Boxer Brian Forsyth glad he is on a Collision Course

Brian Forsyth is first on the bill at Meadowbank

The super middleweight boxer admitted in the aftermath of his last victory in March that he had lost his drive for the sport due to ongoing personal reasons.

However, the 29-year-old believes he is now in a much better frame of mind having resolved those issues and says he has never felt more optimistic about his future in the ring.

The former Scottish champion is first up on the ten-bout card at the Capital venue where he will be hoping to secure his fourth win as a professional against English teenager Bryn Wain.

“I’m in such a better frame of mind now. I’ve got a clear vision of what I want to happen so it’s all about pushing forward and taking myself up the next stage,” Forsyth explained. “I’ve been really concentrating on my training, I’m looking a lot better in the gym and, most importantly, I’m feeling a lot better.

“I feel everything is about to start fitting into place after getting over some mental issues I had. I was thinking of withdrawing from my last bout eight weeks ago and taking some time out but I pushed on and got through it. I’m really hoping I’ve turned over a new leaf and try to push for titles this year.”

Forsyth revealed he is delighted MGM promoter Sam Kynoch has opted to send the former Holyrood amateur out to open the show and is an opportunity he intends to make the most of.

“I believe people at the start of the night remember you more as they’re more interested so that’s perfect for me to be on first,” he said. “I’d rather be first out because the more you sit about the more nervous you get as well and that can be a really important factor.

“I don’t like to sit and study opponents because you can end up taking them for granted and then they come and they’re world class. I’ll just go with flow and see how he [Wain] is on the night and perform to the best of my ability and take it from there. I can adapt well so it’s about carrying that forward into the ring.”

Top of the bill is Motherwell’s Iain Butcher who was due to challenge for the Commonwealth flyweight title against current champion Thomas Essomba of Cameroon, however the duo will now box a ten-rounder as the North Lanarkshire man has been unable to make the championship weight.

“It’s a shame the title’s been called off but I still think it’s going to be a great fight,” Forsyth said. “Iain now knows what he needs to do in the future and what weight he can fight at. But I’m really looking forward to tomorrow, it’s going to be a great night with some atmosphere in the big hall. Hopefully we can see some more title fights in Edinburgh this year.”

Tomorrow night’s bill has a strong Capital interest with Lewis Benson, Tommy Philbin, Jason Easton, Stephen Tiffney, John Thain, Lee Redpath and Thomas Dickson all in action. Glasgow’s Marc Kerr completes the line-up.

Tickets are still available and can be purchased through the boxers themselves or at www.ticketmaster.co.uk. Prices are £100 VIP, £60 ringside and £40 unreserved. Doors open at 6pm with the first fight set to begin at 7pm.

Meadowbank running order:

Bout 1 – Super-Middleweight (4x3s): Bryn Wain (red) v Brian Forsyth (blue)

Bout 2 – Light-Middleweight (4x3s): Louis Van Poetsch (red) v Marc Kerr (blue)

Bout 3 – Welterweight (6x3s): William Warburton (red) v John Thain (blue)

Bout 4 – Featherweight (4x3s): Joe Beenen (red) v Stephen Tiffney (blue)

Bout 5 – Light-Welterweight (6x2s): Matt Seawright (red) v Lee Redpath (blue)

Bout 6 – Light-Welterweight (4x3s): Fonz Alexander (red) v Lewis Benson (blue)

Bout 7 – Lightweight (4x3s): Youssef Al Hamidi (red) v Thomas Dickson (blue)

Bout 8 – Super-Middleweight (4x3s): Curtis Gargano (red) v Tommy Philbin (blue)

Bout 9 – Light-Welterweight (6x3s): Nathan Hardy (red) v Jason Easton (blue)

Bout 10 – Super-Flyweight (10x3s): Thomas Essomba (red) v Iain Butcher (blue)