Campos: Screaming Mexicans prepared me for Glasgow atmosphere
WBC Silver super lightweight challenger Winston Campos insists boxing in front of a partisan Mexican crowd has prepared him well for his bow at the SSE Hydro against Josh Taylor.
The 25-year-old has touched down in Scotland from Nicaragua following previous challenger Humberto Soto’s calloff last week and will enter the ring instead alongside Edinburgh’s undefeated champion Taylor tomorrow night in Glasgow.
Despite the late notice, Campos (30-3-5) who has only fought twice outwith his native country, is confident past experiences can see him inflict a first defeat on the “Tartan Tornado”.
“I have no fears fighting in Glasgow. Everyone tells me there is going to be a huge crowd and a great atmosphere,” Campos said.
“But it won’t bother me. I went to Chilpancingo in Mexico to fight Edgar Puerta and it was crazy. There were 4,000 Mexicans who were screaming
0 Winston Campos: Tough. against me. I didn’t care. I used it as a motivation.
“I think there will be an even bigger atmosphere in Glasgow. The Scottish fans will think they will have a party with Taylor. They probably don’t know much about me or expect me to win.
“But I will win over their respect in the ring by beating their man. I’ll spoil the party but they will be happy to see a great fight. I am going to show Taylor and the Scottish people what Nicaraguans are like. We are tough. We like to fight. We refuse to be beaten.
“I didn’t have an easy life as a kid. It’s the same for a lot of people in Nicuragua. There’s not much money around and it’s a tough upbringing. It’s difficult to make your way in sport as well. You have to fight every step of the way and a boxer’s life is even tougher.
“There are a lot of fighters because boxing is a way to making a better life. It makes you very competitive.”
Despite the wintry conditions that have already wiped out so many sporting events across the country this weekend, Cyclone Promotions manager Barry Mcguigan is predicting quite a spectacle.
“We might be the only major event taking place in the UK this weekend but people are in for a treat,” he said. “Josh is in great shape and he’s up against a terrific fighter.” Team Scotland’s Lucy Hope and Hannah Miley won gold medals on day one of the Edinburgh International Swim Meet, which incorporates the British Swimming Championships, at the Royal Commonwealth Pool.
Hope, the 21-year-old, who will be competing in Australia at the Commonwealth Games next month, swam a time of 28.18 in the final of the women’s 50m backstroke event last night to pip Kathleen Dawson of the University of Stirling into second.
In the women’s 400m individual medley, Miley actually finished second to Spain’s Mireia Belmonte, but was the top Brit and as such the Aberdeen Performance swimmer took to the top of the podium.
Tain Bruce broke her own Scottish record in the women’s 100m butterfly final to claim a bronze medal. The University of Edinburgh athlete, 19, swam 58.92 to make sure of a medal while Heart of Midlothian’s 16-year-old Keanna Macinnes, who is heading to the Commonwealth Games, won the B final.
Olympian Duncan Scott had to make do with third in the men’s 100m freestyle.
The 20-year-old University of Stirling swimmer was beaten by winner Lewis Burras, 18, of Southport with Englishman David Cumberlidge of the University of Edinburgh taking silver.
Kathryn Greenslade, who is a member of Team Wales for the Commonwealth Games and trains at the University of Edinburgh, posted 1:58.53 to win the women’s 200m freestyle final.
Olympian James Guy of Bath University was the class athlete in the men’s 200m butterfly field, winning in a time of 1:58.05.