Cornish ready to conquer Joshua
THE history of Scottish boxing is littered with tales of s mal l men reaching great heights. But for all the success enjoyed by Ken Buchanan, Ricky Burns and Scott Harrison, there has been no such glory among the giants.
The British heavyweight title has never been won by a man from north of Hadrian’s Wall.
So Gary Cornish, who stands at 6ft 7in tall, has stared down more challenges than most as he prepares to face Anthony Joshua in London tonight.
The 27-year-old from Inverness, who s pent a s eason with Highland League club Brora Rangers as a teenager, challenges hi s English rival f or t he Commonwealth title, eight years after taking up the sport to improve his fitness.
‘I was always in the street with a football when I was younger,’ he told Sportsmail. ‘ I heard boxing was a good way to get fit, so I thought I’d give it a try.
‘I was hitting a bag in the gym and the coach said I was a natural and asked me if I wanted to spar.
‘ I did that, got on pretty well and he asked me to have a fight. I’ve loved it from that moment on.’
Cornish would go on to have just nine amateur fights, winning t hem all, before turning professional.
‘I was training like a professional but there was no one to fight, especially up in Scotland,’ he explained.
‘My coach was worried I was going to get disheartened, so he thought it would be a good idea to go pro and learn there.’
And, as if learning on the job was not hard enough, Cornish struggled to attract sparring partners to the Highlands.
‘The fights weren’t hard to get but sparring was,’ he added. ‘ People don’t realise how important it is.’
Opponents do not come much better than Joshua at this stage in Cornish’s career.
For some, the script is already written.
Joshua is expected to swat Cornish aside and set up a grudge r ematch against Londoner Dillian Whyte for the British title in December.
‘He’s definitely looking past me,’ said the Scot.
‘But as soon as they offered me the fight, I said: “Take it, 100 per cent.”
‘We don’t get ahead of ourselves, we work hard in the gym and we know our limitations.
‘If I was offered the (Wladimir) Klitschko fight tomorrow, I’d say no chance.
‘I wouldn’t beat Klitschko but I feel I can beat Anthony Joshua.
‘ I ’ m going to t urn up to fight and win as I always do. I’m there to have a fight and I’m confident I can out-box him and I can stop him.
‘Nobody is giving me a chance but I’m relaxed and quietly confident in myself. I respect him but we will be victorious.’