JAMES THOMSON, the undefeated welterweight from Bannockburn, will be motivated by tragedy when he steps into the ring at the Bellahouston Leisure Centre on Saturday evening for his fourth professional bout.
Thomson, 26, had seriously considered pulling out of his contest against Englishman Mick Mills on the undercard of Inverness heavyweight Gary Cornish's IBO Intercontinental title bout against Hungarian Zoltan Csala following the sudden death of his close friend Bobby Stewart.
But Thomson has been persuaded to carry on, by way of a tribute to the tragic 26-year-old who passed away 10 days ago.
He said: "It did not seem right at first to go ahead with my fight in the circumstances. But I spoke with Bobby's brother and he was happy for me to proceed and my decision to do so and dedicate the fight to Bobby's memory seemed to lift his and everybody else's spirits a tiny wee bit.
"The locals are devastated by Bobby's passing and the whole town is grieving. It's a terrible thing for anyone to die so young and I have been struggling to come to terms with what has happened.
"Bobby was texting me on the Saturday night before he died about tickets and he was excited about my fight. We had been pals since primary school and he came to all my fights when I was an amateur and since I turned pro.
"He wasn't a boxer himself but he was a very good footballer and played for the local amateur team, and what has happened has given me extra motivation, in a sense.
"We have also had t-shirts produced bearing a photograph of Bobby, and, as he was a big dancing fan, I will enter the ring to one of his favourite songs so it will feel like he is there with us."
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