WATCH: Boxing Scotland open championship glory for RAF Lossiemouth serviceman Arran Devine and former Commonwealth Games boxer Megan Gordon representing Elgin Amateur Boxing Club
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TWO Scottish title belts showed last Saturday night was alright for fighting as far as Elgin Amateur Boxing Club is concerned.
RAF Lossiemouth serviceman Arran Devine and former Commonwealth Games boxer Megan Gordon both clinched victory in the final of the Boxing Scotland open championships at Ravenscraig regional sports centre in Motherwell.
Devine (30) won the points verdict of the judges in his 75kg middleweight final against Renfrewshire rival Olivier Kasasula.
Gordon (22) repeated her Scottish title success of a few years ago by returning to boxing from a spell of injury and taking the 50kg final thanks to a unanimous decision against Doonhamers Club’s Frances Heath.
Watch both fights below on Boxing Scotland's YouTube channel - Megan Gordon's fight begins at 1:13.33 on the video, Arran Devine's bout starts at 2:06.24.
It was a first shot at the Scottish open championships for Elgin-based Devine, who was lined up for a title fight in 2020 until Covid-19 closed down sport on the week of his fight.
He had to come through three fights in the past month to claim his belt.
“The first fight was probably the toughest of the three,” he said.
“That was a bit about getting the cobwebs off but as the competition went on, each performance was a little bit better than the last one.
“It was a strong lad I was up against in the final but I was chuffed to win it.”
Gordon, whose father Paul is head coach at the Elgin club, joins her boyfriend Fraser Edwards in being crowned a current Scottish champ.
After claiming the senior light flyweight crown against an opponent she described as “a good awkward counter puncher”, she thanked everyone at her club for supporting her bid for national glory.
“I can’t thank everyone enough for their kind words and support,” she said on Facebook. “Really does mean the world to me.”
While Gordon has fought for Scotland in the Commonwealths, both at junior and senior level, Devine is hoping to grab his first international opportunity on the back of his Motherwell success.
He will take part in a Boxing Scotland assessment later this month, aiming to earn a place in a multi-nation sparring camp and the possibility of a Scotland call-up for a tri nations tournament in the summer.
He has been boxing for ten years and says his time at Elgin ABC has allowed him to sharpen up his skills gradually and earn his place in the national ring.
“It’s a really good bunch at the club and it all comes down to the atmosphere at the club and the coaching," he said.
“If you hang around boxing for a couple of years you are probably not going to get to the level of boxing for Scotland. But because everyone enjoys it so much and the craic is good, and the level of coaching is so good, that people are hanging around for years.
“That’s when you can get to the level of being good enough to box for Scotland.
“I’m pleased that Megan and myself won these titles. It is great for the club and for the area as well.”
