Charlie Flynn wins on professional debut against Ibrar Riyaz
- Published
Charlie Flynn won on his professional debut against journeyman Ibrar Riyaz at Glasgow's Thistle Hotel on Sunday.
The Scottish Commonwealth gold-winning lightweight, 21, claimed a 40-36 points win against the Englishman.
The victory came four-and-a-half months after Flynn enjoyed success at Glasgow 2014 and four weeks after confirming his move into the pro ranks.
Earlier, Flynn's Scotland team-mate Joe Ham beat Georgian David Kvaratskhelia with a pro debut first-round knockout.
"The atmosphere was unbelievable," Flynn told BBC Scotland after his fight at Glasgow's Thistle Hotel in front of about 1,000 fans.
Scottish super-featherweight Joe Ham on pro debut knockout punch |
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"We'd been working at the left hook to the body and when I land it clean that's what happens - they don't get up." |
"They were crammed in like sardines. I was blown away by the support."
The Motherwell fighter has signed up with promoter Alex Morrison, who staged Sunday night's event, and is trained by Peter Harrison.
He will certainly face tougher opponents than 29-year-old Riyaz, who has lost 67 of his 74 fights, but he could not be faulted in the way he went about his winning performance.
"I was feeling good in there. He was a tough nut to crack," he said.
"Why not go in and box him? I've never been four rounds before.
"He was using his head, using his elbows. My coach said to me, 'work behind your jab, use your technical ability, stop running in like a madman'.
"Everybody loved it, they got their four rounds, it was great.
"He wanted me to walk into a shot. He was showing off, inviting me in so he could drop a bomb on me. He's got an old head on him.
"He was waiting on me to make a stupid mistake - a daft wee amateur who thinks he's the golden boy - and bang, he lamps me. I just kept my composure."
Super-featherweight Ham is another fighter who lit up Glasgow 2014, though his defeat by the classy English boxer Qais Ashfaq in the quarter-finals meant there was no Commonwealth medal.
He too was making his pro debut and was thankful that he and his dad, his trainer at the Hayfield club, had done their homework.
He said: "We had studied the boy. I knew what punches to throw. We'd been working at the left hook to the body and when I land it clean that's what happens - they don't get up.
"It was a good knockout for my first fight."
Like Flynn, the five-time Scottish amateur champion was buoyed by the home support.
"For years and years, nobody took any notice and since the Scottish Championships at the Emirates and the Games it has just exploded," he said of the backing.
"The place burst into song. It was great to get in there and find my feet."
In the evening's other results, Glasgow's Ryan Smith won his fourth professional bout, this time against Lee Connelly from Killamarsh in Derbyshire.
"He came out guns blazing and I managed to deal with it," he said after winning every round.
"I could tell when he was planting his feet he was going to fling punches but I clicked on how to dodge them.
"I'm good at the head movement. He was flinging hooks from both sides and I was going underneath and dodging them.
"I felt the last round was my strongest."
Another Glaswegian, Jonathan Slowey, won on points against Lithuania's Simas Volosinas, Ham's club-mate Stewart Burt, another making his pro debut, impressed in his win over Fonz Alexander at welterweight, Wishaw's former kick-boxer Scott Allan edged a decision against Bristol's Omran Akbari and Glasgow's Jamie McGuire beat Dewsbury's Youssef Al Hamidi.
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