Boxing: Arthur can make advance

Arthur fights Russia's Boris Sinitsin, one of the world's most overlooked fighters during the last decade, for the European super-featherweight title at Meadowbank Stadium in his home town of Edinburgh.

In 2001, Arthur was fast becoming the best so-called prospect in Britain but for a variety of reasons, he has not advanced as far as many in the business predicted. Tonight he will finally get the chance for his fists to catch up with the expectations of others and some of his previous bold claims.

However, Sinitsin, who was one of the first boxers from the Eastern bloc to make an impression on the professional circuit after 40 years in the wilderness, is unlikely to surrender his European belt without pushing the Scot all the way.

Earlier this year Arthur won the vacant British title at his weight by stopping Glasgow's Craig Docherty and just a few months earlier Docherty had lost a controversial decision to Sinitsin. However, only a fool would put one and one together and come up with an easy Arthur victory.

Tonight the Scot, making his debut on ITV 2, will need to be sharp and focused. If Arthur can keep his head, and avoid getting cut, then he can finally move from prospect to player in a business that is undergoing a steady revolution.