Alex Arthur Jnr hoping to follow in father’s footsteps as elite Scottish boxing champion

The 20-year-old from the AAA Boxing Club in Edinburgh is aiming to become elite champion at the first time of asking.

He hopes to follow in the footsteps of father and coach Alex Arthur Snr, who won the elite title in 1999 before going on to become WBO Super-Featherweight world champion.

Alex Arthur Jnr said: “It would mean everything. I never started boxing for this purpose. I was a wee fat kid and the minute I got in the gym I knew I was talented.

“It would be massive for me, I’ve got no doubts it is going to happen.”

Arthus Jnr is one of 30 boxers from across the country who is ready to rumble this weekend at the Ravenscraig sports facility in Motherwell.

The finals of the 2021/22 Boxing Scotland Elite Championship are the most prestigious event on the Boxing Scotland calendar, as boxers look to emulate the likes of unified light-welterweight champion Josh Taylor, who became Scottish elite champion in 2011 and 2014.

This will be the first elite finals held since 2019, after the last two years were cancelled because of the Covid pandemic, with 10 male and five female bouts scheduled.

The 30 boxers have made their way to the showpiece event after boxing their way through preliminary, quarter-final and semi-final bouts over two weekends in March.

Arthur Jnr takes on Robert McNulty of Renfrewshire in the male 80kg light heavyweight final.

Falkirk Phoenix’s Stephanie Kernachan, who was Scotland first ever female representative at the World Championships in 2018, will box Broxburn’s Maggie White in the bantamweight final.

A number of junior and youth national champions from the past few years will also get a crack at the senior national title for the first time.

Win or lose, all of the finalists have already been promised