Not the Past, Certainly the Present and Definitely the Future of Scottish Boxing…

By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart (At Ringside)

This week I have been touring the heart of the boxing fraternity – their gyms. It has been a great grand tour because I got to talk to three Scottish boxers, each at different stages of their careers. Craig McIntyre, 1-0 is at the very beginning, Craig Kelly, 9-8-1, 2 KO’s at 33 years of age is finding the word twilight attached to each of his fights and former world champion kickboxer Scott Allan, 4-1-1 dreams of being a double sport world champion.

I had seen McIntyre and Kelly fight at Bellahouston in March on the Lock Stock Promotions show and they were both gave us the fights of the night. For McIntyre it was his debut and perhaps far from spectacular but it was one in which he fought in a controlled and disciplined manner. He kept his opponent at length, making sure he got the rounds in and he kept out of any trouble. When needed, he hit and this was a very strong indication that he was a tremendous prospect indeed. Talking to him at his gym, it struck me just how sensible this head was on very young shoulders.

McIntyre is incredibly serious about his career and his next fight – only his second as a pro – shows his backroom staff are fearless at putting him forward. “The team want to challenge me so I think it will shock a lot of people (who they are trying to get to fight him) because these are guys with winning records who have fought a lot of good people so am hopeful.”

McIntyre’s good looks belie a very studious young man that many think shall, in about 4 or 5 years, be fighting for a significant title. He has already benefitted from a very strong amateur pedigree and was part of the big Scottish Commonwealth Games squad for the 2014 games. He didn’t make it to the Games or any podia, but this was due to injuries rather than any lack of any ability.

Craig Kelly, meanwhile does not have a strong amateur pedigree. A former professional soccer player, Kelly only took up boxing professionally at the tender age of 28. He recently added his third belt in the shape of the British Masters and will defend it the same night that McIntyre is in the ring for his second contest.

Kelly’s last fight, against Ally Black, 5-3, 2 KO’s was a complete bloodbath; I still have their blood on my note pad. Kelly would be up for doing it again… “Ally is a nice boy, we get on and we talk to each other but we’ll do it again. The two of us make money, it makes sense. Why not? This time it should be for a Scottish title.” It has been suggested that this rematch could happen as early as November this year and I, for one, having seen the original contest would walk over broken glass for the rematch. Both fighters neither ask nor give any quarter and it makes for a blood and guts contest.

Both McIntyre and Kelly though can but dream of what Scott Allan has – a world title. He won his kickboxing bantamweight title and then defended it 9 times before crossing over into boxing. Allan is as busy as a jar full of wasps but determined that his future shall not be clouded by doubts. This is a guy who has serious confidence issues – he is utterly serious about being confident. “You either love me or you hate me because my cockiness levels and confidence are so high.”
Allan had been due to fight in the last show but due to a misunderstanding with the British Board of Boxing Control it was simply not to be. He is very sanguine about the whole affair and looking forward to getting back onto dancing on the canvass and moving forward towards that potential world title fight. I got to watch him in sparring and he is cracking.

What struck me about all three guys was not just the honesty they displayed in the ring but also the honesty and heart they showed out of it. They each had disdain for the manufactured boxers. For them this is hardy toil and they are steeped in it. They box for love and they train out of that love. They talk of fighting the toughest they can and will take on anybody. Kelly was particularly scathing of the “padded record guys”. In their eyes, apart from giving the sport a bad name, anyone who goes to 15-0 and then gets found out deserves it. If after about 15 fights you have not fought anyone with ambition then you are in the wrong sport, they constantly tell me. Of course the disjointed nature of the sport means that we are unlikely to see harmony any point soon but they do talk sense. For those guys who go through a string of people whose job it is to help and guide you and then meeting someone who has been through the same school but done it in half the time leads to only one result – a career shattering loss for the guy just out of cotton wool.

For guys like these three all they want is a career that allows them to meet their pinnacle. Scott Allan dreams of being a double sport world champion ““A double sport world champion man; that’s phenomenal. Even the thought of it, never mind achieving it makes me speechless.” For Kelly the lottery ticket would be a British title fight whilst for McIntyre he is young enough to be waiting for his chance and plotting his course. For any sports person to be plotting what they shall be doing so they can be successful would not happen anywhere else in sport but here. For Kelly he knows that these padded guys with 0 on their records shall always be in front of him. To gain a foothold he needs more wins. He wonders if there should not be points given out for trying to take on the best whilst his rivals are just being successful by beating a few guys who should be down the pub. It has stalled the career of Craig Kelly, won’t stop Scott Allan – we don’t think anything will – and will hopefully not get in the way of Craig McIntyre but keep an eye out – these three are on their way up…

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