By Boxing Bob Newman
Photos by Andy Newman
While on the way to Dublin, Ireland to cover the grand finale of the career of Katie Taylor, Fightnews.com decided to spend a couple days in Edinburgh, Scotland. While there good friend and ring announcer Craig Stephen invited us to cover Clash On The Coast, a K1 Kick Boxing event promoted by Brad Robertson at the historic Portobello Town Hall.
In the main event, hometown boy Cameron Miller took on Belgium’s Amir El Khadiri for the K1 welterweight title. It was evident from the outset that El Khadiri would have a hard time getting inside on the elongated (6’2″) Miller. That being said, both men were evenly matched, until the third when a high lock dropped Khadiri hard near the end of the round. Khadiri beat the count at eight, but didn’t fair well in the fifth and final round. A standing weight count, while Khadiri was claiming low blows and rabbit punches, ended in a TKO at 1:05 of the fifth.
Callum Telford (Scotland) and Alan Ginson (Ireland) clashed for the lightweight WKA Celtic K1 title. It was all Telford, scoring a knockdown in the third along with a standing a count and dominating the rest of the way for a solid win and the title.
In a female Jr. Welter all-Scotland clash, Aimee Aitken took on Eilidh Wood for the WKA Scotland East District title. Aitkin came out like. Whirling dervish- spinning backhands, kicks and conventional punches, blended cleanly on Wood. As the referee came in to administer a standing 8-count, he quickly realized Wood was out on her feet and waved it off at 0:30 for the first round for Aitken.
In a featherweight clash, Scotland’s Lewis Brown went against France’s Elouan Francois. After a feel-em out first round, Francois took control with some solid kicks and punches, driving Brown to the ropes. Brown bounced back in the third with his own punch and kick combinations. Brown was doing well in the fourth when he was nailed with three clean punches that had him badly dazed, lucky to hear the round ending bell. Brown seemed to get the worst of the fifth and final round through Francois’ cleaner, busier work rate. In the end, the judges saw it for Brown. No scores announced.
At light heavy, Ryan Grieve beat Kian Stephen on points after three rounds.
Opening the main segment of the show was Edinburgh’s Brennan Dugay stopping London’s Hassinullah Hussainkhel with a brutal right kick to the head for a clean KO in the first round.
