss of one fight on the card it needed to make sure we kept the pace up to keep the paying crowd happy.

John Thain, 15-2, 1 KO appeared to take on the highly experienced William Warburton, 18-96-8, 2 KO’s. Now fuggedaboutit the record attached to Warburton’s name. This is a guy who has been in the ring with some classy boxers; he who knows how to box and survive. It ended 60-54 to Thain but it was a masterclass in avoiding getting hit.

The scene for the night had been set; decent fighting and frilly entertainment. The pace, however was never less than frantic. The crowd loved it. Forsyth’s crowd had become Thain’s and now they were going to get a little wild for the featherweight Stephen Tiffney, 5-0, 1 KO.
It was a hugely entertaining bout but mainly because young Tiffney’s stamina was tested as he chased his opponent, Joe Beeden, 2-36-1, I KO round the ring for 4 x 3 minute rounds. It was another 40-36 win for the man from Edinburgh and he played to the crowd that had his name plastered all over their lips.

By now it was beginning to dawn that the night belonged to Scotland. We were seeing home fighter, after home fighter taking on the guy in front of them and being able to match and out box them at every level. My patriotism was touched. My sense of fair play was beginning to itch. We needed some excitement…

Lee Redpath, 4-0, 1 KO tried so hard to provide it. Unfortunately for him he was up against a guy who doesn’t need excitement in his life, Matt Seawright, 5-134-5. Seawright was a feint specialist, his ability to avoid punches is quite breath taking. Redpath, egged on by a partisan crowd tried to ignite the evening but just couldn’t get his match onto Seawright at all. I sat back and marvelled at the spectacle of it all. Redpath walked away with the 60-54 win.

It was time now to evoke the spirit that was Glasgow 2014. It had been the spirits after the Games that had almost ruined the career of Lewis “Kid Carmel” Benson, 6-0, 2 KO’s but he was back and with the right attitude. Whilst the Scottish boxing contingent were rocking at the Games in Glasgow in 2014, Benson was reeling after losing in the first round. He took it hard and this 4 times Scottish Champion almost gave it all up. That he didn’t is fantastic for those of us who like a good boxer. Benson went in against the remarkably named Fonz Alexander, 3-33, 1 KO. Alexander was game and gave Benson a fight but never managed to give him a fright as Benson showed genuinely impressive boxing skills with a very decent
40–36 win.

This was a night that was flying in. We had started quick and then picked up speed. There was no room for slouching and one of the most over worked guys was the ring announcer as he got back in for the next bout. What had been fascinating for me was not the matches but the skills on display from the other boxers. Journeymen have no right to headlines but they had refused to be caught in anyone’s headlights. This was a night for watching boxing and not for knockouts. If I had been entertained so far, the best was yet to come…
But then it got delayed…

Up next came lightweight Thomas Dickson, 4-0, 1 KO who faced another hardy soul in Youssef Al Hamidi, 13-90-3, 1KO. Looking for all the world like somebody’s uncle at a wedding, Al Hamidi proved to be as hard to hit as my uncle John was as hard to get a drink out of. yet again we got a 40-36 win as Dickson got the rounds as the crowd started to warm up further. They were ready for spectacle and they were ready for fear. What they got next was neither but more palatable.

No matter what Tommy Philbin, 4-0 does in his career I doubt if he will ever face another fighter like Curtis Gargano, 0-17-1. Gargano is no slouch but he looks like he should still be on a couch. He managed to entertain in so many ways. The Ali shuffle, standing with his hands on the ropes, sticking his tongue out, constantly smiling, being wrestled to the ground and asking for more. The crowd reacted and made him the villain but he was so much more than that! This performance made him box office and when he climbed up on the corner to accept the boos of the crowd it was as endearing as it was hilarious. Philbin won, was it ever in doubt, but we got the perfect warm up to make sure we were paying attention before the next two big fights.

With sparkly shorts and a raucous reception there just was absolutely no doubt that Jason Easton, 6-0 3 KO’s was going to win – was there? Problem was, somebody forgot to tell Nathan Hardy 1-1, I KO. In only his second professional fight Hardy was as hardy as his name and determined to get through and win. It was a 6 rounder that Easton did enough to win 60-55 but at times Hardy showed true endeavour. It was a good contest and the support for Easton was throbbing as he tucked away win number 6.

Having seen a lot of contests that were only likely to roll one way it was time for something to rock the arena. Having been unable to get to the weight, Iain “Baby” Butcher, 14-2, 4 KO’s had lost his challenge for the Commonwealth super flyweight belt on the scales. He provided us with the contest of the night as the supporters for either boxer were in full flow, fine spirits and hardy voice. As a top of the bill goes, Thomas Essomba ,7-2, 2 KO’s, was as good an opponent as Butcher will hope to see.

This was a close contest as it ebbed and flowed from either corner. Butcher had a massive support and had he failed, goodness knows what would have happened to the seats! As it was I scored it 97-95 for Butcher. The judges got it nearly spot on going for 97-94.

And so the assignment was complete. All I needed od was file copy. Round about me there were faces and names I knew, Gary Jacobs, Alex Arthur and Hall of Famer, Ken Buchanan. Edinburgh had been survived and I had even enjoyed it. As I walked to my car I wondered if there would be a Fedora shop open at this time of night…. Then I thought ahhhh fuggedaboutit…

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