COREY LIFTS EURO TITLE
Teenager takes study break to grab glory in England
A Croftfoot teenager has had his work cut out juggling martial arts training and his school studies.
But that didn’t stop Corey McLachlan from claiming a coveted European Muay Thai title.
The 14-year-old has been preparing for his first lot of fourth-year exams at school but took a break from revision to get his hands on the WTKA pro-am belt at last weekend’s showdown in Barnsley.
The young fighter, who attends St Margaret Mary’s Secondary School and trains at Glasgow’s Griphouse Gym, hit his French opponent with strong kicks to the head to take his third European title.
His dad Keith, who watched the fight ringside, knows school comes first but was glad Corey got the victory he has been training hard for.
He said: “I’ve been trying to get him to knuckle down with his school work but he was delighted to win last week.
“Corey was in quite an even fight. The boy was waiting for Corey to make the first move and bring the fight to him.
“But Corey just countered on him and got by with the style of fighting he has. He is a clever fighter and fought well on the day.
“That must be nearly his 70th Muay Thai fight and he now holds three European titles.
“He also won a world title last year in America so he’s doing really well.”
His son however, was not expecting it to be as straightforward as he thought.
“It was dead easy,” said Corey. “He fought the same style as me but he was not a bad fighter. I just got the better of him. I’ve been training loads in the gym for it so I’m glad I won.”
Corey joined his brother Reece and Cambuslang fighter Alisha Rae in England on January 29 but was the only one to return with a winners belt.
His dad Keith, who is also a world champion in the sport, insists it was a successful day all round for his fighting stars.
He said: “Reece did well too but lost out on a split decision and Alisha was beaten by a girl she had beaten before. They both lost but they’ll come back from this.”
Keith has lined himself up to fight in what could be one of the final bouts of his career before retiring to concentrate on coaching. He will feature against a Spanish champion on April 8.