Doctors advise off-colour Arthur to take a rest

17 September 2009

ALEX ARTHUR'S immediate boxing future is unclear after he was ordered to rest by doctors.

The Capital's former WBO super-featherweight champion was forced to quit training for an October comeback fight at lightweight because he was feeling listless and lacking energy.

After receiving blood test results, he said: "The doctors have told me to take a long rest and forget boxing competitively meantime.

"It's a big blow as I was only a couple of bouts away from a world title shot or at the very least an eliminator.

"I'd like to think my absence from the ring will be measured in weeks rather than months because, being 31, I've got to try to accelerate my chances of a world title bid before it is too late."

Meanwhile Arthur's old amateur club, Leith Victoria, have had to postpone the gala opening of their totally refurbished gym until October due to the discovery of dry rot. But the Academy Street club have brought in ex-Scottish karate champion Graham Wright as conditioning coach to get fighters in the best possible shape.

His son, also Graham, a former double national cross-country running champion, will fight under the Leith Victoria banner after winning his first two bouts last season.

WTF is wrong with this guy? There always seems to be some sort of injury or illness holding him back, he's been treading water in his career for ages now & this is just another in a long line of setbacks.

This is what I have hated about this place being down.

I hadnt heard about this.

Arthur back in business after medical tests

02 October 2009

By BRIAN DONALD

CAPITAL boxer Alex Arthur admitted he was "delighted" that doctors have advised him he can now resume training.

Concern over the outcome of recent blood tests had meant the former WBO super-featherweight champion had been told to take a lay-off from the ring pending further investigation. Fortunately, the problem has now been diagnosed and a solution found.

"My blood tests and other examinations revealed that I have an underactive thyroid gland which could have caused me weight problems but that this can be safely controlled so that I can resume training and boxing again," explained Arthur.

"During my latest lay-off my weight has ballooned up to eleven stone but I've been reassured that with hard training this can be brought down to the light-welterweight limit of ten stone so it looks like I won't be fighting at lightweight any more."

And Arthur has been given a major incentive to get back up and running by his manager Frank Warren. "My goal now must be to take up the place he is reserving for me on 5 December on the undercard of Amir Khan's next world title defence – so this will definitely motivate me in my training regime," he said.

Arthur, however, has pulled out of the party of boxers going to Freddie Roach's Los Angeles Wild Card gym on 15 October with his coach Terry McCormack.

"I don't want disrupt my new training regime in Edinburgh with transatlantic flying and the other diversions that going to LA might bring," said Arthur.

Hmm I think a permanent move up to 140 is a big mistake, he's basically moving from 130 to 140, even though he was over lightweight in his last fight it proved nothing as the opponent was very poor & a career super feather himself.

hmmm,.. I've lost interest in Alex Arthur. He used to be such a brilliant prospect, and the way he cruised through to hold the Brit/Comm/Euro titles in flawless fashion was the stuff to get you excited. But it seemed he didn't have the same 'get up and go' that say, Ricky Hatton had - To make himself a star in the sport.

I look at Arthur and I see wasted potential. That's saying a lot of him considering his actual ring acheivements.

I know what you mean mate he's went right off the boil the past couple of years especially, there always seems to be something wrong with him either through injury or illness so it's been a very stop-start career & he doesn't seem to go injury free for long enough to get a good run of momentum going.

Attitude maybe?

Perhaps it's more to do with who he is - a push over?

I compared him to Hatton and I think it's a good comparison. Both fired through the domestic scene, and Arthur is probably more accomplished than Hatton in that area. But Hatton wouldn't put up with Warren's flattery, and realised that his career was stagnant. Arthur I think, wasn't as strong minded and let Warren get away with flattery and Arthur fell for the bullshit sales talk for too long.

Maybe he realised a while back he was never going to be as great as he thought he'd be so thought the best option would be to just stick it out with Warren for the money but Frank can only do so much i.e. he can't get Arthur fights, even easy fights if the guys always fuckin laid up lol

Think your right about the attitude though, when you compare Hatton to Arthur it's like night & day.

I remember Frank Warren once kicking off in the press about one of Frank Maloney's or Hennessey's fighter's saying bad things about Arthur and trying to coax him into a fight, saying that Warren was a crap promoter and wouldn't manage Arthur away. Frank Warren's response was something like, 'my fighter (Arthur) has had 13 fights and is driving around in a Merc', and the said fighter was, 'barely earning £50per week and unable to get anywhere in the sport,'...

D'you remember this incident and who it was about? It might have been Craig Doherty you know?

I don't remember that off the top mate but it doesn't surprise me, he said something similar about Richie Woodhall - "When Richie came to me his arse was hanging out his trousers..." etc

I'll have a look about for the Warren quote you mentioned after Audley gets sparked by Danny (Hopefully, fingers crossed, sticking pins in the doll as we speak haha)

I'm sending bad thoughts