Scottish Amateur And Professional Boxing
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Kevin Anderson powered his way to the Celtic Welterweight title at the St. Andrews Sporting Club in Glasgow last night. Gavin MacLeod of Doghouse Boxing was ringside for Scottish Boxing.
The hard-hitting welterweight prospect Kevin Anderson from Buckhaven was matched against his most challenging opponent to date in the form of Northern Ireland’s tough Glenn McClarnon. The bout represented a notable step up in class for Anderson and presented him with his first chance to win a title in the professional ranks, with the fight being mandated for the newly formed Celtic title.
The fight set off at a frenetic pace with Anderson looking to land some heavy shots early on. McClarnon (10st 6 3/4lbs) appeared more than happy to stand and trade with his hard-hitting opponent and got through with a left hook as Anderson went to the body. It was the Scot who landed big first however, as he parried a McClarnon left hook and connected with a solid right hook that really brought the fight to life.
Anderson was looking for the one-two from the outside but his opponent was wise to it and duly dipped out of harms way when it was delivered. The Irishman then landed a short right hook and Anderson took a second to step back to recompose himself before trying to retaliate. He did so with a well-timed left-right combination that caught McClarnon who tied his man up on the inside to prevent any follow up coming his way.
Stanza number two got off to a scrappy start as Anderson pushed McClarnon to the floor after adroitly sidestepping a right hand. A right uppercut-left hook combination landed solidly for Anderson, but his opponent was in great shape and no pushover (having travelled 12 round distance with British champion David Barnes last April).
Indeed McClarnon fought back and landed the best punch of the night so far, a booming straight right that caught Anderson flush on the chin. However, like his opponent, Anderson was in fine physical condition, and sought to repay his foe in kind, shortening a right hook which cracked off McClarnon’s face as he held tieing up Anderson once again. After being ordered to fight their way out by the impressive Doncaster official Howard Foster, McClarnon got in the round's last blows, catching Anderson with a left and right hand along the ropes.
Round three had McClarnon coming out as the aggressor and landing first as he crashed home a right uppercut against the retreating Anderson. Countering off the back foot has never been something associated with the new Celtic champion's career (Anderson now 13-0 - 9 KOs) but he proved to be very effective fighting in this way.
As sections of the 800 spectators rose to chant Anderson’s name, he received a left hook and a right hand but was quick to retort with heavier shots to both body and head. Those in attendance were certainly appreciative of the effort of both men as they applauded stridently to show their approval of what was a thoroughly entertaining fight thus far.
Unfortunately for the assembly the end of the fight was approaching, and arrived accordingly in round four. As the combatants jabbed and circled right for the opening moments of the round, you could see each man was brewing up an attack and waiting for an opening.
It arrived in a flashpoint as McClarnon pounced on Anderson to start off an exchange that would end the bout. He let off an explosive left hook a split second before his rival and it thumped into Anderson followed by a right hook that was equally as accurate. The Scot absorbed these punches well but had already set off his counter strike before the McClarnon right had landed.
As he doubled up on his left hook, Anderson was presented with an opening for his sledgehammer like right, and hooked it into McClarnon's face with thunderous force. The Lurgan man had his head tucked in nicely which absorbed much of the power and kept him on his feet, but the damage had already been done.
After coming out of the resultant clinch with Anderson, it was clear from press row that McClarnon (17-8 - 6 KOs) had sustained a terrible cut. The blood flowed profusely from the long slice across McClarnon’s left brow, and after ten more seconds of action Mr Foster called for time to inspect the damage. Having wiped away the blood to get a better look at the gash, he then declared it too serious to let the contest continue. Official time was 55 seconds into the fourth round.
For Anderson, this was a good victory in what was his biggest fight of a short career. His delighted manager Tommy Gilmour saw the fight as a sign that all the investment of time and money was beginning to bare fruit.
"I had Kevin a shade in front before the stoppage, but McClarnon is no push over. Kevin boxed well and he’ll probably want a British title shot now, but I’m in no hurry for it. This was a fight that showed us that everything we’ve done for Kevin is now paying off in the ring."
Anderson was himself in buoyant mood after the fight.
"I knew he was going to be tough, and I knew that the fight wasn’t going to be easy. The plan was to get some rounds in there and then break him down, so I’m happy with how it turned out. It was a good fight for me and a big test so I’m just glad I’ve won it and now I can hopefully go on to bigger and better things."
Posted by scottish-boxing at February 1, 2005 12:38 PM