Arthur's return to lightweight may lead to titanic all-Scottish clash

Published on Saturday 20 June 2009 19:37

SCOTLAND'S newest professional lightweight contender, Alex Arthur, was once the European, British and Commonwealth super-featherweight champion before his brief abortive reign as WBO champion at that weight.

Arthur, pictured, won the Commonwealth title from a fellow Scot, Craig Docherty of Glasgow, before a packed Meadowbank audience in April, 2005, the Edinburgh man picking up the belt with a ninth-round knockout.

On Friday, Arthur announced his arrival in the lightweight ranks in no uncertain fashion, destroying Mohammed Benbiou of France in the first round at Bellahouston Leisure Centre. At roughly the same time as Arthur was battering Benbiou to defeat, Lee McAllister was lifting the Commonwealth title in his home town of Aberdeen with a spectacular third-round knockout of Godfred Sowah of Ghana.

Arthur's sights are set on a second world title at a different weight, so could he repeat history by going the Commonwealth route and taking on McAllister in what would be Scotland's domestic fight of the year? Perhaps significantly, neither of the boxers nor their managers were for making any such match yesterday, but there is a compelling logic to the contest.

McAllister tried and failed to win the British title against John Murray in January, but has already held a "world" title, in the shape of the little-regarded World Boxing Union belt. He is an improving fighter, and at 26 could yet make the step up to serious contention for a genuine world title.

Although he is already ranked in the top ten by the WBO, Arthur needs a high-profile lightweight contest before he can seriously call out the world champions at the weight. A Commonwealth title fight with McAllister, in front of 3,000-4,000 fans in Aberdeen, would fit the bill.

McAllister's manager Tommy Gilmour did not even mention Arthur yesterday, believing that the Aberdeen Assassin should now set his sights on the European lightweight belt, which Frenchman Anthony Mezaache is due to defend against Andrei Kudriavtsev next month. "I fancy that we can have a bash at the European title and then Lee will be the best out of two-thirds of the world," Gilmour said. "I honestly think Lee can go on from here and defend his Commonwealth title and go for the European belt."

But how will McAllister claim to be the best in Europe if he cannot beat Arthur? The former world champion was in stunning form on Friday, and no other lightweight watching the contest – not Amir Khan nor No.1 rated Juan Manuel Marquez – would fancy having to face such shots as Arthur threw. It was one of those explosive punches which dismantled Benbiou, and the back-to-basics approach of his original trainer, Terry McCormack, proved successful.

Arthur said afterwards he wanted another warm-up fight before going for the WBO or WBA lightweight belt "preferably at Braehead Arena in Glasgow". But if McAllister is Commonwealth and European champion by that time, he will be able to legitimately demand to face Arthur for what would be a cracking all-Scottish contest.

Top of the bill on Friday in Glasgow was Commonwealth super-featherweight champion Ricky Burns of Coatbridge, who made the third successful defence of his title in a tough 12-round battle against Kevin O'Hara of Belfast.

Burns's manager Alex Morrison's reaction was to talk of two or three more title defences before stepping up, and it was heartening to hear a boxer agree with a wiser head rather than demand a premature world title chance.

"If he would rather get me a bit more experience, maybe another Commonwealth defence, then that's fine by me," said Burns.