The pen is mightier than the sword

Dear friends,
Verily my cup overfloweth, not only am I working and earning, but the new boxing web-site is also up and running and more importantly filling the void in my creative being. Last weekend saw the start of the professional boxing scene up here in the frozen reaches of North East Scotland after a period of inactivity since our local lad Lee McAllister won his Commonwealth Lightweight title belt back in June. This time Lee had a voluntary defence of his newly won crown against another Scot, Charlie King of Motherwell! I'm the only Inspector this far north, so it fell on me to shoulder the duties normally undertaken by two or three men in the principal cities down south. In addition with the new site commissioned for reports of British shows, it piled a wee bit of pressure on yours truly.

That said, because it is a labour of love, I derive pleasure from it and can look back with a modicum of satisfaction when it all fell into place at the end of the night. Then joy of joys, I'm actually going to be paid for the article I've written for a magazine which enjoys a pre-eminent role in terms of boxing written press. This notable first is cause for a celebration (within the financial limits of the payment of course!), since it will be the first actual payment for my written efforts over the last 5/6 years and some 400 articles which had seen the light of day.

For anyone with a penchant for the "Noble Art" I attach the same and welcome any criticism as long as it is constructive;

King shot down by the “Assassin”
Lee McAllister a.k.a. the “Aberdeen Assassin” successfully defended his recently acquired Commonwealth Lightweight title against fellow Scot, Charlie King in another complete sell-out Beach Ballroom in Aberdeen on Saturday 17th October. This voluntary defence had a bit of spice in the parochial world of Scottish Boxing, with King insisting that McAllister was complacent prior to the bout. Nothing could have been further from the truth, or if McAllister had been so disposed, he made a good job of hiding it. The manner of his finishing the bout was clinical and devastating in 1 min 23 seconds of round 7 when Star referee Victor Loughlin didn’t even bother with a count going straight to the aid of the stricken Motherwell boxer King.
McAllister (9st 8lb 14ozs) let King (9st 7lb 10ozs) take the centre of the ring from the first bell, presumably just to see what King had to offer, and King does have all the necessary requisites as a boxer, but not enough to pierce the defensive qualities which McAllister picked up during his time with the “Ingles”. McAllister on the other hand, has picked up some venom and meat in his punches which he did not possess until moving to work with Dave Coldwell.
The 2nd round saw McAllister take a more measured approach, but King was still in there jabbing and trying to box to get through with a second and third shot all to little avail. McAllister's right hooks are knocking the resolve out of King and it is showing more with each passing round. The look on both boxers’ faces between rounds is telling its own story. King looks dejected by the end of 5 whereas McAllister is his usual animated self, chatting to Dave Coldwell as though this was just another day at the office (which in truth it was). McAllister’s thumping rights to Kings left flank are painful to watch much less be on the receiving end of, and as his resistance ebbs away so does what chances he had. The end when it came was dramatic, an exocet of a straight right sending King staggering back some two yards into the ropes above the timekeeper and me, to be followed by his legs sliding out from under him and the inevitable collapse in a heap on the canvas. No count necessary as the show was over there and then. Fortunately, King recovered within a couple of minutes with the attention of the ringside doctors et al; and was able to stagger back to his corner.

The show opener had Jamie Ambler 12st 9lb stopping Quinton Hillocks 12st 10lb 8ozs under the rsc rule in round 5. However, he can feel somewhat fortunate in having done so, as Hillocks had the better of the openers and would have built up a tidy wee lead only to run out of steam. Back to the drawing-board for Hillocks then, in terms of stamina. I’m sure he’ll have realised that himself and will address that before his next outing.

Fettercairn boxer James Ancliff 8st 13lb 8ozs met Paul McElhinney 8st 13lb 6ozs over 8 x 2 minute rounds in the second bout of the undercard. Since Fettercairn is only some 20 miles out of Aberdeen, Ancliff has a fair few fans with him and they’re vocal in support. However, McElhinney is unfazed by the bias of support for the local man and boxes well behind his jab. Ancliff probably took the first on his aggressive approach, but faded out of contention as his frustration at not being able to break down the youngsters resistance and boxing skills, began to show. The referee scored it 77-75 to McElhinney and he moves on undefeated. Ancliff on the other hand, extends to a five bout run of losses and may have to consider the options open to him.

Chris Brophy 11st 6lb 2ozs from Swansea met up with Chris Thompson 11st 5lb 4ozs in the final bout before the main one. This fight had contrasting styles, Thompson the more rounded boxer and Brophy content to counter the Yorkshireman. In the end the boxing skills of Thompson won the day and by a reasonable margin of 60-55. Brophy did though make it a reasonable contest by putting a fair amount of sweat and effort and it was never as one sided as the score implies with some of the rounds being close. Thompson’s defence though was a thing of beauty to those of us who were not viewing proceedings via the bottom of a pint glass.

This was the first time in Scotland that a boxing show was relayed through the world wide web and could be regarded as a technological first up here, apart that is for someone who's very dear to me not being able to view it on the laptop. Is it the harbinger of things to come? At only £3.99 a pop, then the answer must a resounding yes. Welcome to the digital age!

This allied to the undoubted spring in the 63 year old steps has definitely breathed new life into a tired body.