LET it never be said that David Jamieson isn’t committed to his boxing. At 30 years old the East Kilbride cruiserweight knows he doesn’t have a huge amount of time left in which to achieve his remaining goals and is determined to squeeze every last drop out of it.
To that end the IBO international champion has deferred his honeymoon following his marriage to Michaela in October and has also moved to cut back his hours as a workshop manager to allow him more time to train.
The shiny strap he collected at Turnberry in February and the impending defence of it at the Hydro in Glasgow on May 13 – on Hannah Rankin’s undercard – have imbued him with additional confidence that these are all sacrifices worth making.
“I’ve got a couple of sponsors coming on board so I’m looking to drop Thursday and Friday and just work three days a week,” he reveals. “And that will let me commit more to my boxing. We’re getting to the stage where I’ve got a championship belt and there are opportunities there for me.
“So this is the time for me to commit and see how far I can go with it. I’d be frustrated if I ended up retiring and thinking that it could have achieved more if only I put more in. So we’re going to give it a go.
“My work is predominantly manual labour. I can always pick up a drill and put screws in and out. But boxing isn’t always going to be there for me. So I want to give it everything for two or three years and see where we can go with it.
“It definitely helps when you’ve got something nice and shiny like the belt to show for your endeavours. And it gives you a bit of peace of mind that you’re getting something tangible back.
“You just need to look at that and think, “right, I want more of that now”. It’s not that I didn’t always believe in myself but when I got home from Turnberry after winning it, it hammered it home that this is all real.
"And that gives you extra faith in yourself and eliminates any doubts over whether you should be doubling down in your efforts. There’s no question now. It’s full steam ahead.”
Jamieson was just another punter in the crowd at the Hydro for the recent Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall bout and the Kynoch Boxing fighter is happy that his pals will now get to experience the same when he takes on Dec Spelman.
“I was at the Josh Taylor fight there recently and the atmosphere was absolutely electric. Maybe it won’t be full to capacity this time but it’s still the Hydro.
"It makes it an easier sell for me too when you’re trying to convince friends and family to come along. It’s the biggest and best venue in Scotland so it’s going to be a real highlight in my career so far.
“When it was first announced, I was going to be fighting at Braehead and I would have been happy with that. But the way things go in boxing – up and down, on and off – it can change really quickly and all of a sudden we’re fighting at the Hydro. I only stay a few miles up the road from there so it’s incredible to actually get the chance to compete there and defend my belt too.
“It’s moving away from the dinner show scenario too. Not to say all my pals are bevvy merchants but they just like to come along for a pint and a punch-up! They just want their £50 tickets, they can have a booze and see me fight. They’re not fussed about shelling out for the chicken balmoral or a three-course dinner. So this is massively appealing to all of them.”
Englishman Spelman has a 17-5 record and has been in with Anthony Yarde, Lyndon Arthur and Shakan Pitters in the last few years.
“Dec is well known on the British circuit and this will be a real good scalp if I beat him,” adds Jamieson. “Anthony Yarde has fought at the top, is very heavy-handed and is the only guy to stop him, so this is a proper fight and it would be a right statement to stop him too.”
And what’s next after that? He grins and looks over at the ever-patient Mrs Jamieson.
“We’ve still not been away on our honeymoon after getting married last October. So hopefully I can win this fight, get a few more pennies in the bank and then we get a right good break after that. I know I’m going to have to pull all the stops out now! She’ll hold me to that definitely. I’ve been very active as a fighter but I know I’ll need to take a wee break then get back out again around September.”
