EDINBURGH city centre is no stranger to the odd punch-up at the weekends.

But plans unveiled today aim to make the Friday night fight a major attraction – with amateur boxing bouts staged in Princes Street Gardens.

The open air shows, near the Ross Bandstand, would be held in the summer, with the aim of attracting crowds of more than 1000 spectators.

The man behind the plans is former British ABA lightweight champion Bradley Welsh (pictured above), who currently runs the Holyrood Boxing Gym in Duddingston.

He said Princes Street used to be a world-renowned centre for boxing, with the site of the current Princes Shopping Mall attracting such names as American world light heavyweight champion "Philadelphia" Jack O'Brien more than 100 years ago.

It is hoped that up to four "Friday Fight Nights" could be held in the Gardens as early as next year, with the proposed event being dubbed a "summer festival of boxing".

Mr Welsh said: "There is no question that the popularity of boxing is on the rise – I can see that from the number of people we have using the gym, and so I think there would be a market for this.

"I'm not interested in staging professional fights, but in promoting the incredibly high standard of amateur boxing that we have in Scotland.

"With a venue like Princes Street Garden we could get top amateur boxers from around the world to come and fight here, and it would be a great atmosphere.

"Boxing is something which a lot of people maybe have the wrong idea about because of the professional side, but it is a sport like any other. This kind of event would maybe help more people to see that."

Former Eastern Amateur Boxing Association President Jimmy Dunn is also helping to organise the project, acting as matchmaker to put together the fight programmes.

He said: "I think this is a great idea – boxing has never been held in Princes Street Gardens before.

"I can remember when the Waverley Market beside the Balmoral Hotel was still in use and events there always attracted good crowds because of its central city location, and that also applies to Princes Street Gardens' bandstand area where we would stage these Friday night amateur boxing shows.

"The bandstand and theatre area of Princes Street Gardens has staged many Edinburgh Festival events – now we want to stage a summer festival of amateur boxing there."

The plans are still in the early stages, and it is expected formal proposals will be submitted to the council later this year.

A council spokesman said: "We would be happy to consider any proposals for the use of Princes Street Gardens on their merits as and when we receive them."

• www.holyroodboxing.com
• www.edinburgh.gov.uk