Boxing: Skey heads for Cardiff in search of British title glory

With three Scottish and four eastern boxing titles already under his belt, Lochend's reigning Scottish Youth featherweight champion, Kevin Skey, is no stranger to amateur boxing glory.

However, this weekend in Cardiff, the 17-year-old Loanhead stoneworker is seeking to add a British 57kg youth title to his ring roll of honour.

And Lochend club coach, Terry McCormack, is confident that Skey can do it - despite facing stiff English and Welsh opposition in the 2010 British Youth championships in the Welsh capital.

Said McCormack: "Kevin Skey's past record of title triumphs includes a dazzling 19-5 points win over tough Fifer Tommy Brunton earlier this year in the Scottish Championships but Skey has also excelled himself in tough gym sparring sessions with Commonwealth Games lightweight contender, Josh Taylor, and another top lightweight, Michael Roberts, who has just turned pro."

The coach's expression of pre-fight confidence is fully endorsed by Skey himself, who said: "Terry McCormack told me that he doesn't normally like to hype young boxers like me too much as it can backfire by placing a psychological burden on the boxer. But Terry also said that he is making an exception in my case and I agree about my chances of coming back a British champion from Cardiff because I am even more fired up and fitter for these championships than I was when beating Tommy Brunton for the Scottish crown earlier this year.

"Adding my first British title to the seven district and Scottish titles that I've already won would be the icing on the cake of what has been so far a very succesful year for me."

Meanwhile, Lochend flyweight, David Dickson, has also been selected to box for a Scottish club select in Ontario, Canada later this year.