Boxers pulled to safety as brawl breaks out in crowd

TWO boxers had to be pulled to safety after a ringside brawl broke out during their bout.

• The Tranent Loch Centre

The drunken fight saw tables thrown and glasses smashed at the family-friendly event in Tranent, East Lothian yesterday afternoon.

Police were called to the Tranent Loch Centre, where the amateur boxing matches were taking place to raise funds for the local Bronx boxing club.

Eyewitnesses said two men were initially detained by officers. However, a police spokesman said no arrests were made in connection with the incident.

The brawl broke out just half an hour after fire crews had to evacuate the entire building.

They received a hoax bomb scare at around 3.30pm then another call five minutes later when the fire alarm went off in the building.

Firefighters evacuated the crowds who had gathered to watch the boxing while the building was checked. Just 30 minutes later, when the boxing match was unde way, the ringside fight broke out.

Bronx lightheavyweight Steven Lindsey and opponent Larry Meldum, from Alloa, had to be pulled out of the ring for safety reasons as tables flew and a group of men started fighting.

Organiser and chief boxing coach Alex Wood said: "The guys involved in the brawling were locals and had been drinking heavily but it's tragic that the first amateur boxing show held in the Loch Centre for nearly 15 years should be spoiled by an irresponsible minority. We are a family club and the venue had many women with kids in the audience who behaved themselves better than these guys who started the brawling."

The sell-out Sunday afternoon event was a fundraising event for the Bronx boxing club. The show had attracted a large ringside audience, who were understood to be outraged by the behaviour of those involved in the brawl.

A Loch Centre senior duty manager said: "Overall, we were very happy by the crowd's behaviour in all parts of our facility today so why let those guys - two of whom were taken away by the police - sabotage a great afternoon?"

Several spectators are said to have surrounded the culprits at one point to try and stop the fighting.

One 35-year-old man from Tranent said: "It's scandalous. The majority of Tranent and local East Lothian folk who came here today have enjoyed a good afternoon of boxing until these fools started their nonsense."

In-house security led by Tommy Quinn - the father of Tranent's former WBO continental middleweight champion, Willie Quinn - helped to break up the fight, while police officers also attended after receiving a report of the disturbance.

A police spokesman said: "Police were called to a report of a disturbance at the Loch Centre in Tranent at around 4.30pm yesterday.

"No complaints were made, however a 26-year-old man was arrested after inquiries revealed he was wanted on a number of outstanding warrants."