Ready for a fight

May 19 2009 by Andrew Welsh, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

Ready for a fight

TOP fight prospects will have a golden opportunity to impress influential onlookers at a big match south of Perth on Friday.

Pugilists from Kinross Amateur Boxing Academy will take on a squad from the highly-regarded Bolton Lads’ Club at the Windelstrae Hotel in Kinross.

Top-table guests at the event will include former Olympic gold medal-winning lightweight Dick McTaggart and Olympic referee Billy Phillips.

KABA secretary Andy Caulfield told PA Sport he expects the home side to push their formidable opponents all the way following a series of competitive meetings between the sides in recent seasons.

“It’s always really close between us and a hard-fought night,” Caulfield said yesterday.

“Hopefully it will be the same again this weekend, and with the likes of Dick McTaggart present, our guys should have every incentive to do well.”

Among the big names who have represented Bolton against Kinross in the recent past are Bradley Saunders, who narrowly missed out on an Olympic medal in Beijing last year, and current UK podium squad member Scott McArdle.

On Friday, KABA patron McTaggart will be presenting the club’s award for the best young boxer of the year, which was won last year by light heavyweight Dave Nelson.

He will be wearing Kinross colours again after returning from a nose injury sustained in the club’s spring visit to London that kept him out of action for two months.

Other KABA stalwarts hoping to impress will include welterweight Ali Gonsales, who reached the last eight in the Scottish championships and Northern District junior middleweight champion Aaron MacNeil.

At the younger end of the age scale, there will also be a debut appearance from Kinross High School pupil Dean Byrne (13).

Fife firms Thistle Ground Maintenance Scotland and Yan Building will be providing valuable strip and ring corner sponsorship at the event.