UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Reece Mcfadden is out to make an impression
REECE MCFADDEN left an indelible mark on the 2014 Commonwealth Games. The Scottish flyweight had the arena in Glasgow roaring its support as he beat Welsh virtuoso Andrew Selby and then overcame English hope Charlie Edwards. He was however forced to settle for a bronze medal and, in 2018, Mcfadden intends to go all the way to the top of the podium at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
“That’s definitely my aim. I’m destined for that gold,” he said. “I got bronze in Glasgow.”
He has just completed a three week training camp in Australia which culminated in a victory against an Australian boxer, Luke Martin in the division above.
“It was absolutely brilliant, it was just something completely different. We went on the beaches and all that, we were up early in the morning. It was a great camp. We had a fight at the end of it as well, which I won three rounds to nil, beating the boy on a unanimous decision at the weight above, giving him a standing eight count in the last round. A lovely right hook to the chin,” he laughed. “I was in control from start to finish, all the way throughout.
“It was a good successful camp, I trained very hard.”
The Scotland team won the test match 5-1 overall. His visit to Australia has left him even more motivated. “It just makes you want to make sure you’re definitely coming back to the place because it’s absolutely spectacular over there,” Mcfadden said.
He’s expecting Gold Coast 2018 to be a tricky assignment. “It all changes, it won’t be the ones at Glasgow because most of them have gone professional. It’ll be the younger generation,” he said.
“I haven’t seen anybody [in particular] to watch out for. I’m sure it’ll be a tough competition but I’m more than ready. I’m sure I’ll be ready to take that gold this time.”
He has been competing internationally, winning the gold medal at the Tammer tournament in Finland in October, beating Hungary’s Istvan Szaka in the final. “I won gold again, for the second time. That’s twice in a row I’ve won it so that was quite good,” he said. “He was strong, stocky. He actually boxing in a tournament in Hungary [the Bocskai, see page 43] and won gold a beat right good Kazakh [Azat Makhmetov]. He’s a right good opponent, plus he’s younger than me, he’s 19, he’s very determined. So it was a good fight. I beat him convincingly as well. A good win.”
His next target will be to defend his national title. “I’ve got the Scottish championships in three and a half weeks,” he said.
“If you go away and win internationally all the time the Scottish isn’t that important but it’s important to me because I don’t like to lose.”
He has to fit all his training and competing around his job as a joiner but is eager to be able to box full time. “It’s very tough, very, very tough,” said Mcfadden, who has missed out on a GB assessment due to a shoulder injury. “I would love to be full time with obviously Boxing Scotland or GB, any one of them. I would happily box for GB as well.”
‘I’M SURE I’LL BE READY TO TAKE THAT GOLD’