Boxing: Wishaw ace in 2012 Olympics KO

Jul 15 2009 by Andrew Weston, Wishaw Press

OLYMPIC hopeful Ross Henderson has been dealt a blow to his London 2012 aspirations after being forced to pull out of this weekend’s Team GB Olympic training camp at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield due to injury.

The Springhill ABC fighter damaged a tendon in his right arm less than eight weeks ago and has failed to recover in time to attend the camp that would have determined whether he would be offered a three-year contract to train with the country’s top coaches in the lead-up to the Olympic Games.

“I’m disappointed as I have been training hard for this for a long while now,” the Cleland lad told the Wishaw Press.

“I got injured in Spain fighting but carried on, and despite giving myself time I would not be in 100 per cent shape going down to Sheffield and would not do myself justice.

“Head GB coach Kelvin Travis called me up on Tuesday and asked how I was doing.

“He felt it was in my best interests to rest up and come back down in September.”

This set-back has been the super-heavyweight boxer’s first major disappointment since taking up the sport just 18 months ago.

But Henderson is determined to re-focus and will now look forward to impressing Travis and former world champion Richie Woodhall, who was recently brought into the GB amateur set-up as a consultant, when he heads south in September.

The blacksmith by trade said: “I’m naturally fit anyway and always keep myself in shape so it’s fine to wait until September.

“It’s a big step for me.

“I will be going there and working with the best coaches and the best physios in the business.

“So learning from the best will be great and I’m looking forward to it.

“I’ll obviously need to lift my game.”

The 21-year-old continued: “Even if I don’t get through this then there is always next year.

“We have got the Commonwealth Games next October in India.

“I’m setting my sights on the Olympics but I’m very confident that I can go to the Commonwealth Games and get a gold.”

Henderson secured the Western District title very early in his career but his big break came in April when he became the first Scottish super-heavyweight boxer for nearly three decades to win a gold medal at the multi-nations tournament in Helsinki.

It was there that GB coach Travis first spotted his potential and he was the only super-heavyweight to be invited down to Sheffield this weekend.

Henderson continued: “I’m hoping that is going to give me a better chance but I know it is going to be hard and I have to try and impress as much as possible when I go down in September.

“If I do what I know I can do then I am quite confident.”

At the training camps fighters undergo vigorous tests including sprints, bleep tests, pad work and technique sparing.

And Henderson believes he would not be dreaming of Olympic glory were it not for Springhill coach Frank Delaney who encouraged him to take up the sport.

He said: “If it wasn’t for Frank I would not be in this position, that is for sure.

“I only went to the gym to keep fit but he got me entering the Western District Championships and it went from there.

“Frank saw my potential and he spends a lot of time with me.”

Henderson added: “He told me that getting to where I am now in just 18 months is almost unheard of.

“It normally takes a good few years to get into this game and he said if you add up all my bouts to date I really only have been in the ring for about an hour!”