Peely turns starmaker in bid to help Fauldhouse boxers to make jump to pro

Jan 6 2011 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

COLIN ‘Peely’ McNeil is determined to ensure that West Lothian’s brightest boxing prospects don’t make the same mistakes he did at the start of his glittering professional career.

Two-and-a-half years after hanging up his gloves, Peely is now coaching young amateur fighters at Fauldhouse Boxing Club and insists he can lead them to championship glory – providing they follow his advice.

The Fauldhouse southpaw was a six-time Scottish Amateur boxing champion, has sparred with the likes of Alex Arthur and Scott Harrison, and had former World Champion Barry McGuigan as his corner man.

Peely also boxed for Scotland on the international stage of two Commonwealth Games – winning a bronze medal in 1998 – and World Championships, been on the same Great Britain team as Audley Harrison and David Haye, met the Queen and even appeared with the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard on ITV show The Contender.

But Peely, now a qualified boxing coach, looks back on his early professional days with some regret and admits that his naivety contributed to him making some bad decisions.

Guidance

However, with a wealth of experience behind him in and outside of the ring, the 38-year-old has vowed to guide the likes of Sean Watson, Robbie McKee, Lewis Akinlami and boxing brothers Robert and Scott Forrest to championship glory while doing everything he can to make sure they don’t make he same mistakes he did in his own pro career as a light middleweight.

He said: “I didn’t have anyone giving me any advice or guidance when I was starting out, so I want to do what I can for these boys and help them.

“I made so many mistakes when I was young that I want to make sure they don’t make the same mistakes I made.

“These boys have to show patience. Everybody wants the big fight straight away but you have to take your time.

“Personally, I should never have fought Cornelius ‘K9’ Bundrage when I did, he was two sizes too big for me and is now the IBF Junior Middleweight champion.

“But we have a great group of young boxers coming through here and every one of them has the aim of turning pro – and I see no reason why they can’t do it.

“This year could be Watson’s last as an amateur boxer and we think he could be the first to make the step up.

“He’s been doing really well recently and won the Eastern District Championships and has also been sparring with a world champion in Ricky Burns.

“In the Eastern District, he stopped his first opponent with a body shot in the first round then went on to win the final.

“He has also been sparring with Ricky at a gym in Stepps and Sean did so well that he has been asked through again to do some more sparring before Ricky’s’ next title defence.

“McKee has always done well and Akinlami has all the tools he needs to do it, as long as he starts to believe in himself.

“Akinlami also won the Eastern District title in his own respective weight after stopping his opponent in the first round of a devastating display of punching.

“McKee took part too and reminded everybody of how exciting he is in the ring.

“All the Forrest brothers have ever talked about is turning pro and it is something they won’t stop talking about until they achieve it.

Talent

“They have also been boxing for Scotland, in what could be a first as a set of brothers in the national squad, for a tournament against Sweden.

“Robert boxed well and lost a close split decision, while Scott’s opponent pulled out before his fight.”

There is undoubted talent in the Fauldhouse ring, with the Forrest siblings due to be back in the ring on national duty later this month, January 15 and 22, when Scotland face Wales and Northern Ireland.

McKee, meanwhile, is punching his way back to top form after a break from the sport which has earned him a host of honours, including a Commonwealth Youth Games bronze medal.

With so many promising boxers on the Fauldhouse books, it is perhaps inevitable that sooner rather than later some of them will have to cross gloves with one another, but Peely admits this is something he is desperate to avoid.

He said: “Lewis and Robert almost had to box one another in the Eastern Districts recently before an injury forced Robert to pull out.

“It would have been a great fight but we were quite glad it didn’t happen as it would be impossible for us as coaches to watch two of our boys knock lumps out of one another. I wouldn’t have fancied being the corner for either of them that day.”

The path to ring stardom for the boxers is in safe hands with Peely, who in addition to having been a top professional himself, is now guiding another professional as a coach.

He adds: “I have earned my pro licence now and have been coaching John Boy McCallum from Leith here at the club in Fauldhouse.

“He has been training here with me and he just won his first pro fight and is due to box again in February, so it’s all going well.

“The boys we have at the club are doing really well and I genuinely believe whoever takes it all the way will win a British or world title.”