CALVIN McCORD is the electrician who wants to see his own name up in lights. The Scottish lightweight champion will return to the opulent surrounds of Trump Turnberry on Saturday as he puts his undefeated record and his belt on the line against Livingston’s Thomas Dickson.
The circuit for most professionals in the early stages of their careers tends to involve sweating it out in leisure centres or municipal halls so returning to Turnberry – where McCord first claimed the belt six months ago – is something of an ostentatious anomaly.
“You wouldn’t think it was a boxing place when you first walk in,” he says. “There’s these big lovely chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and it’s all quite fancy. And then they stick a boxing ring in the middle of it all. It’s definitely a bit different to the usual places you fight in.
“But the last time the atmosphere was brilliant. I’m looking forward to going back as I’m sure it will be a crazy night again. The support I got when I won the title was unreal and I’m sure most of them will be back again for this one.”
McCord hails from just 30 minutes up the coast in Ayr which makes Turnberry accessible enough for his growing body of fans. Ideally, though, he would like a fight in his hometown itself, where he feels cheaper ticket prices and easier access would help sell out any venue. It is something his promoter Sam Kynoch is considering for further down the line.
“Turnberry’s not bad for folk in Ayr to get to but it’s still quite dear, about £100 a ticket,” McCord says. “I think if they had a show in the town itself it would do well. Sam’s been talking about looking for suitable venues so hopefully he can get it sorted for a future fight. The ticket prices wouldn’t be as expensive and people wouldn’t have to worry about how they would get home.
“I wouldn’t say I’m getting recognised in the street or anything like that. I’m not a celebrity! But people in Ayr have really been behind me since the start. I’m the kind of guy that just chats to anyone anyway so that’s not really changed. But it would be great to put on a fight locally as I’m sure it would do well.”
There are other aspirations, too. A successful defence of his Scottish belt ought to see him move back inside the top 20 of the UK rankings where bigger fights lie in wait. Joe Cordina, the British and Commonwealth champion, is an obvious target although McCord will take what he can get as he strives to become a full-time fighter.
“I don’t want to look past Thomas but if I win this one I’ll sit down with my trainers Sam Mullen and David McInally, as well as Sam, and we’ll talk about our options. With this being a 10-rounder it could take me inside the UK top 15 with a win. If there was a chance to fight for the British title at some point then I’d definitely be up for that.”
Like some boxers, McCord isn’t obsessed by the sport. His preference is to watch football as a means of switching off although he did catch the UK debut last weekend of Vasiliy Lomachenko, the man considered by many to be the greatest lightweight around.
“I thought Luke Campbell looked huge going into that fight against him but Loma is just on a different level to everyone else. He almost looks untouchable.”
And then there is the tantalising possibility of a match-up one day with one of Scotland’s most decorated boxers. Ricky Burns returns to the ring next month and, even at 36 years old, McCord reckons he would prove a handful for anyone bold enough to take him on.
“I might wait until he’s 45 before fighting him,” jokes the 22 year-old. “But I’d love the chance to get in the ring with him one day. What a career he’s had. If I can go on to achieve even a fraction of what Ricky’s done then I’d be happy with that.”
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