Boxing: Delight for Leith Vics fight chiefs as military fundraiser sells out

Leith Victoria club bosses Tony Reid and Douglas Fraser have expressed their delight that the club's gala boxing show to raise funds for servicemen wounded in Afghanistan and their families is a sell-out.

The officials are also confident that tonight's bill at the Barcelo Carlton Hotel, on North Bridge, which features top British Army boxers against a Leith Vics select, will not disappoint the fans whose will ensure a substantial sum for the wounded veterans and their dependants.

Fraser, the Academy Street-based club's show matchmaker, said: "Although Lochend middleweight Tommy Philbin's British Army opponent, Damien Wilson, has pulled out of his bout, we have a cracking bill-topping substitute clash between Dunfermline southpaw and present Scottish light-welterweight champion Callum Susans and the army's Scottish internationalist Sean Dick, who is a really tough opponent.

"Dick recently completed a combat tour in Afghanistan, so a three-round boxing match is unlikely to daunt him.

"Similarly, Leith Victoria welterweight Sean Eng is on a comeback and he hasn't chosen an easy option in army rival Tommy Leigh, who comes with a useful record behind him.

"It's exactly the same with our lightweight Sean White, who goes head-to-head with battling infantryman Shaun McCartan.''

There will also be an added bonus for fight fans. Fraser added: "To ensure a quality bill, we've drafted in two Holyrood boxers who are presently in very good form just now.

"Phil Coppola, who recently outpointed Craigmillar's former 64kg Scottish champion Jason Easton, will box against soldier Lewis Jones and Coppola's Scottish international club-mate Chris Givan fights the army's Matt Wells over four rounds."

Leith club secretary Reid added: "Many of the army boxers featured on tonight's show have recently returned from active service in Afghanistan, so they needed no persuasion to box on our show having seen at first hand the wounds sustained by the colleagues they are trying to help financially tonight."

Barcelo Carlton general manager and former Livingston police club light-heavyweight star Lenny Hughes said: "As well as being a Scottish boxing internationalist, I was the first Amateur Boxing Scotland marketing manager back in 2000 before entering hotel management, so I'd like to stress that this Leith Victoria boxing show in the Carlton is the first of many as far as I'm concerned.

"I aim to make this hotel a regular Edinburgh boxing venue from now on."