HERALD sports boxing coverage spans the globe. Our man Jim Reynolds in
Atlantic City for the Gary Jacobs fight. Our man Jim Traynor in downtown
Livingston for the world title fight involving Naz Whatsisname, the
Sheffield Asian hopeful in the kilt and leopardskin shorts.
If this were not enough, the Sporting Diary took ourselves to the Time
Capsule, Coatbridge. We travelled to Buckfast County to sample boxing at
its corinthian level, the Scottish Amateur Boxing Association
championships.
The amateur side of the noble art of self defence -- where money is
not at stake but where man meets man in an ultimate test of fitness and
courage.
This was our first opportunity to observe amateur boxing at close hand
and we must report that it looks just as painful and bloody as the
professional code. The event at the Time Capsule was the eliminator
rounds for the Scottish championships. We arrived in time to see a very
large chap from Perth eliminating his opponent in the heavyweight
division with a mighty punch which spread his bloody nose across his
face and his body across the canvas.
We must confess to taking refuge from the punching by slipping off to
other parts of the Time Capsule. Just up from the gym where the boxing
was going on, for instance, we found the Serpent Bar, adjacent to the
jungle-style swimming pool which is a feature of the Coatbridge sport
and fun complex.
Back in the gym, it is shades of the Colisseum in Rome with a
programme of 50 contests held in two rings. So what's the attraction for
the boxers, we ask Walter McGowan, former world champion and here at
Coatbridge in his capacity as a coach with the Phoenix boxing club in
Motherwell.
''When a boxer is at the peak of his mental and physical fitness,
there is no greater high. You feel you can take on anyone,'' says
Walter. ''At the amateur level, we are teaching these boys
self-confidence and discipline. You'll rarely see a boxer getting
involved in a street fight.''
Peter Moore, exective member of the SABA, reminds us that boxing still
performs the important role of keeping boys off the streets. For every
registered boxer, there are three or four other kids in the clubs who
will never make it but are still kept involved.
* FROM boxing we move to Junior football. Not much change there: some
say junior football is the strongest argument for banning boxing.
A Nae Luck Award to Larkhall Royal Albert for setting what must be an
unenviable football record. The official details of the club's last home
game read: Attendance 1; receipts #1.50.'' This apparently brings the
Junior club's turnstile revenue for the season up to #80.
* THE unmistakeable tones of David Francey, legendary sports
commentator of yore, are once again gracing the airwaves. David is to be
heard of a Monday evening on Radio 5 Live's documentary series Voices of
the Old Firm.
Judging by the first episode, Mr Francey is adept as ever for not
letting detail get in the way of a bit of purple prose. ''All roads lead
to Govan,'' he intoned. ''Home of the Rangers and of the famous John
Brown shipyard.'' Close enough. John Brown does play for Rangers, and is
made of steel.
* THE Diary was in conversation with Hugh Adam, supremo of the Rangers
pools and therefore a bit of an expert on games of chance. Hugh had been
pondering the relative statistics for winning the top prize in the
National Lottery compared to your chances of dying in any given week.
''Do you know you are 1500 times more likely to die than you are to
scoop the Lottery?'' he asks. It's being so cheerful that keeps Hugh
going.
* CELTIC fans purchasing tickets for the club's Grand National raffle
will be over the moon, no doubt, to see the briefs were printed by a
company with an address in Prince William Road, Loughborough.
* THE sport of volleyball, like football, can be plagued by abandoned
matches. What, indoors, we hear you ask? Yes, like one of this weekend's
results in the Royal Bank League -- Telford 2, Westerhailes 1 (match
abandoned, hall let ran out).
A volleyball match, being the best of five sets, can last from an hour
to 2[1/2] hours and some games just never go the distance. It's called
not incurring the wrath of the jannie.
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