WILLIE LIMOND ON HIS BOXING RETURN
Updated: Aug 7, 2019
Willie Limond has won 7 titles in his career including Celtic, British and European belts. It had seemed he had turned his back on the sport after his last fight in 2016 however he is back in action on Thursday at the St Andrew's Sporting Club show in Glasgow.
Limond has fought 45 times so far and won 40 of those fights, four of his defeats have come against boxers who would become world champions, Amir Khan, Erik Morales, Alex Arthur and Anthony Crolla.
In a career spanning nearly twenty years, Limond won his first title back in 2003 when he won the EBU European super featherweight title, he added the Celtic title in that division in 2005. A year later, moving up to lightweight and the Commonwealth strap was added, he would lose it the following year to Amir Khan however he had Khan on the floor, at the time many felt Khan had longer than a ten count.
A couple of WBU and IBO belts were added before he bid for the British title for a second time, having lost out to Arthur for the Featherweight version, Limond came up short once more against Anthony Crolla losing by unanimous decision.
Two fights later and Limond won the Commonwealth this time at super lightweight beating Eddie Doyle by first round TKO.
In 2014 Limond would face Curtis Woodhouse, the British Super Lightweight champion in a bid to win the British title at the third time of asking. A majority decision win would see him crowned British champion. He lost the title in 2016 to Tyrone Nurse.
ESBR caught up with Willie ahead of his return.
ESBR: You are returning to the ring on Thursday night after 2 and a half years away from the game, what's the thought process on coming back now?
WL: I feel I still have more to give and more to take, that’s why I've decided to come back. ESBR: What do still hope to achieve after winning 7 titles over your career?
WL: I would love to be a 3 weight Commonwealth and 2 weight British champ.
ESBR: You have been training at Fighting Scots Gym with the likes of Michael McGurk and Scott Allan up there, has training been going well?
WL: Yes training is going good under Lawrence and Mick Murphy. Michael and Scott train hard so I need to work extra hard to keep up with those 2 doughballs! ESBR: Your sons have taken up the sport, how did you feel when they showed an interest and I believe you have been training them too? Is that something you are interested in going forward?
WL: I’m helping out training the amateurs at Dennistoun McNair ABC I enjoy training all the troops there but yes my two boys are there too. To be fair it was the two of them that helped spark the flame again in me. ESBR: You had tried your hand at managing and promoting fighters, you finished with that side?
WL: I’m finished with promoting shows, still have my hand in the management side of things though. ESBR: You have fought 45 times and only lost 5 times, 4 of whom became world champions, who has been your hardest opponent?
WL: Erik Morales by a mile ESBR: Out of all your fights which one stands out the most for you? WL: Winning the British title and defending my Commonwealth title against Curtis Woodhouse and fighting Erik Morales in front of 56,000 fans in a bull arena in Mexico City on their Independence Day, the atmosphere on that night is something I will never in my life forget.
ESBR: Has there been anything you wished you had done differently, a fight that you missed out on?
WL: After my Morales fight he got me over to help him prepare for his Maidana fight I was his chief sparring partner we trained in the Otomi mountains. He offered me a good contract which meant me staying in Mexico for long periods. I wish we could have found an alternative as I had a young family back home. Another one was when I was meant to fight in Madison Square Garden against Dimitri Salita on the Calzaghe v Jones bill, the contract was shocking but I wish I just took the fight anyway.