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A Closer Look at the British and Scotland Boxing Scene

By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart

It’s all gone quiet over here. After the cancellation of the Return of the Jackal show at Belfast last week with Carl Frampton there is not much happening in rings but plenty happening out of them…

Tyson Fury retired…

It looks like Tony Bellew will not be facing Andre Ward…

Ryan Burnett, having won an IBF title shall be up for a unification fight with a guy being trained by his former trainer who was himself a world champion…

Derrick Chisora is chasing Dillian Whyte relentlessly…

Oh, and the UK broadcaster for Mayweather, JR./MacGregor has been announced…

Plenty to talk about and discuss and as there is no boxing to watch – we are BUT…

The thing is that with the rest of August is not so much silly season but quiet season, it is easy to become bored with speculation and hope for some action. As always there are plenty of things happening worldwide and August shall bring plenty of action throughout the world but in the UK – we are shut.

Unless you are a Grouse in Scotland when men (they are mostly men) with beards and guns come out the big houses to shoot at you as it is Grouse season.

So, in this period of reflection and calm I have taken some time to think about what things are occupying this British Boxing Brain for the rest of this year to come.

Whilst easy to make some kind of comment about May/Mac or big unification fights or “GGG”/Canelo and all that it is the domestic level scene I think that actually looks tasty and quite exciting.

I am going to start these thoughts with a domestic clash involving a fighter that I have seen twice and who looks like he might be about to make some waves domestically and will hope to wash across the pond at some point.

Young Lewis Ritson, 12-0, 6 KO’s, turned professional under the gaze of former Ricky Burns confidant and coach Billy Nelson. Ritson was a highly prized amateur – 93 fights, 72 wins – and reached the 2012 ABA final where he lost to Tamuka Mucha but made a few friends along the way with his style and commitment.

It took Ritson into the heart of a camp where he sparred with Burns in preparation for Burns’ Raymondo Beltran fight and allowed Ritson some sparring time with current Commonwealth Champion David Brophy.

Moving to pro, having been fighting at welterweight in the amateurs, Ritson found himself, thanks to a fitter and more intense regime, settled at light weight. One of the reasons he lost the weight was the amount of running he was doing as a pro which trimmed him considerably. Ironically had he managed to make that weight in his amateur career then he would have added some titles to his name before turning pro but he was a stubborn lad.

It was a very valuable time at Nelson’s gym but ultimately a North East Englishman and a gruff Scots trainer was not to be a long term relationship and now Ritson is based in his North East area home whilst Nelson has a growing band of incredible prospects in Glasgow.

Ritson has his next mountain to climb on the 2nd September in Doncaster where he faces Robbie Barrett, 15-2-1, 1 KO’s in Barrett’s first defence of the British lightweight title. Barrett won the title, ironically in Glasgow by beating Scott Cardle by majority decision on the undercard of a Ricky Burns fight!

Ritson goes in as the Northern Area Champion and mandatory challenger so this should be the step up he needs to make his name better known and quoted within the lightweight fraternity in the UK which is RED hot.

As well as the Northern Area title he won last time out he bagged the WBC Youth Silver title along the way and is looking to take Barrett, ranked number 29 by the WBC out of that list and replace him with himself. Ritson has a style that he likens to his heroes, Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran and having seen him would not disagree. I am convinced that he has the ability to go much further but lightweight – Luke Campbell (fighting Jorge Linares for a world title), Anthony Crolla (Lost a world title to Jorge Linares), Terry Flanagan (Current WBO title holder) and the like is a tough division in the UK. Should he win against Barrett next month though, this is a kid with real ability and the confidence to go with it.

Whilst training with Nelson he moved himself and took his girlfriend with him to Glasgow – nothing else is likely to faze him as he chases glory.

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