Top Marks For Our Tartan Troopers

I was absolutely thrilled with what I saw from the Braehead Arena in Glasgow on Saturday night, an event that illustrated perfectly that Scottish boxing has a bright future ahead.

I guess there was a tinge of disappointment that Nathaniel Collins didn’t quite get the job done against Cristobal Lorente to secure the European featherweight title and cement his No.1 spot with the WBC.

As Nathaniel conceded himself, perhaps he didn’t box as smartly as he could have done and he fought with his heart rather than his head. It is understandable that he wanted to deliver a cracker for his public and I wouldn’t criticise him for that.

It was a tremendous fight and I thought he won it, but it was closer than it should have been and you can’t really have any complaints.

We’ll have to work out the next move. The rematch is an obvious option, but we will also have to assess what is out there for Nathaniel and where he now stands in the world rankings.

I don’t think anyone would complain over seeing a sequel.

I thought Willy Hutchinson was terrific and really showed the quality and natural talent he possesses. When Willy has got his head screwed on he can be right up there with the elite talents of the division.

He has just got to keep finding the right balance and remain consistent in his approach to the sport. There really cannot be any half measures or you can pay a big price and not realise your potential.

If Willy sticks to his guns and maintains his application, the sky really is the limit for him and he will be in some massive fights. We have always believed in him and I truly hope this turns out to be the case.

I loved what I saw from young Marcus Sutherland. He is a real no-nonsense operator and I can see the comparisons with Nick Ball and I would add Ryan Garner to this. They work off a very solid base, with being stocky and having particularly powerful legs.

When you have got this it is very hard to put a dent in you, which provides the confidence to launch your own attacks and get people out of there.

Marcus’ opponent was no easy pickings, he was an unbeaten young fighter and for Marcus to take him out in a round was a major statement of intent.

In a similar mould is Louie O’Doherty, who I have known about for some time and he fought on one of my charity dinner shows a little while back.

He is another pocket battleship and the sort that breaks the heart of his opponents with his relentless attacks. To go to Glasgow and break down the local fighter in Regan Glackin is no mean feat and I am looking forward to working with Louie moving forward.

The Aston Brown resurgence continues and, even at his ripe old age (in boxing terms, at least), he is developing into a significant threat in the middleweight division. I doubt that too many will be overly keen on taking him on.

We got to see a genuine star of the future in John Joe Carrigan. I know it is early days, but sometimes you can just tell when you are seeing something special.

He has got all the pedigree to be a success in the pro game and he is going to be entertaining. He is the sort of young fighter who is quiet-ish outside of the ring, but then comes to life, full of swagger and confidence, when he steps onto the canvas.

Finally, I’d also make a special mention of a young Scottish contingent, with Drew Limond, Alex Arthur Jr and Reese Lynch continuing to impress. And the same can be said for our Puerto Rican talent Yandiel Lozano, who certainly looks the business.