Fighting for love, not money

Published on Sunday 21 July 2002 01:00

As somebody who was once chased out of Fauldhouse by a lynch mob whilst trying to protect myself from an unprovoked attack by the Hound of the Baskervilles, it shouldn’t really have raised any eyebrows when Scotland’s Commonwealth Games officials chose to unveil their boxing squad for Manchester at the Fauldhouse Miners’ Welfare Club last month.

The little town, after all, is a natural haven for self-preservation, and it’s hardly surprising that pugilism is alive and thriving in wild West Lothian. Yet, whatever one’s views on the so-called noble art, the truth is that meeting the likes of Colin McNeil is to be reminded of the sheer hard graft, guts and commitment exhibited by so many of our athletes in being selected for the trail to Raintown.

At 29, McNeil is the personification of his birthplace: unprepossessing, gritty and entirely free of pretension. By the by, as somebody who battled his way to a bronze medal in the welterweight division in Kuala Lumpur four years ago, this nimble southpaw is also exactly the kind of quiet avenger you would wish in your corner if an argument erupted as to the respective merits of Whitburn and Fauldhouse Galadays. (I’ve seen them. They’re not pretty).

With five Scottish championship victories and a Commonwealth gong under his belt, Colin is his country’s most successful amateur boxer since the days of Dick McTaggart, an Olympic Games gold medallist in 1956. But anyone inclined towards cheap stereotyping should be aware that McNeil is no cauliflower-eared clod with the mumbling incoherence of a punchdrunk Benny Lynch. On the contrary, there will be no more disciplined group of competitors wearing Scottish coloursin Manchester than he and his fellow ringmasters, and McNeil converses passionately, often eloquently, about his inspirations and motivations.

"For me, the real buzz is the incentive of chasing the gold, and considering that I am one of the top 10 fighters in the world in my class, I have to be confident I can improve on my performance in Kuala Lumpur", says McNeil, who maintains he has no interest in turning professional and joining such patsies as Audley Harrison, whose most recent hollow triumph against Arthur, sorry Dominic, Negus, served as a depressing reminder of the BBC’s profligate money-squandering exercise.

"The back-up I have received has been excellent, with the support from the Bank of Scotland and sportscotland crucial ingredients in getting me up to speed for this new challenge.

"Adam [Kusior, the Scottish boxing coach] has also brought a new level of training discipline to myself and nowadays, rather than going flat out all the time, he has helped me focus on when I really need to peak, and how best to prepare for that.

"For we amateurs, this is as big as it gets. I remember being one of our three representatives during the opening parade in 1998, all kilted up, geeing each other on and showing a stack-load of pride and passion ... all the sweat leading up to the Games was worth it just to savour those few minutes. It was a tremendous feeling, and the very thought that I was following in the footsteps of Scottish legends such as Ken Buchanan and Dick McTaggart sent a shiver down my spine.

"That’s the spur, the driving force behind my build-up to the Games, and I was also in Alex Arthur’s corner on the night he won gold in Malaysia. Sure, there has been a lot of hard work down the years, but the rewards far outstrip the sacrifices and if I can carry on Scotland’s proud tradition then I will be a very happy man."

This innate patriotism burns fiercely in McNeil’s breast. Not for him bland sentiments or simulated flag-waving. Instead, in casting his gaze back to the days when the wee bantam, Buchanan, travelled the globe dishing out beatings, and recalling those figures around him who have moulded his personality and boosted his career, McNeil strings out chapter and verse like the Memory Man.

Hence his affection for such contrasting individuals as Kenny Dalglish, he of the terse vocabulary and Meldrewesque disposition, and long-term family friend, Brian Purden, who has played a significant role in steering McNeil to the summit.

"Kenny was the best, and he typified everything I am trying to achieve in winning a gold medal. Like myself, he was a true Scot, and he never stopped setting himself higher standards. Indeed, it gives me a lift just thinking of the success he achieved for his country," says McNeil. "As for Brian, he saw some quality in me many years ago, and took myself and my brother, Craig, to the local boxing club in Fauldhouse.

"I originally joined to get fit and it went from there, but Brian made sure that both of us never missed a single training session. It was then that we realised the massive amount of focus and single-mindedness and discipline which would be required for us to succeed in the sport, so much so that my brother left to join the Paras."

Scrappers and soldiers: any-body familiar with life in West Lothian will be accustomed to scenes out of Sergio Leone, with haggis rather than spaghetti as the motif. In the past, the rivalry between these close-knit communities has seen buses driving past Whitburn Cross en route to Fauldhouse being pelted with stones, rotten eggs, bricks … anything which might cause fear and alarm, while the Courier’s crime file is replete with grisly tales of neds wandering around with Samurai swords and bottles of Buckfast.

In this environment, it speaks volumes for McNeil that his aggression is restricted solely to serving his nation and pummelling his opponents.

"I derive inspiration from anyone who does well in sport: any proud Scot who makes their compatriots glad to be Scottish. But I feel there’s not enough inspiration for people in Scotland, so I’ll be trying my damnedest to cheer them up by doing well in Manchester. It doesn’t matter what activity it is, be it curling, cycling, boxing, whatever … if we can climb on to the podium, Scottish people everywhere will be given a lift.

"I mean, we’ve spent the summer sitting out the World Cup while England and Ireland brought their fans the chance to unite behind their flags. Now it is Scotland’s turn, and I honestly believe that every Scot will be feeling better about themselves by the time the Commonwealth Games have reached their climax."

As McNeil acknowledges, he will never be a millionaire, and will need to search for a job when he retires from the ring. But riches mean less to him than the prospect of grasping a gold medal. In short, he embodies the very ethos of the Games.

• Did you know?

The first Commonwealth Games were held in 1930 in Hamilton, Canada and were then known as the British Empire Games. Eleven nations and 450 competitors took part in six diffferent sports. The most recent Commonwealth Games were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1998 when 69 nations and 5,068 athletes took part in 13 different sports.