Lanarkshire Lip’s fists do the talking with Arthur impression

Commonwealth gold medallist Charlie Flynn stepped up to the mark with a four-round demolition of lbrar Riyaz. Picture: SNS Group

At 21, Flynn completely outclassed Ibrar Riyaz from Reading, winning all four rounds and firing in body shots and uppercuts in which the young Arthur specialised.

He also had the look that Arthur often displayed but which he lost towards the end of his stellar career – the enjoyment of his job, the delight in seeing an opponent discomfited.

There was also something that might be unique to Flynn – behind that cheeky grin is a cold calculating brain, for when Riyaz failed to fall to Flynn’s early assault, he stepped back and decided to get what he later called “valuable experience,” something that Arthur also went about acquiring.

It is no mean comparison – Edinburgh’s Arthur went on to become a British, European and World champion. He was trained for some time by world featherweight champion Scott Harrison’s father Peter, who is now in charge of Flynn.

Harrison senior said: “He’s shown that he can go all the way, and by that I mean world titles.”

However, having recently turned 21, the postal worker from Newarthill was not so ebullient about his win in Glasgow late on Sunday night.

The Lanarkshire Lip said: “I would only give myself seven out of ten for that performance – but I loved every minute of it.

“I knew that if I kept him on the end of my jab, the shots would come, and they did. I just kept my composure and remembered everything I’d been working on in the gym with Peter.

“As Ken Buchanan says, if you don’t need to be in there, don’t be there, so that’s what I did – I just kept away from him.

“I said to myself there is no point in trying to knock this guy out, so I just boxed him.”

Riyaz is a durable journeyman and while he taught the youngster some professional tricks, in the end the bout was all about the sheer class of the Scot.

Manager/promoter Alex Morrison said Flynn would fight again in February. The boxer added: “Now I can get back in the gym and work on a few things before I’m out again in the New Year.”

There will be no Christmas excess – Flynn said: “I’m just going to chill out. I’m a pro now, so I can’t let myself go. I’m going to stay close to my weight and keep in the gym.”

The debut of Joe Ham, the five times Scottish amateur bantamweight champion, was also very impressive.

The son of Hayfield ABC founder and coach Joe Ham took just 64 seconds to knock out David Kvaratskhelia of Georgia with a devasting left hook to the body – something else that Alex Arthur loved to do.

Ham said: “Everybody I get in the ring with, I am going to try and take them out. If I catch you with that punch there is nothing you can do.”

Stewart Burt from Newton Mearns, who didn’t make it to the Commonwealth Games boxing team, also made his pro debut beating the brave Fonz Alexander from Newark in Nottinghamshire by three rounds to one.

Scott Allan gained a lucky decision over Omran Akbari. Late in the third round Akbari from Bristol fired in an uppercut that had Allan struggling back to his corner.

In the fourth round Akbari had Allan gasping with a body shot that put the Scot on the floor. Trainee referee Gerry O’Neill failed to call a mandatory eight standing count and ruled that it had been a slip – back to the drawing board, Mr O’Neill.

Judge Kenny Pringle made it 39-38 in Allan’s favour prompting an Akbari supporter to yell: “You have to knock them out to get a draw in Glasgow.”

Jamie McGuire took his time to get going but eventually was comfortable in beating the journeyman Youssef Al-Hamidi from Dewsbury.

McGuire is perhaps a late starter in the pro ranks, but he has made a good start to his career and is now two from two.

Jon Slowey from Glasgow made a successful comeback from his defeat by Kris Hughes, though he found Simas Volosinas of Lithuania an awkward opponent.

Ryan Smith won all four rounds against Lee Connelly of Killamarsh to take his record to four wins out of four.