Andrew Mackay ready for historic Scottish title fight
HAVING contemplated turning his back on boxing entirely Andrew Mackay has picked himself back up to fight for a Scottish lightweight title this Friday.
The North Star admits the last six months have been mentally testing but has put all doubts aside with his focus now entirely on clinching the title that was cruelly ripped away from him just under a year ago.
The Inverness boxer will however have to beat the more experienced Aberdonian Marek Laskowski if he is to become the first Scottish champion to hail from Inverness.
It was June last year that the North Star boxer was handed his first crack at the belt against fellow Scot Ryan Collins. The bout ended in controversy however with the contest stopped after four rounds following a clash of heads. The judges controversially awarded Collins the win which was a decision Mackay found difficult to swallow.
Rematches were arranged in the months that followed however Collins pulled out each time because of injuries and not feeling prepared enough for the fight.
More uncertainty struck Mackay after he parted ways amicably with respected coach Laurie Spence, which led to him taking a few weeks away from the sport to decide what his next steps would be.
However, with the help and encouragement from his friends and family Mackay is now feeling more ready than ever to get back in the ring to play out the biggest fight in his career to date.
He told the Highland News: “It’s been tough. There was times I questioned if I could even continue boxing.
“I took a few weeks out and I just thought that I had given up so much over the last two years and it wasn’t sitting right with me to walk away.
“I sat down with my family and just said that I needed to make one last push towards it.
“My friends and family all spoke me and just told me how much I’ve done already and that I’ve still got a lot of talent and potential.
“There has been times where I’ve wondered why I do what I do – I don’t have the normal social life of someone who is in their early 20s. I just want to be the first person to win this title and after that I will kick on.”
Mackay now spends a great deal of his time down in Glasgow having been reunited with his former manager Colin Bellshaw and working from the Saltire Gym near Airdrie.
His last fight came in November in a Guy Fawkes thriller that saw him beat Bulgarian Angel Emilov convincingly. Mackay has made an impressive start to his career having won six out of seven of his bouts with his only loss coming against Collins last year.
He will take on Laskowski this Friday at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow in a match which is only allowed to have one outcome as far as Mackay is concerned.
The Inverness boxer does not know much about the Aberdonian competitor, however he is not letting the experienced boxer intimidate him heading into the match up.
Mackay added: “I know he’s from Aberdeen and he’s got a southpaw stance. He’s got quite a lot of experience and a 50/50 record but I’ve trained hard. The set up I’ve had now for the last two months has helped.
“Everything has been good but it’s been hard splitting my time between Inverness and Glasgow.
“It’s a different environment down there, it’s a higher set up and I’m mixing with more experienced and better boxers. Up here I’m one of the more experienced guys but down there I’m a novice.
“I’m ready to fight. It was June 24 last year that I fought for this title and I’ve been waiting ever since which has been hard.
“It’s been a rollercoaster. There was times I thought I would have to walk away entirely but I persevered with it.”
The show, run by Saltire Promotions, will also feature two-weight Commonwealth champion Willie Limond and ex-Prize fighter champion Ryan Brawley, both names which are sure to appeal to boxing fans.
Tickets for the event cost £80.