BOXING SCOTLAND: THE NEW GENERATION
Ahead of an exciting weekend of international boxing, we caught up with Next Generation coach James Paton to discuss the motivation for creating these opportunities on home soil and the potential impact on the development of Scotland’s next generation of Olympic-style boxers.
What was the driving force behind creating this initiative, and what opportunities does it present for Boxing Scotland right now?
I have worked with the Scotland team for many years now, and year after year, when I speak to club coaches, they tell me about how good a certain boxer is and ask why they are not on the pathway programme.
We have always had relatively small teams, and I thought, why don’t we try a bigger team with more opportunities for everyone? Boxers develop each other, and success breeds success. The more boxers we have on the programme, the better quality of boxers we will have for the future.
What can an athlete learn from these international dual matches that will aid their development?
Athletes coming onto the programme will get the opportunity to compete against the best competition in Scotland while training at the National High-Performance Centre. They will also benefit from up to four home international bouts per year, as well as return duals in other countries.
The boxers we have on the programme are some of the best in the country and challenging them further by competing against athletes from other countries will only benefit their ability to take on new challenges and compete with the best in the world.
More shows mean more international bouts and more experience for Scottish boxers.
Why is it important that Scotland hosts international boxing events as well as sending athletes abroad?
The more shows we have at home, the more valuable experience we can provide for all our boxers. This sets them up for future duals and international competitions.
The duals are the start for many boxers in gaining experience at an international level. It is like a home show, where we can assess where a boxer’s level is before taking them to a major championship.
Home duals are also great because they allow boxers to represent their country in front of their own supporters, often friends and family. This can then set up a potential return dual and provide even more international experience for our potential future Commonwealth Games boxers.
If we look back in ten years, what would success look like to you?
If I look back in ten years, I would love to see posts on social media from boxers who were proud to represent their country and who had been given the opportunity to compete at the highest level.
It’s all about the stories they will tell.
I would also like to see the clubs remember the young boxers they had who went on to represent Scotland on many occasions.
I would love to see success as well. If we could produce another Commonwealth Games team like 2022, or another world champion like Josh Taylor, that would be fantastic.
My end goal is to help boxers be the best they can be and provide that opportunity to all the boxers involved in the programme.
There are many coaches across Scotland who do a great job. To speak to them and have them be proud of what their boxers have achieved would be fantastic, as this will inspire them to continue pushing and progressing other boxers towards the top level.
