Liall looks to deliver knockout performance against Obiora
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LIALL Mackenzie has travelled thousands of miles over the past three years to make it to the top level of Scottish amateur boxing.
But that hasn’t meant he has been jetting around the world to rub shoulders with the best amateurs.
Most of the mileage has been clocked up from the 212-mile round trips from his home in Wick to Inverness every weekend to train at a gym in the city.
In a short space of time the firefighter has gone from Scottish novice champion to competing at the elite level.
He will mark his 20th amateur fight when he takes on Chuck Obiora from Dennistoun in a much-anticipated rematch in Inverness on Saturday, October 3.
Mackenzie said in terms of importance it would not be the biggest bout of his career.
Honours were shared in their two previous meetings. “I’ve won one, he’s won one, so we will be both be going into the fight with a lot of attitude, really wanting to win this one,” said Mackenzie.
“It might not be a championship fight but it will still mean a lot to both of us.”
The welterweight has come a long way since taking up the sport in 2012 when he joined the Inverness City Amateur Boxing Club.
Coached by Laurie Redfern, the 26-year-old won the Scottish novice title in 2013 and reached the semi-finals of the intermediate championship last year, when he was defeated by Obiora.
Mackenzie credits his coach with helping him progress up the ladder to the open division.
“I’ve been working with Laurie for three years and he has been great to me,” said Mackenzie.
“He got me through the national novice championships which I went into with no great expectations.
“But he assured me I was ready for it and I went on to win. He seems to have faith in me and keeps pushing me forward.”
Mackenzie’s success in the ring hasn’t gone unnoticed in Caithness as teenager Scott Sutherland approached him for training tips and the pair now travel together to Inverness to train.
Sutherland, from Occumster, is also on the bill at the city’s Ironworks next weekend as the 15-year-old looks to justify his tag as one of the region’s most talented young boxers. What disappoints Mackenzie and Sutherland is the lack of a boxing scene in Caithness, forcing them to make the long treks to train.
Mackenzie hopes his attempts to establish a club in Wick will eventually pay off.
“We can’t really spar with each other due to the difference in size and age,” he said.
It put them at a disadvantage against other fighters, he added.
Mackenzie’s amateur record is 12 wins and seven defeats, including a streak of 11 wins at novice and intermediate level.
Since competing at the top level he has managed to hold his own against the best in Scotland.
Now he hopes to use the experience by making a real impact at the Scottish Open Championship in 2016.
