Boxing: Kings of New York set to box at Castle

Edinburgh CASTLE is set to welcome amateur boxers from New York as plans were unveiled for a mighty international clash on the Esplanade this summer.

Amateur Boxing Scotland international promoter Bradley Welsh, who is also coach at the Holyrood club, aims to follow up on the success of the hugely popular Princes Street Gardens international held last September which saw an Edinburgh select take on rivals from London.

Now Welsh has his sights set on attracting as many as 8,000 fans to the Castle as the culmination of a series of ambitious events.

“I have a planned programme of huge international boxing events coming up – mostly in Edinburgh – although an Edinburgh v Glasgow Inter-City clash on Friday, April 27, will take place at Glasgow’s Thistle Hotel before a 1,000 ringside fans,” Welsh explained.

“We will be running buses for Edinburgh fans to attend this Glasgow clash subject to demand.

“Then this will be followed up by an Edinburgh versus Manchester show in May in the Capital aimed at attracting 2,000 boxing fans but the really big one is the Edinburgh Castle-based clash with a team from New York in the Castle Esplanade arena this summer on a date yet to be finalised.’’

Local boxing figures expressed their excitement about the prospect with Lochend coach Terry McCormack saying: “I know that my boxers like David Dickson, who boxed on the Princes Street Gardens bill, and my newly-crowned Scottish lightwelterweight champion Lewis Benson would just love the chance to box on an Edinburgh Castle bill.”