The Postman calls (the shots) twice. by Tom Walker Mar 2nd 2008

Kevin McIntyre retained the British welterweight title he took from Kevin Anderson in relatively surprising circumstances and against the perceived odds four months ago in Irvine 's Magnum Centre. The Paisley postman again defied the odds by his retention of his title in a packed and atmospheric Kelvin Hall with a unanimous points decision with scores of 115-114, 117-112 and 117-112 from the judges at ringside. I'd venture that the score of 117-112 is flattering as the bout was much closer than that, and it could be argued that scoring depends on what you're looking for. Is it heavy direct shots to the target or lighter, yet more frequent shots? In any event when all is said and done, Kevin McIntyre wakes up on Saturday morning with the Lonsdale belt still in his possession and Kevin Anderson wakes up wondering where he's going from here. The atmosphere was nothing short of high voltage with the fans of both boxers creating a tension in the terraces, which presumably was fuelled by the same stuff which made them sing so out of tune. No chance of any of this lot featuring on the “X Factor” trying to please Simon Cowell. The Braveheart squad were out in force to support their man, in fact the whole arena looked like a who's who of Scottish boxing such was the interest in this all Scottish title bout. The opener had Anderson forcing the pace and McIntyre countering with accuracy from his southpaw lead and the occasional left hook for good measure. The Fifer was trying to KO the Paisley man every time he threw a punch, but it was mighty close and depended on your affiliation as to who got it. In the second round Anderson tried to close the range between them to unleash his renowned body shots, yet McIntyre moved well to avoid them and occasionally caught Anderson's head with fast counters. It was still a matter of your preference as to who got the points, though for me Anderson was doing the work in another close one. McIntyre did start the third much more brightly than he'd finished the second and he probably got it on the volume of shots he darted out to Anderson's heavier handed efforts. By the fourth round McIntyre was spearing out his southpaw jab with consummate accuracy whereas the Fifer was trying to stop the “Postie” with every shot and there's no doubting who's picked up that one. The next round was swinging towards Kevin Anderson in my book as he was taking the fight to McIntyre, who still manageed to fire back some decent counters, but Anderson adapted his plan with some success. By the mid point of the bout Anderson was definitely the aggressor but still got “tagged” unnecessarily from the static head and come straight forward tactics he was employing. In the seventh Anderson seemed to have discovered some accuracy for his bombs and they're far from lightweight, yet give credit to McIntyre he came back with some shots of his own. By the eighth round, Anderson was having to over reach and stretch to land his shots on target such was the movement of the Paisley man, who seemed to be able to get in and out of danger with aplomb. As we reached the final stages of this absorbing bout, Anderson's straight right was piercing the defence of McIntyre on a couple of occasions, yet the Paisley postman avoided the damage they'd inflict with his movement. Round ten was another close one with the winner depending on your choice of what the judges are looking for, weight or volume. In the penultimate round McIntyre seemed to gain a second wind or perhaps his hypnotherapist had focused onto him, convincing him that he's got it in the bag. In this one McIntyre planted his feet as well as delivering his stiff left behind the southpaw jab. Yet for me it was all up for grabs in the final round, which on my card Anderson took with a degree of comfort, trying as he was to rip the belt from the holder, and McIntyre had to hold Anderson to nullify his attacks. It was close of that there is no doubt, and the divergence of opinions within the press pack was noticeable by the lack of consensus. The scores of 117-112 from two judges are ones which I have to take umbrage with, as it was never that one sided, even allowing for individual tastes. The resultant announcement of the result had the “Paisley Buddies” exultantly cheering and a large contingent of Fifers heading for the exits deflatedly. The question for Kevin Anderson is where does he go from here? A question only he and his family can answer. The toll of so many wars going the distance when he'd been knocking opponents over like pins in a bowling alley will have had some effect on his confidence. I still think he's got what it takes to make a living out of boxing but only he and his closest family members will know the answer.

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