Boxing: Sparta gym looks to hit past glories

Fifty years ago, anyone visiting the Sparta amateur boxing club gym in the Capital's McDonald Road could have witnessed future Scottish lightweight boxing great Ken Buchanan practice the dazzling skills that brought him world titles and Best Ever British boxer awards in sparring sessions with ferocious punching Jimmy Malcolm, who equally dominated the Scottish amateur light-middleweight scene in the early 1960s.

Or they could have been regaled by ex-Sparta welterweight turned coach Eddie Phillips with his stories of being English world middleweight champion Randolph Turpin's leading sparing partner.

However, present Sparta club boss George Forsyth is the first to admit that the club has recently been overshadowed by some of its traditional city rivals, a situation not helped by losing the club's traditional McDonald Road gym several years ago to developers.

Nevertheless, Forsyth is adamant that the green shoots of recovery are in place now the club are settled in their present Portobello gym at Fishwives Causeway and, more importantly, Sparta boxers are beginning, once again, to make a mark in Scottish rings.

"My ambition and optimism are based on three boxers who are exciting prospects and who I think have a great chance of re-establishing the Sparta name in 2011 at the highest level.

"Firstly, our welterweight Mikey Woods just lost his Scottish youth championships final on points in December at Irvine but showed bags of promise in defeat.

"Then our middleweight, Calum Vardy, and lighteavyweight Keith Barr both posted good wins at our show in the Hibs Social club so we are confident of their chances of winning Scottish senior titles in the 2011 Scottish championships in February.

"We are also actively looking to recruit new young boxers to help us to achieve our ambition of becoming, once again, one of Edinburgh's most respected amateur boxing clubs."