ALEX ARTHUR's devoted wife Debbie won't be at ringside for the first time ever during her husband's WBO super-featherweight title fight in Manchester because she fears for his safety if she goes.
Arthur faces Nicky Cook in Manchester on Saturday but Debbie, who has three children with Arthur, will not take her usual seat at ringside because she feels her presence was partly to blame for her husband's struggle to overcome Steve Foster in his
last fight in December at Meadowbank.
"I've been at ringside for all Alex's fights in the past, but during the Steve Foster fight when Alex was knocked down, he had been looking out as he normally does to see me at ringside when he got caught and decked," said Debbie. "Alex then looked at me again and I was really upset by that knockdown.
"I've decided that being at ringside is a distraction to Alex and as the stakes have never been higher with this being the first defence of his WBO title, I've reluctantly decided to stay at home.
"It hasn't been an easy decision but, with a fight as crucial as this, neither I nor his mother want to provide any distraction.
"He needs to be concerned only about himself during the bout, not about me or my reaction to events during a fight.
"Some people might try to say that this decision shows a lack of confidence in Alex but that's rubbish! I'm sure Alex will win because he is a devoted family man who has never trained harder for a fight than now. Alex knows there is more than just a belt and pride at stake on Saturday, he is fighting to secure further our financial future as a family.
"Alex makes great sacrifices to achieve this so I too am doing the same. It isn't going to be easy not being there but, on the other hand, I feel that my presence at ringside subconsciously puts pressure on Alex and I don't want that."
Arthur's mother Corrine has also decided to not to attend the fight for the same reasons.
Arthur's dad, also Alex, said: "My wife has decided, like Debbie, it will be better not to be at ringside so that Alex isn't distracted during the bout."
Debbie Arthur's decision will certainly strike a chord with Margaret Watt, wife of current boxing TV pundit and former WBC lightweight champion, Jim Watt, who revealed in his 1981 autobiography how his wife would rush out of the arena whenever his opponent caught him with a hard punch.
Arthur himself is delighted with the shape he is in as his big night fast approaches.
He said: "All the hard work, the training and sparring, has been done.
"I'm going down to Manchester fully fit and confident. My weight is fine and I won't be distracted this time as I was against Steve Foster. I can't afford to be."
The full article contains 496 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
