Arthur plans festive feast of boxing

The former WBO super-featherweight champion promoted his first boxing event last month as a host of top Capital stars – including Arthur himself – fought on a well-received bill at Meadowbank Stadium.

Now Arthur has plans to line up another big night for ringside fans on the approach to Christmas. Arthur revealed: “Our first show was successful – both financially and inside the ring where fans got five cracking bouts for their money. So I am coming back on either December 10 or 17 to stage a show and am in negotiations to make my own fight a title clash for an Intercontinental light- welterweight championship.”

Arthur’s aim of staging a much-anticipated welterweight clash between city rivals and former Gilmerton and Portobello clubmates, Gary Young and Gary McMillan, has been thwarted after Young’s agent Grant Jeans announced that his fighter “isn’t at all interested in any bout with McMillan”.

Arthur will turn his attention to other attractions. He added: “The Boxing Board of Control’s order that British super-middleweight champion George Groves must defend his title against Paul Smith by December 17 is good news for me because there were whispers that maybe Edinburgh’s Kenny Anderson could be a challenger for Groves’ title. Now Anderson, who was impressive on my August show when he beat Lee Duncan, should be available to box once again at Meadowbank. I hope Jason Hastie and John McCallum will also be available.

“My two main sponsors for my last promotion, Buckstone Roofing and N&R Demolition Ltd, were happy with the support I received from the Edinburgh public and will be backing me for the December show but I’m on the lookout for more sponsors so I can eventually feature title bouts.

“I’ve also been asked by Sky Sports to go to Sheffield on Saturday to work as a summariser for the televised bill including Gary Buckland’s super-featherweight title fight and I hope to explore the possibility of having my Meadowbank shows televised.”