McIntyre Ready For McMillian

Kevin McIntyre is looking to take the fight to Gary McMillan in his rival’s home city of Edinburgh and ram claims that he is a “bottler” back down his throat when the pair square off over ten rounds on Alex Arthur’s inaugural promotion at Meadowbank Sports Centre on August 27.

Former British welterweight champion McIntyre had been set to engage McMillan at Glasgow’s Thistle Hotel on June 17 but the Paisley man withdrew after failing to shake off the effects of a cold he picked up after competing in the previous week’s Prizefighter tournament.

McMillan was furious at the call-off and labelled McIntyre a “bottler” before halting replacement opponent Martyn King in seven rounds.

McIntyre said: “I think McMillan is being really disrespectful. I have been boxing since I was eleven years old and have had over 30 fights so why would I suddenly bottle it against him.

“I think he is just using my name as a springboard for himself but it has given me an added incentive to train hard and do a number on him.

“I don’t need to prove anything to McMillan but, given that I am coming through to his home city of Edinburgh to face him, he can hardly accuse me of running scared.”

After a year of inactivity, McIntyre shook off some ring rust with an impressive display against John Hibbert in the Prizefighter tournament quarter-finals to win their three-round bout on points before losing out to former world champion Junior Witter in the semi-finals.

McIntyre said: “I feel good after Prizefighter, it was just that I came down with the cold so I wouldn’t have been 100 per cent if I’d faced McMillan the week after. I now have a full eight weeks build-up to fight him.

“It is refreshing that two Scots are boxing each other as it doesn’t happen much. After I do a number on McMillan I aim to set up a fight with Edinburgh’s number one welterweight Gary Young.”

Young outpointed McMillan to capture the vacant Scottish welterweight title in 2009.

McIntyre added: “My main aim is still to get another shot at the British title, win it and defend it so I can have a Lonsdale belt to keep. This fight will take me one step closer to that goal.”


July 1, 2011