Scott Belshaw Out To Hammer His Way To The Boxing Top

The doors are opening for Scott Belshaw, the hugely impressive and unbeaten Belfast based heavyweight. But he clearly recalls one door that was unfairly slammed shut as he prepares for his first bout on British soil.

Belshaw, known as “The White George Foreman”, stepped away from an immensely promising amateur career to join the professional ranks immediately after suffering what he considered to be blatant refereeing injustice.

“I had 21 amateur fights and had won 16 or 17 of them,” said Belshaw. “I was very raw but I had won five Irish super-heavyweight titles. I was fighting a Dublin fighter in Dublin and I was ten points ahead after two rounds and got disqualified for holding. It was a disgrace.

“I signed with Frank Maloney who was after me from early on, but I didn’t know what to expect. It’s funny how as one door shuts another one opens. That fight sickened me.”

And sickened is how Belshaw’s three professional opponents to date must feel, having experienced the 6 foot 7 inch Belshaw’s sledgehammer punch.

“I have won my three fights to date in 10 seconds, 58 seconds and then 28 seconds of the second round,” Belshaw, 21, said without a trace of vanity. “The third one, Alexander Subin, took quite a few shots to go down.

“Boxing is what I have always wanted to do and Mike Tyson is my idol. He got me into boxing from the start; I thought he was amazing. He was exciting and it was always the big punch. At school they said to me to just get a proper job, I suppose because I had passed seven of the nine GCSE’s I took. Tyson was a force of nature and I admired George Foreman, but I don’t model myself on either. I have quite a unique style.

“I was not as dedicated then as I am now. My main interests when I was younger were socialising and the cinema. At my age everyone is out partying and I feel a bit left out sometimes. You have to be dedicated, though.”

And dedicated this modest young man certainly is, although his passion for music remains intact. “Music is one of my main interests,” Belshaw said giving the thumbs up to dance music and old school hip hop, along with Indie bands such as The Killers and Snow Patrol.

But it is training that now takes centre stage in the Lisburn born fighter’s days and Belshaw’s unique training regime goes a long way to explaining his killer punch.

“I train at the Eastside gym in Belfast,” he continues. “After I have run in the morning, I go to the gym and do pad work, bag work and skipping. But what I like most is the old fashioned type of training. They have set up an aeroplane tyre for me there and I like to spend time hitting it with sledgehammer that has a 38 lb (two stone!) head. The tyre is huge; it stands about 1 meter off the ground.”

Perhaps most surprisingly of all, there is no obvious clue as to where this noticeably intelligent and personable young man’s sheer strength originates.

“Dad was not into boxing or any sports for that matter,” said Belshaw. “On mum’s side of the family, they are all farmers and Dad is a joiner. He is very proud of me as are my mates in Ireland.

“My dream is to be heavyweight champion. I have surprised myself as I am an ‘on the night’ fighter. My attitude is ‘I’m going to go as far as I possibly can’. I am in a sport where one punch can end a contest. I know I have something special and have a lot going for me and Frank Maloney has a lot of faith in me.”

And as the boxing world searches for the next George Foreman, maybe one has already been found in the form of this young man with the sledgehammer punch, and a sledgehammer too.

Scott Belshaw fights on the Frank Maloney Promotion “Payback or Playback?” at Goresbrook Leisure Centre in Dagenham, London, England on Friday January 26, 2007. Tickets are available by logging onto www.frankmaloney.com or by calling the Box Office at 0871 226 1508.