Shotts boxer Scott Allan is eyeing up a dream double at the end of this month, as he prepares to avenge his defeat to Glasgow fighter Kash Farooq before watching his football team lift a major trophy.
Allan is a huge Motherwell supporter, and he will be on the Hampden terraces to watch his heroes take on Celtic in the Betfred Cup final just three days after his second battle with Farooq at Glasgow’s Radisson Blu on November 23rd.
And he sees no reason to choose between which triumph he would prefer, fully believing he will take care of business in the ring before the ‘Well shock Brendan Rodgers’ champions at the national stadium.
“It’s going to be a huge month for me, but first and foremost, beating Kash in the ring is the most important thing,” said Allan. “But obviously, Motherwell winning the cup will just top everything off!
“I’ve got all Motherwell stuff lined up to wear for the fight, [Motherwell chief executive] Alan Burrows is going to sort me out with a tracksuit and I’ve got claret and amber shorts too.
“I’m just looking forward to getting in there, getting the win, watching Motherwell winning the cup and then aim for the British title next year.”
Allan avenging his January defeat to Farooq would hardly be a shock on the same scale as his team shocking Celtic in the League Cup final, but Allan concedes he has had to ramp up his training and focus significantly since their last bout.
The birth of daughter Sophia in September has only stoked a fire that was lit under Allan by his father, after coming close to quitting the sport altogether when the original rematch between himself and Farooq was called off.
“I was close to chucking it,” he said. “It was tough to take, but my dad pulled me back.
“It’s amazing to have that support, and the fact I’ve now got my baby girl means that I don’t need any further motivation. If that doesn’t motivate me, nothing on this planet will.
“I’ve got a new perspective. I’m not saying that Kash won’t have that, I’m sure he’s training hard, but when you are doing it for your child it changes your entire outlook.
“It’s not for me anymore. Nothing is for me anymore, it’s for my family, it’s that simple.
“The motivation I lacked has been booted back into me by my dad, by Lawrence Murphy, Mick Murphy and my brother Sam anyway, who I train with.
“My dad is a man who doesn’t mince his words. He said to me that he wasn’t happy with the way things were going, and things would be changing or I wouldn’t be fighting. ‘If you don’t get the spark back’, he said, ‘then I’m not letting you in that ring’.
“But I love the sport. I maybe just needed that motivation that Sophia has brought. Her wee smiling face is all the reason I need to get myself out of bed and put myself through three sessions every day.”
It certainly isn’t money that is motivating Allan at the moment, although he is hoping that financial rewards will come further down the line. His fear is, should he lose, that it may very well be the end of that line.
“Winning this fight will open massive doors,” he said. “The winner will fight British champion Joe Wale hopefully. And let me tell you, the winner of this beats Joe Wale with one hand tied behind their back.
“It is a must-win fight for me, a must-win. If I lose this fight, there’s nowhere to go in boxing.
“I’m going to win. Simple. He won’t be able to cope with my pace and my relentlessness. I’ve got more heart.
“He’s got the better boxing ability, there’s no denying that, but I want it more.”
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