McArthur feels cheated by Ronnie McCluskey Apr 1st 2006

Gary McArthur, former Scottish amateur light-welterweight (2004) and lightweight champion (2005), was as shocked and disappointed as anyone to hear last year that he would not be representing his country in the Melbourne Commonwealth Games. Despite being crowned king of Scotland, by outpointing the rugged Mitch Prince in a pulsating four round scrap last March, Gary was told by Scottish boxing officials that Prince had been selected to go in his place, competing in the 60Kg weight-category. The ultimate reason given was that McArthur was unable to enter qualifiers last year, because he was out with an arm injury. Ironically, the injury had been sustained in that Scottish final, when the foolhardy Prince blatantly lifted McArthur up and tossed him over his shoulders. That aside, the Scottish boxing authority deemed it that Prince would be sent on a trip of a lifetime to Australia, where he was eventually beaten early in the competition. McArthur was left in Scotland, and had few other options than to turn pro, which he has done so under St. Andrews favourite son Tommy Gilmour. The former Four Nations silver medallist is still seething over the incident though. Here he speaks to BBN, about the Scottish boxing authority, and his venture into the pro ranks, where he has notched up two impressive victories so far. BBN: First of all, I want to ask you about the Commonwealth Games issue. You won the Scottish title in March, fairly, and yet you weren't picked to represent your country in the Commonwealth Games. Tell us your thoughts on that and why you think the person you beat in the final, Mitch Prince, was picked to go? GM: Basically my response is this: The only thing that annoyed me about Mitch being picked before me is that Mitch blatantly fouled me in the fight and everyone there that night seen it – it was blatant. And yet they chose to take him because I was injured so I was unable to represent my country. I couldn't fight in certain tournaments after the Scottish so I guess I didn't meet their criteria. I was injured, through no fault of my own, through Mitch Prince's. There's a saying that goes ‘Cheats never prosper' but in this case, the cheat did prosper. As you know I never went to the games, he went. That's what bothered me about it. And the officials and national coaches seen my fight with him – they knew he put me out of action and at the end of the day they weren't interested. So aye, gutted. BBN: I know you managed to bounce back from your injury and represent Scotland in the Albania Box-Cup. By that stage was it too late to make the Commonwealth Games team? GM: I had already missed too many qualifiers, plus I think they took Mitch because he won Gold in a certain warm-up tournament that was held in Australia, prior to the games. Of course if I hadn't been injured I would have gone to those championships. Mitch won Gold – fair play to him. But at the end of the day they must have been Mickey Mouse fighters because he crashed out of the Commonwealth Games early. He wasn't fighting the best out there, which isn't any fault of his own – he's going to beat who's in front of him. But he was only there on the back of my not being there, because he put me out. BBN: Just to touch on that, why do you think Mitch fouled you in that fight? Was he looking for a way out? GM: I think he was maybe. I'm not really sure. It was an intense fight and he had a big following with him. It was the main fight of the night. There was a lot of adrenaline, and he was clearly very eager to win. Maybe it was part of his tactics, because he's a good brawler. That's what he does. At the end of the day though I didn't expect him to resort to those kinds of tactics to win a fight but I got back up, fought the rest of the fight with one arm, and still won. BBN: Mitch effectively put you out of the picture, in terms of the whole Commonwealth Games preparation. Do you resent him for that? GM: No, no, I don't resent him. I still text him occasionally, and prior to the Games I wished him the best of luck. You can't hold grudges like that – I've moved on, and moved into the professional ranks. Originally I was holding out for the Games, but the pro game is suiting me, I've moved on. I don't resent him and wish him the best in whatever he does. But you can never say he beat me, because he didn't. I've always got that over him. BBN: How do you think you'd have fared in the competition, had you been able to go? What do you think of Frankie Gavin, the eventual winner? GM: Frankie Gavin, aye. I was always eager to box him. I was very disappointed that I couldn't box him in last year's Four Nations, because of injury. I'd have given Gavin a very good fight; it would have been very tactical. We're quite similar, and I'm sure Frankie would have found it equally as difficult as me. BBN: The Commonwealth Games can be a great springboard into the pro ranks. We saw that with Alex Arthur in '98 when shortly after he managed to get a contract with Frank Warren. Were you disappointed about missing out on that kind of exposure (on BBC television) which could have brought about a more lucrative move into the pros? GM: No, no. I was always going to sign with Tommy Gilmour.  Gilmour is Scottish based, and his heart will always be here. The main thing was going to the Games, the whole experience. My trainer won Gold there (1962 featherweight champ John McDermott) and he's told me a few stories about it. I missed that. I believe I would have been in the medals as well. BBN: Did you watch the Games on TV? GM: It was hard. I watched some of the boxing and the athletics at home, and I'd be sitting there and thinking ‘If I was there, what would I be doing?' just silly things like that. I had to turn it over a few times, because it was a bit depressing. BBN: Do you think Tommy will bring you along at the pace you want? I know you're eager to make quick progress as a professional. GM: Yes, Tommy's a great manager. So far anyway. When I first met Tommy I had a figure in my head of how many fights I wanted to get under my belt in the first year. And Tommy matched that figure right away. That was good enough for me. I'm eager – Tommy knows that. He's pulled me aside and said listen, you need to learn your craft. I'm going to take my time, but I believe Tommy will take me to the top, and I'll win the title under him. BBN: Obviously Tommy has managed people like Kevin Anderson and Craig Docherty, and before them world champions like Pat Clinton. Do you foresee that kind of quick, but steady rise? GM: Absolutely. I see myself going the same way as the likes of Kevin and Craig – maybe even faster. If the chance came up maybe after so many fights for a title, I wouldn't hesitate to jump in and take that chance. I want to get up there as quick as I can, but I've got things to learn. BBN: How does the pro game suit you as opposed to the amateurs? GM: It suits me town to a tee. I prefer them to the Ams. The pros suit me better; longer rounds, and you've got more time to think. I'm a thinking fighter. I've been getting tough sparring with the likes of Darren Johnstone as well, and John (my coach) has said I'm fast improving, even since my first fight a few months back. Sparring Darren, who's fighting for a British Masters title soon, has brought me on a tonne. He's an excellent fighter. He's an all round pro, and I can learn a lot off him. BBN: You've boxed in the amateurs at both lightweight and light-welter, prospering at both. What weight do you see yourself competing at in the near future? GM: Lightweight, for sure. I'll eventually compete for the title at lightweight. I'm very strong at this weight. BBN: What is your training schedule like? Do you train between fights? GM: I train all the time. Last week Tommy called me up, saying he had a show on in Irvine. He was ready to put me on the bill at short notice. He knows I'm ready to go at any time. BBN: How would you describe your style in the ring, and have you changed it since turning pro? GM: I've changed my style a lot. The amateur style is like a game of ‘tag'. Power is irrelevant, thanks to the scoring system. The professional game is different. More aggression and boxing ability. And I've been working on my lateral movement too, amateur boxers tend to be more upright. BBN: Is there anything you'd like to say in closing? GM: I've never been asked that before! I just hope I do well, and do the best for myself and my family. Obviously for my trainer John McDermott and Tommy Gilmour as well. My mother's given me a lot of inspiration; she had to raise me up on her own and she's put a lot of time and effort in for me. She's been my number one inspiration. I'm doing it all for her.

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