Champion Docherty must be at best to fend off Jabir
HAVING suddenly found himself as Scottish boxing’s lone standard bearer on the major championship battlefield, Craig Docherty cannot afford to have his colours lowered by Abdul Malik Jabir at the Bellahouston Sports Centre in Glasgow tonight.

The 24-year-old makes the first defence of his Commonwealth super-featherweight belt in the knowledge victory over his opponent from Ghana will all but secure him a shot at the European title next year.

As Alex Arthur discovered to his cost last weekend in Edinburgh, however, grand plans in the fight game can so quickly and dramatically be laid to waste by an energised and highly motivated challenger.

If Jabir lacks the pedigree and reputation Michael Gomez brought with him to dethrone Arthur as British 9st 4lbs king at Meadowbank, nonetheless Docherty cannot underestimate the 23-year-old West African.

The list of former Commonwealth super-featherweight champions illustrates both the strength of boxing in Ghana and just how seriously their fighters regard what used to be known as the British Empire title.

Three Ghanaians have held the belt since the division’s inception in 1975 and Jabir believes he can match the feat of Sam Akromah (1986), Thunder Aryeh (1990) and James Armah (2001). Docherty, only the second Scot to win the Commonwealth crown after Ian McLeod three years ago, is a hot favourite but finds himself facing a hungry challenger.

"I’m very confident and I’m here to take that title back home to Ghana," said Jabir after yesterday’s weigh-in at the Holiday Inn which saw both boxers make the 130lbs limit at the first time of asking."I’m going to beat Docherty, and it will change my life to win this title."

Docherty and his camp have been unable to obtain any videos of Jabir in action, although they did receive scouting reports from the Manchester gym where he has sparred with leading featherweight Michael Brodie.

Initial impressions of Jabir yesterday confirmed that he is a tall, rangy individual. He carried a swagger throughout proceedings and believes Docherty is in for an unpleasant surprise.

"I’ve been sparring with Brodie for two months in total, for his last two fights, and that has been great preparation for me because he is a world class boxer," said Jabir. "This will be the first time I have fought outside Ghana, but I’ve been away from home a lot sparring so it’s not a problem for me at all.

"I know the Scottish crowd will make a lot of noise supporting Docherty, but I will silence them with my performance. I’m going to win their hearts and I’m going to win the fight."

Jabir, who tipped the scales comfortably inside the limit at 9st 2lbs 8oz, actually started his career in the 8st 6lbs bantamweight division, but insists he is comfortable with the step up to super-feather.

He has won 11 of his 13 professional contests, suffering his first defeat in 1999 when he was stopped in the first round by Joseph Agbeko for the Ghanaian bantamweight title. Jabir recovered and successfully stepped up to super-bantamweight, scoring a sixth round knockout of Ayittey Mettle in February 2001 to become Ghanaian champion at 8st 10lbs.

He was floored in the fourth round of his first defence of that title by Osumanu Akaba three months later but climbed off the canvas to retain on a sixth round cuts stoppage. Jabir’s ascent of the weight divisions continued in his most recent contest when he earned a unanimous points victory over Nigeria’s Sunday Okoli to become African featherweight champion.

"It’s obvious he is no mug," said Docherty, "and I know he is coming here in the belief he can upset the odds. I’m going to have to be at the top of my game and I will be. It’s a massive night for me, topping the bill in front of a Glasgow crowd for the first time, and I can’t afford to let this opportunity slip away."

John McDermott, who struck featherweight gold for Scotland at the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Australia, has revitalised Docherty since becoming his trainer in the wake of his failed British title challenge to Michael Gomez two years ago.

The eighth round defeat of Dean Pithie to win the Commonwealth title in April this year was vindication of McDermott’s work with Docherty and the trainer said: "I think Craig is a better fighter now and will continue to improve as a champion.

"He has done 100 rounds of sparring for this fight and his body movement has improved. He can be a bit crabbit at times and we have been known to have words, but Craig never leaves the gym without shaking my hand. He’s worked well for this one and I’m confident he will win."

Body shots are Docherty’s main asset and they should come into play against his taller opponent tonight to give Scottish boxing a much needed victory. Jabir glories in the nickname the ‘Bukom Snake’ but Docherty ought to possess just too much bite for the ambitious African.