Boxing: Lights hand a knockout blow to Vics festive show

THE only blackouts that usually occur during the Leith Victoria annual Christmas show happen when a boxer runs into an opponent's big right hand or left hook.

However, yesterday, for the first time in living memory, the show at the Edinburgh Masonic club had to be abandoned with four bouts to go after a massive power cut plunged the packed sell-out venue into darkness.

It was an event which startled Holyrood light-welterweight Chris Given and his opponent Derek Robinson, who were lustily trading leather in the middle of their three-rounder in mid-ring when the lights suddenly went out.

However, one Leith Victoria man who was well pleased with even half a bill was the club's boxing coach, Ray Gibson, who hailed his light-flyweight son Tyler's stoppage in the second round of Glasgow Kelvin's Callum McGinley after the Glasgow boxer had been given an eight count in the opening stanza of the bout.

"That win was my son Tyler's first ring victory in three attempts so it means a lot to him,'' admitted Gibson.

And coach Gibson was equally upbeat about his lightheavyweight Connor Brown's local derby points win over Clovenstone's Pieyam Khosrowpour. He said: "The Clovenstone guy was a heavy puncher but Callum stuck to his game plan of boxing him off and avoiding toe-to-toe stuff and it paid off.''

Gibson also praised his Leith Vics welterweight Colin Currie, who outscored Tranent Bronx's Neil Kennedy and also his Polish welterweight, Grezegorz Korsak, who outjabbed ring rival Steve Williams to win on points - just before the big blackout brought the show to its premature halt.

Concluded Ray Gibson: "The show organisers, Dougie Fraser and Tony Reid, held on for a further ninety minutes after the power cut to see if the lights would come back on. Unfortunately it was all in vain, so the show had to be finally abandoned."