Filipino-Scottish boxer John Thain gets shot at British championship

MANILA, Philippines – He lives and trains in Edinburgh and makes sure to visit his mother’s house a few times a week for home-cooked adobo.

He’s John Thain, a Filipino-Scottish welterweight boxer on the eve of his biggest fight yet, a challenge of British welterweight champion Bradley Skeete this Friday, November 25 at the Brentwood Centre in Brentwood, England. Thain, 29, finds himself as the mandatory challenger to the world-rated Skeete after winning a unanimous decision over Nathan Brough in a title eliminator in October.

He’s coming in as the underdog, a role which he openly embraces.

“There’s no pressure on us to win this fight,” says Thain (16-2, 1 knockout) of his bout against Skeete (24-1, 11 KOs), which will be televised across the United Kingdom and Ireland on subscription channel BoxNation. “We’re not everyone’s pick to win this fight, we know that. That means we have less people to please. I don’t put any sort of pressure or any sort of expectations on myself.

“As long as I work as hard as I can, I just line up my skills next to him and that’ll make me come out on top.”

Thain’s mother Rizalina was born in Mindanao but her family is now based in Cebu. Thain’s father, a Scottish sailor in the merchant navy, met his mother in the Philippines, and they relocated to Scotland in 1985. Two years later John was born.

“I do love being half Filipino because you definitely feel cared for when you go to another Filipino’s house. If you go to a little party, they hand you a little plate and make sure you have something to eat,” said Thain. “I do miss that part of growing up because we used to go to these parties every so often. I never worried about what I ate.”

Thain last visited the Philippines in 2006, and stopped by the ALA Boxing Gym in Cebu. “It was a real eye opener, just to see everything. You always heard about what the Philippines was like, with how beautiful it is, how busy and how hot, but you have to really go there and see it for yourself,” says Thain, who had previously worn boxing trunks with the Philippine flag colors to honor his heritage.

Thain’s decision win over Chris Jenkinson on March 12, 2016

Thain picked up boxing at age 13 and had a more-or-less even record after 60 amateur fights, highlighted by a Scottish Championship win in 2008. He turned pro in 2010 and signed with iconic British promoter Frank Warren, who had promoted “Prince” Naseem Hamed, Joe Calzaghe and Ricky Hatton at various points.

Thain won his first 11 fights before losing back-to-back fights in 2014 – the first via disputable decision and the second under less disputable terms – before being dropped by Warren and being left to wonder if a career switch was in order. Thain rebounded a year later, signed with promoter MGM Scotland and has since won 5 straight.

His opponent Skeete, a London resident, has won 6 straight since losing to former world title challenger Frankie Gavin.

“I think that it’s our conditioning,” said Thain when asked what his key to victory will be. “We’re ready to go as far as we need to go. We’re gonna dig deep if we have to. We’re prepared for that because we’ve got the conditioning for it. I believe especially that my jab is the key as well because with both of us being tall, it’s gonna be a battle of the jabs I believe. I’ve got the tools to spoil.”

With Thain’s father being from the country which produced boxing champions like Jim Watt and Ken Buchanan and his mother from the land of Manny Pacquiao and Flash Elorde, he’s got the pedigree to make for an interesting British champion. And a win wouldn’t be his alone.

“To win the British title wouldn’t just be a victory for me, it’d be a victory for [trainer Terry McCormack], it’d be a victory for the [Lochend] boxing club.

It’s the British title so you can trace back the winners all through history. It’s great to be part of something so prestigious,” said Thain. – Rappler.com 

Ryan Songalia is the sports editor of Rappler, a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) and a contributor to THE RING magazine. He can be reached at ryan.songalia@rappler.com. Follow him on Twitter: @RyanSongalia.