Hibs hero an inspiration to Arthur

BRITISH and Commonwealth super-featherweight champion Alex Arthur hopes a Hibs hero can inspire him to European glory.

Arthur has invited Jock Buchanan, scorer of the first European Cup goal on British soil, to be at ringside for his European title bout with Boris Sinitsin on July 9.

Buchanan struck his goal as the Hibees, the first British team to enter the European Cup, took on Rot-Weiss Essen in 1955.

And Arthur, who takes on Russian Sinitsin at Meadowbank, said: "I'm a big Hibs fan so I aim to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hibs being the first British team to play in the European Cup by becoming the first Edinburgh boxer to win a European super-featherweight title.

"Obviously, I wasn't around to see Jock scoring his goal at Easter Road but I would love to have him at ringside to see me make history."

And 70-year-old retired taxi owner Buchanan responded enthusiastically to the invitation. Buchanan, who scored in the 1-1 draw at Easter Road after the Hibees had won 4-0 in the away leg, said: "This invite is an ideal tonic for me as I have been recovering from a successful hip operation.

"I'm a boxing fan and I will be delighted to go and support Alex at ringside."

Meanwhile, speaking at yesterday's press conference about his forthcoming attempt to succeed where Glasgow's Craig Docherty failed in taking Sinitsin's crown, Arthur said: "I've beaten no less than seven East European boxers in my professional career who are managed by Sinitsin's manager, Philip Fondu.

"Fondu has a real knowledge about my style and you can bet that he will have passed it all on to Sinitsin, who is a wily old fox in the ring, so it won't be easy.

"Sinitsin has been in with guys like Giorgio Campanella, who fought legendary American champion Oscar De La Hoya, and Frenchman Affique Djielti, who beat Kilmarnock's Ian McLeod.

"I won't be taking Sinitsin cheaply at all. But having said that, Boris hasn't really fought anyone who can hit as hard as I can and I'll be looking to apply non-stop pressure on him at Meadowbank. Make no mistake, this is the big one. I have to beat Sinitsin to get on the ladder for a world title shot."