Boxing: McMillan in fine fettle for Young battle, insists coach

Published on Wednesday 4 November 2009 08:55

LOCHEND boxing coach Terry McCormack insists Gary McMillan will be in "awesome shape" for his Scottish title bid.

McMillan takes on Gilmerton's Gary Young for the national welterweight crown on November 15 in Glasgow.

McCormack, fresh back from Freddie Roach's Los Angeles gym where he led a group of his amateur and pro boxers in a ten-day training stint, said: "Gary sparred loads of rounds in LA with two of Manny Pacquiao's sparring partners, Shad Holloway and Urbano Antiila, and that has really sharpened him up.

"Next week, Gary will start a week's sparring at our Lochend gym with Alex Arthur.

"Gary respects Young but he is hungry for his first title as he's been told that, if he wins, then his manager Alex Morrison will pull out all the stops to get McMillan a British title fight in 2010."

However, McMillan's opponent reckons he's in the form of his life. Young said: "I am highly confident and am looking forward to my first taste of championship level boxing. I have a fantastic training team behind me in Willie Quinn and Paul Weir and I am also punching harder and faster, and boxing better than at any time in my whole career."

Capital amateur heavyweight ace Steve Simmons, who is on a high after beating the USA's number one heavyweight twice last week in America, is excited about his televised clash against America's number two heavyweight Lammar Fenner in a Great Britain versus USA international in a London hotel before a celebrity audience next week.

Simmons said: "Fenner was beaten earlier this year by Jordan Shimmel in the American championships heavyweight final so I'm confident that I can make it three wins in a row against America's finest heavyweights by beating Fenner. He saw my two points victories over Shimmel at ringside so he knows that he'll be in for a tough fight in London.

"In fact, I hope that Fenner comes looking for revenge as I won't then have to go looking for him when we fight.

"My one disappointment about my double wins over Shimmel was that I didn't knock Shimmel out so I'm going back this weekend to my uncle's Longstone gym to work on beefing up my punchpower."