Boxing: BABA made to look silly by top Scots

SCOTLAND boxing team leader Colin McEwen believes the British Amateur Boxing Association have been made to look 'very silly' by the Saltire flags that will be raised in the Commonwealth ring tomorrow.

Light heavyweight Callum Johnson and lightweight Josh Taylor will return with silver at the very least while heavyweight Stephen Simmons has secured a bronze.

While all five English fighters who have reached tomorrow's finals are on GB Boxing's Podium Programme, which sees each individual receive an estimated 25,000 per year, not one Scot is included in the elite squad.

So while their training costs are met by Amateur Boxing Scotland, funded in turn by Sport Scotland, all seven Scottish boxers have had to take personal holiday-time to come to India - super heavyweight Ross Henderson even had to quit his job.

And McEwen was quick to pay tribute to the sacrifice of his fighters in stark contrast to the support they have received from an organisation that is supposed to look after boxers north, as well as south, of the Border.

He said: "None of the boys receive any British funding. Most are working normal jobs and their bosses have been very good letting them take this time off. They are making a major sacrifice because they are putting their careers on the line and Ross Henderson has had to quit his job.

"Without the preparation we have had through the funding from ABS, who have done a fantastic job, we would not be here and have two boys in the final.

"There are no Scots in the podium squad and I think they (the BABA] are going to look incredibly silly now."

But perhaps more importantly than the issue of funding is the fact that no British boxer can go to the Olympics if they are not part of the podium squad.

Certainly that should change after the Commonwealths with Callum Johnson having comprehensively dismantled podium squad member Obed Mwakongo in the quarters before stopping Wales' Jermaine Asare in the semis.