Wick pro boxer praises travelling support after Highland Skirmish win
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Wick boxer Liall Mackenzie was cheered on by a noisy travelling support as he made a winning return to the pro ranks at the weekend.
The 33-year-old welterweight got the better of Polish southpaw Marek Laskowski as part of the Highland Skirmish at Inverness Leisure Centre on Saturday.
Mackenzie won on points after four three-minute rounds.
"It was a tough fight," he said. "I actually sparred him years ago so I knew he had an awkward style which is quite effective.
“There were times during it where I was throwing shots and they were coming up just short because of his style, and he was countering.
“But I was always on the front foot, forcing the fight and being aggressive, so from that point of view I thought I'd won. And I did catch him some really good shots during all the rounds as well, although he was catching me back at times.
"It was close, but I did think I'd done enough to win it.”
Mackenzie had more than 50 supporters as part of a big crowd in the Highland capital.
“It was absolutely brilliant," he said. "They made a real noise – the coach actually commented on it. He got a real buzz because of the noise that my crowd was making, which I was delighted with.
"I kind of thought they might be a little bit subdued because a lot of them had never been to anything like that before.”
Mackenzie has yet to hear when his next pro fight will be.
"I've got the ring rust off and I've got that feeling of being hit by those gloves again," he said. "We'll see what happens now."
He had a special word for his trainer, Highland Boxing Academy's head coach Liam Foy.
"I'd like to say a huge thanks to Liam Foy," Mackenzie said. "He's already got a very busy amateur club and he's got another professional boxer and he didn't have to take me on board."
Mackenzie, who works as a Wick airport firefighter, is the founder and head coach of Caithness Boxing Club.
Saturday's event was his first professional fight since February 2018. It came after he signed a three-year contract with David McAllister of Northern Sporting Club.
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