RingSide Report

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Ringside Report Sits Down with Craig McIntyre & Craig Kelly

By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart

One of the major joys of following boxing with a pen in hand is getting to meet and talk to boxers. Not just the giants who make the nights special but the guys on their way up and those for whom the future is still to be made.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have caught up with a couple of fighters in the Lock, Stock Promotions stable who share the same first name, but have very different career trajectories.

First up is the young welterweight prospect, Craig McIntyre, 6-0, 1 KO. McIntyre is about to enter the ring for his 7th professional fight and it has been far from a straightforward pathway.

I caught up with him as he prepared for the next phase of his career – a fight on This Saturday, the 3rd of June at the Paisley Lagoon Centre. McIntyre fights under the watchful eye of manager and Scottish boxing legend, Willie Limond who is a 45 professional fight veteran and the very first man to put Amir Khan down in a professional ring; unfortunately Khan got up to win.

McIntyre met me at the home of one of his sponsors, the Bocadillo café in Glasgow, a place he is keen to promote because, like many boxers in the UK, McIntyre depends upon the largesse and sponsorship of local companies. Bocadillo and Shettleston company, J.N.G Ltd have certainly stepped up to the plate for McIntyre – so he likes to reward them.

For boxers whose careers are not yet under the bright lights of a Wembley or an outside stadium sponsorship means they can be full time boxers and not worry about their bills. It allows them to take their careers from where they are to where their sponsor’s names can be seen in bright lights or under them on the TV. Such a return is beyond the wildest dreams of the types of companies putting their hands in their pockets for the likes of McIntyre but they are a vital part of a boxer’s professional upbringing.

McIntyre will be in the ring on Saturday, for a British International Masters belt. You will not find that in amongst the rankings for the WBA, IBF or even the recently much maligned IBO but McIntyre knows that minor though this belt may be, it is a stepping stone. It is a springboard for the future and possibly bigger titles.

“At the stage that I am at obviously I want to fight for titles but I have faith in my manager, Willie and the team behind me, that I can get there when I am ready.”

It has been a tricky first few professional outings as, having despatched his first two opponents in flourishes, it appeared that people were keen to avoid him. McIntyre is not alone in finding it hard to get opponents as last weekend Eddie Hearn bemoaned the lack of opportunities for new kid on the cruiserweight block, Lawrence Okolie as he went 43 possible opponents before getting a Czech late replacement to be the next thing Okolie knocked to the canvass in the first round.

It ended up in a trilogy that he never wanted as he has faced and beaten the wily warhorse, William Warburton 3 times in his 6-professional fight career.

McIntyre was however very sanguine about it all and he is looking forward to what comes next. “Things are going well, I mean the next fight is always what you focus on and this is my time to start getting the fights cranked up.

As to the issue of fighting for the bigger titles, McIntyre does not have a long-term goal – or at least one to which he shall admit – but this next step is important. “To me a belt is the stepping stone but boxing is so expensive. I am asking my mates who are as young as I am to shell out money for the ticket, then the drink and before you know it they have gone through about £150 each time I get to box. To ask them to do that when I fight journeymen has been hard. I know they can struggle a bit but they have been great and I really appreciate their support. Now that I am fighting for a belt, that means they can see progress. It is not just me fighting anybody for nothing but me fighting for something that goes around my waist afterwards.”

One other fighter who has already tasted success in the ring for a British Masters title is another Craig, Craig Kelly, 9-10-1, 2 KO’s. I first saw Kelly, in against fellow Scot, Ally Black, for that title as the top of the bill in a show in Glasgow, it was the bill in which McIntyre made his debut.

Kelly won a stoppage against Black that was nothing short of all-out war. Black was stopped due to a cut, and then Kelly followed that up with another war that was also stopped inside the distance but this time Kelly had punched himself to standstill.

Like many who enjoy the sport and want to earn from it, Kelly has a special reason now after the recent birth of a son. “Of course, it changes you, but I am still the guy who goes into a ring and gives everything. Perhaps now though I need to box more and move a little rather than stand and take so many shots.”

Like McIntyre, opponents have been difficult to come by, though for different reasons. Whilst McIntyre’s record and impressive early performances have put people off, Kelly almost landed a big money chance against a top prospect but it was not to be.

Whilst it was going to be more than food on the table as it was a hefty sum of money on the table for Kelly, it was clear that the other side were after someone to test but not beat their fighter. It appeared though that they realized, just in time, that perhaps Kelly was not a pushover. “Maybe they took a closer look and went beyond the record. They told me he got injured but maybe they realized it was not going to be the walkover they thought it might be. “

Kelly is now looking forward to a tune up fight in the next month or so before he takes on a “big name” in the Autumn. Right now, he is reticent in naming names but I can tell by the tone of his voice this could keep the diaper bill in check for a while should it come off.

Last time out it was heartache for him against one of our Commonwealth 2014 boxers in Sam Ball for the Scottish welterweight title – a belt that Kelly has already held. Ball caught him early and Kelly was just unable to recover from the blow. “Fair play to Sam. He is a really nice guy and a very able boxer. He caught me in the solar plexus and it took the wind right out of me. I was hurt and never really recovered so was not surprised that it was stopped. No complaints.”

Unlike McIntyre, there are not a queue of sponsors able to make Kelly’s life easier and he has to hold down a construction job. Last time we talked, he was part of the crew building a new Forth Bridge in Edinburgh but he was finding that a tough job. “The bridge job was killing me. I was out very early in the morning to get to work, in and then out quickly to get to the gym and had very little time for much else. Now the wee man is here, I need to sort that so I told the company I needed something a little less stressful and now work, gym and home are much closer to each other and that’s fine for us all.”

It would be very fine if a big name fight came off but if not, Kelly has another fight firmly in his sights “Stefan Sanderson (the guy who beat him between Ball and Black). I have told Willie (Limond – his manager) that I want that fight. It still rankles. I should never have lost.”

From the confidence of youth to the gritty determination of a guy who wants to put food on a table and keep a family together, the sport has the ability to draw each in and give us their stories. These stories are etched in a square ring as the suffer for our pleasure. As people talk of how Kell Brook “quit” and in comes Chris Eubank, JR. talking, again, from the bottom of his trash can, I am reminded of how boxing has given these guys a life and opportunity for which they are grateful. I too, am grateful to have the chance to hear their stories and relay them to you. Next time you see anyone with gloves on, standing, kneeling or struggling in a ring, remember they are there for their reasons. We are there to applaud and marvel. I may miss McIntyre’s next show and Kelly’s may pass me by too but I shall never pass up the opportunity to tune into how they are doing and pass on their messages.

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