“Excellence in Boxing”
Drew Docherty was born in Glasgow on November 29th 1965, but become associated with his adopted home of Condorrat throughout his amateur and pro boxing career.
A quiet, polite and thoughtful man outside the ropes, Drew’s natural reserve made it very easy for those who put appearances before reality to underestimate the quiet man from Condorrat’s true nature as a natural ring warrior.
Drew started his amateur boxing career as a kid with the legendary Billy Clinton who had fought world flyweight champion Jackie Paterson and whose son Pat would go on to win the WBO flyweight title in 1992. According to one of Billy Clinton’s other son, Michael, who worked with Drew as an amateur “My dad, Billy rated Drew highly from the earliest of days of watching him in the Croy Club gym. My dad liked Drew’s speedy and skilful feetwork, his good left jab and his willingness to listen and learn.” Qualities that soon paid off in the amateur ranks when fortifying with great sparring southpaw Pat Clinton boxing brother, Wilson and the many other good amateurs at Croy during his time Drew started to make his mark.
According to Michael Clinton, Drew should have been crowned British ABA Bantamweight Champion in York when he lost to England Paul Lloyd, Also when he fought at light flyweight he gave the legendary Englishman, John Lyons (who won four British ABA Titles between 1981 and 84) a helluva fight.
But with his trademark ring qualities of skill, determination, footwork and punch range, Drew was more often a good amateur winner than a gallant loser winning Scottish Titles, representing Scotland in the 1986 Edinburgh Commonwealth Games and the European Championships and even winning fulsome praise for his ring skills from a certain Irish broadcaster called Des Lynam. Michael Clinton recalled that Drew was only 17 when he boxed Englishman Paul Lally in a Scotland v England International tournament and Des Lynam was so impressed by Drew’s performance that he made a point of speaking to him and expressing his admiration for Drew’s boxing skills and heart.
Not bad when you consider how many of the boxing 20th Century greats that Des Lynam had previously watched. Equally unsurprising, with a great amateur pedigree like that, the pro ranks beckoned and Drew joined manager Tommy Gilmour Jnr’s stable in 1989 aged 24. According to Tommy, Drew was a managers prayer regarding training. He trained conscientiously, never tried to cut corners with his preparation for bouts and was utterly reliable. But Drew was also what I call a summit fighter. Give him an ordinary warm up bout such as his eight round points win over journeyman Miguel Matthews (at Musselburgh, East Lothian in September 1994) and he looked ordinary. This bout didn’t fire him up. In contrast, when Drew fought South African Daniel Jimenez at Mansfield, England for the WBO World Bantamweight title, nobody gave him a chance but he produced a great performance in taking Jimenez down to the wire over 12 rounds to lose on points.
Drew was also still recovering from the trauma of Newmains Bantamweight James Murrays sad death 3 months before in Glasgow in defence of his own British Bantamweight title. However the quiet but ultra effective ringman from Condorrat showed early in his paid career that quality of ring performances came with the territory witness Drews fourth pro bout, an 8 round points win over a certain Welshman called Steve Robinson, who would go on to win the WBO World Featherweight title by beating Geordie favourite John Davidson in a huge upset. The 1st big title test came for Drew on June 1st 1992 the year that his big buddy from his Croy amateur days Pat Clinton would send the Kelvin Hall and manager Tommy Gilmour into raptures by winning his WBO flyweight title. Indeed, Drew also had something in common with Croys Pat Clinton because to win the British Bantamweight title and Lonsdale belt, Drew had defeat old Clinton ring foe Joe Kelly form Glasgow, in Glasgow and Drew took a leaf out of a book of another Glasgow fighter Bobby Sherbo McDermott who had stopped Joe in January 1985 by also beating Kelly inside the distance in five tough rounds. Although he then subsequently had a 7 month rest from the ring warfare, Drews first defence of his bantam title and Lonsdale belt could hardly have been tougher. Why because he faced tough, brave and durable Arden Glasgow butcher Donnie Hood, who has wiley old ring fox Charlie Kerr in his corner.
Nobody who recalls Donnie Hoods tough take no prisoners style of ring battle in defence of his WBO international crown against Filipino hardman Daniel Orpeno and Samuel Duran would ever call the Arden butcher easy meat for any boxer. However Drew used heart and self belief allied with a great left jab and hook to outscore Donnie over 12 rounds to retain his Lonsdale belt. Equally in February 1994, they didn’t come any tougher or full of cagey ring smarts that Italy’s Vincenco Belcastro, who like Scottish ring great Dick McTaggart, sported a crew cut and like the Dundonian southpaw ace was a master of frustrating ring manoeuvres. After 12 rounds, Drew was judged to have lost his bid to be European Champion but it was a typically 100% effort by the British Champion.
Shortly after came the fight that failed to inspire Drew against Miguel Matthews but, as ex-manager Gilmore pointed out, his next fight being against Lancashire’s Adey Benton fired him up because the short but dynamic Bradford born Benton had beaten Drew’s old friend and sparring partner from Croy, Pat Clinton, by 1st round stoppage earlier in 1994, ending Pats ring career. So revenge was sweet for Drew when he out pointed Benton to retain his British 8st 6lb title by 12 round decision. However, an ambitious attempt to win WBO Bantamweight Title on his own Condorrant doorstep, at Cumbernauld, against Ghana’s David Kotey backfired as Drew was stopped by the big hitting man from West Africa in round 4. However, Drew Docherty was not simply a boxing machine. I have met him in various social occasions and have always been impressed by his quiet dignity and his serious commitment to the sport of boxing whilst his boxer brother, Wilson, provided enough gallus chatter and patter for the both of them.
Meanwhile, back in the ring, in March 1997, Drew lost yet another gallant attempt at winning a European crown by losing in Odense, Denmark to World rated Dane Johnny Bredhal in 3 rounds. But once again it proved that only the best, the very best, could master Condorrant’s Drew Docherty in a ring battle.
Drew Docherty is a man who never lost his in born sense of humanity or dignity or compassion, even in the darkest days of the post fight trauma following his contest with Newmains opponent James Murray. He is worthy of his place in The Scots Hall of Boxing Fame because he has earned it by solid achievement, not fickle favouritism.
