Boxing: McAllister hoping that he won't be elbowed out

Aberdeen's self-named "Assassin" Lee McAllister faces the toughest test of his career next Saturday night at the city's Beach Ballroom, but it won't come from his Hungarian opponent Istvan Nagy.

Instead it will be his own left elbow which will serve up its own challenge when, for the first time in 13 months, it is put to the full test of a rigorous championship fight.

An operation to elbow tendons sidelined McAllister just as he appeared to be reaching a peak, and now the 28-year-old is desperate to get his ambitions back on track.

It was the second time that injury has nearly finished McAllister's career, as a dreadful car smash in Crete in 2004 almost ended his time in the ring.

But he was back fighting wihin seven months, and perhaps it was that eagerness to return to boxing which this time cost him dearly.

A solid win over Ghana's Samuel Amoako in Glasgow last January saw McAllister being lined up for bouts on the undercard of world heavyweight champion David Haye's two title fights against John Ruiz and Audley Harrison.

But, as the fighter's father and mentor David admitted, it turned out that his son had attempted to come back too soon after the operation.

"He tried to get back fighting too quickly and the result is that he's been out for more than a year," said McAllister senior, "but now he's fully fit and raring to go."

With McAllister's adoring fans in Aberdeen desperate for the return of their hero, the fight is heading for a sell-out.

The Commonwealth lightweight champion is stepping back up to light-welterweight, where he won the World Boxing Union title, to take on Nagy for the vacant IBO International title, and while he may be ring rusty, expect McAllister to win late on.