SCOTNEY A CREDIT TO THE SPORT
I THOUGHT Ellie Scotney was brilliant at the weekend and though I used to be very undecided about women's boxing, though not against it, it is fighters like Scotney who have won me over.
Technically, she is excellent and I'd be interested to hear from any boxing fans who are still grumbling about women fighting what they made of her performance. Can they say, honestly, that she's not talented, that she shouldn't be fighting?
It is also refreshing that she has remained so humble during her climb to the top. I accept there is still a long way to go before the talent pool is as deep in the female code as it is for the men but if Ellie Scotney is responsible for girls now taking up the sport, I see no reason why it won't continue to grow at such an impressive rate.
Alan Noonan
WHAT IS GOING ON WITH GARCIA?
I WRITE in anticipation of the boxing equivalent of a car crash when Ryan Garcia takes on Devin Haney in Brooklyn next weekend.
I struggle to comprehend how this fight is being allowed to take place after everything that Garcia has said in recent weeks, both in interviews and on his social media platforms.
I understand that he might well have been joking about smoking pot, feeling lonely and not serious when he's crying out for help. Let's hope that has been the case because can you imagine if it's not?
What happens if Garcia has a breakdown in the ring? What happens if he makes a run for it minutes before the opening bell? What happens if he, heaven forbid, gets seriously hurt? The paper trail leading to such a disaster would be damning for the promoters and for all boxing authorities involved. Siobhan Fletcher
WHAT A DREADFUL FIGHT
JARED ANDERSON'S fight on Saturday night was awful. I've seen plenty blame Ryad Merhy but Anderson showed his limitations when he failed to break down the proverbial sitting duck.
Henry Smith
CONCENTRATION ISSUES
ZELFA BARRETT is a boxer who I always enjoy watching yet I also always wonder if he knows when he appears to be coasting or if he simply switches off and can't help it. I have seen him do it several times in different fights and though he eventually got the victory against Jordan Gill, it will surely cost him if he ventures into world class again. It got me thinking about other boxers who have struggled to concentrate in the past. Marlon Starling used to do it now and again, as did Michael Nunn, one of Starling's opponents. Perhaps it simply can't be helped.
Josh Lester