Rutherglen boxing coach Archie Durie expects all nine of his fighters to do well in the Scottish Novice Championships next week, or he wouldn’t be putting them forward.
Durie says he’s not a coach that will put young fighters through to a major competition just for the experience.
However, he does concede that the tournament at Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility in Motherwell will be the biggest ever at that level, with nearly 800 fighters expected to take part.
Durie had 11 boxers taking part, but Feroz Khan and Rhys Purcell have dropped out, leaving Jamie Durie (60kg), Abe Renton (63-65kg), Jay Stuart (54kg), Kevin Turtak (67kg), Lucas Ewan (50kg), Mo Nawa (67kg), Rajmund Turtak (71kg), T-Jay Bailkoski (57kg) and William Lafferty (54kg) for the event, which takes place over the weekends of February 4 to 6, and 11 to 13.
Archie, who runs Durie’s Boxing Gym, said: “We had 11 entered, but we’re down to nine for the championships.
“It’s the biggest Scottish Novice entry in its history, 797 entrants, because they’re doubling the categories – it’s from zero to three fights, and four to six, now, when it used to just be zero to six.
“I’m really looking forward to this. It’s a knock-out type competition, with the winner only allowed to box once per day.
“Every one of my boys is going to try and win something; you get a lot of coaches who will put people in just for experience but I don’t believe in that.
“That’s not the way I was taught.
“All of the boys have had a couple of fights and I wouldn’t put them in if I didn’t think they had a chance of winning it.
“Putting them in for the sake of it can see them getting stopped, or put their confidence down, so I’m only putting in guys that I think have a chance of winning it.”
Meanwhile, Scottish intermediate champion Kyle McNeil from Castlemilk and Lewis Connelly from East Kilbride are fighting in a home show at Glenrothes Boxing Club on Friday night.
And Durie is similarly confident that they will do well.
He said: “It’s a busy couple of weekends for us!
“For Kyle this is his first fight since winning the Scottish title, and it will be good to see him back out.
“He has grown in confidence, big time, since winning the Scottish title, and Lewis Connolly has come on so much.
“Believe it or not, since he has come out of lockdown, Lewis is looking stronger and looking good.
“It’s two good fights to get them in.
“They’re both intermediate boxers, and Glenrothes asked for novices, but they’re all fighting in the Scottish Championships and I couldn’t chance putting them in, in case they get a cut, or whatever.”
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