BOXING Scotland's finest fighters will gather this weekend for the Elite Championship finals.

Last year saw Charlie Flynn and Josh Taylor star in the event before going on to represent Team Scotland at the Commonwealth Games.

Going into the ring then as two promising young talents, both boxers became national heroes in Glasgow, with Newarthill puncher Flynn becoming a sporting icon as a result of his gold medal.

This year's amateur finals are tipped to be just as monumental as the one 12 months ago with fellow Commonwealth fighter Steven Lavelle - who claimed bronze last summer - fighting at this Saturday's event at the Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility in Motherwell.

Having triumphed for Team Scotland at 91kg, the Glasgow fighter will move down to 81kg as he meets Scott Forrest.

Speaking ahead of the showpiece contest, Boxing Scotland chairman Richard Thomas told SportTimes: "It's crunch time for our best boxers as they attempt to show they have what it takes to progress.

"For some it will be the continuation of international honours or the closing of their international career, and for others, the start of their journey to The Gold Coast Games in 2018.

"The fact that Charlie Flynn and Josh Taylor both went from last year's finals to Commonwealth Gold in the space of just a couple of months speaks volumes for the quality that we will have on show on March 28."

As well as Lavelle and Forrest, another 14 fights will take place ranging from flyweight to super heavyweight covering both male and female fighters.

A total of 199 boxers started out on the road to Ravenscraig, only a handful remain to impress a sell-out Lanarkshire crowd.

One of those onlookers will be local lad Flynn, who will be casting a keen eye over the stars of the future who look to follow in his footsteps.

He said: "I'll be watching with great interest to see the next emerging champions take their place among the nation's finest.

"It's a huge opportunity to show what they can do and push on to greater national and international achievements.

"All the boxers know what a win could mean for their future careers - the push for major honours starts here."

Among the other fighters of note include Stephanie Kernachan of Newarthill, Ross Murray and Stephen Boyle.

Tickets for the Scottish Boxing Championships at the Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility are priced £25/£30/£55/£75 and are available direct from Boxing Scotland on 0845 241 7016.