Moray boxer Fraser Wilkinson back on track with Aberdeen victory

MORAY boxer Fraser Wilkinson came back from four weeks of self-reflection and hard work in Mexico to return to winning ways in Aberdeen at the weekend.

Hopeman's Wilkinson suffered his maiden career loss against Corey McCulloch in May, prompting a four-week trip to Mexico to "put things in perspective".

He returned from Mexico, where he trained in the famous Julian Magdaleno gym in Guadalajara, to step into the ring at Aberdeen's Ardoe House Hotel.

There he picked up a convincing 60-54 points victory over Lithuanian opponent Vaidas Balciauskas (3-25) in six rounds to take his record to seven wins and one defeat.

"Mexico was about putting things into perspective for me," Wilkinson said. "I needed to get away from my job and away from the way I've got into boxing.

"I'm in it to get to the top and become a world champion and it was about remembering that. From the preparation side, it was good, too."

For Wilkinson, defeating Balciauskas was more about building confidence than anything else.

He added: "We wanted somebody that had a bit of experience to get me my confidence back with a good win, and that's what we got.

"It wasn't about trying to gain anything, it was about getting the win and getting back to the drawing board to see what worked and what didn't.

"You should have seen me in the changing room, my team were saying they have never seen me so switched on."

Wilkinson is hoping to make it onto the bill at the Beach Ballroom, again in Aberdeen, where he now lives, on November 25 – but may not be in action until 2024 if he doesn't.

First of all, though, he will need to have his hand looked at, having injured it in the last round of his bout with Balciauskas.

"I'll need to make sure it's not broken," he said. "So that will be a couple of weeks off punching."

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