Boxing: Big-hitting Hastie has come of age

OVER a decade ago, the Evening News ran stories on Gilmerton light-flyweight Jason Hastie's inability to get amateur bouts because, at just five stones in weight, he was Scotland's smallest amateur boxer with almost no peers at a similar weight to fight him.

Now, ironically, the 24-year-old unbeaten pro has highlighted his height and reach advantages over Aberdonian opponent James Ancliff as two very good reasons why he expects to be crowned the new Scottish featherweight champion after his ten-round bout at Glasgow's Thistle Hotel tonight.

"I will have height and reach advantages over Ancliff and I also believe that I'm a better technical boxer than him - his non-stop come-forward tactics will suit me down to the ground as my left jab is one of my best punches. I've had lots of frustration in my pro career due to long inactive spells but I believe that becoming Scottish champion will be the first step in me going on to better things like British titles.''

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Unbeaten Edinburgh pro bantamweight Gareth Stemp will also fight tonight in Glasgow but, most unusually, after his clash with pro debutant Jon Slowey, Stemp will spend the night as a house guest of his opponent at his Glasgow home!

Revealed Stemp: "Jon and I are old former Scottish amateur boxing team mates and, as I don't like hotel rooms, it was really good of him to offer me a bed for the night - even though if I beat him it will seem a funny kind of way to repay his hospitality!'' Meanwhile, unbeaten Edinburgh bantamweight Dave Cowan will fight in Aberdeen's Beach Ballroom, having just completed some novel preparation for a bout - sparring with four Scottish female championship class boxers, including Leith Victoria's Magdalena Berns.

However, ex-Sparta and Queensferry amateur star Cowan was disappointed to learn that he will have to box Delroy Spencer for a second time having previously outpointed the Walsall veteran in a recent ring clash. He said: "I had planned to fight Adil Anwar (of Prince Naseem Hamed's Sheffield stable]. Anwar would have been a good name to beat for my record but I feel that having beaten Spencer already it's just going over old ground.''

However, Cowan's coach Mark Geraghty responded: "I take the line that David only beat Spencer by two points last time out, and, frankly, it wasn't one of Cowan's best performances, so I'll be telling him that he should go out and beat Spencer even more decisively."

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