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Boxer Luke Bibby and St Johnstone could make it a memorable Perth double

The local fighter will be fighting on Josh Taylor's undercard a few hours after the Scottish Cup final.

Luke Bibby lands a punch.
Luke Bibby is set for his 11th fight as a pro. Image: SNS.

St Johnstone have a huge task on their hands to make May 24 a double day of sporting destiny for Perth.

But local boxer Luke Bibby is already doing his bit to ensure there will be a Fair City exodus to Glasgow next month.

The Scottish Cup final takes place at Hampden Park that afternoon.

Bibby won’t be at the national stadium because he is on the bill at the OVO Hydro in the evening, as one of the undercard contests in the Josh Taylor homecoming bill.

The unbeaten lightweight’s fanbase is growing from fight to fight and he won’t have any problems selling the 200-plus ticket allocation.

And if Saints can shock Celtic in their cup semi-final in a couple of weeks, it will be the definition of a Super Saturday for some of them.

“I can’t get enough tickets,” Bibby told Courier Sport.

“In Saudi (where he fought in the build-up to the Tyson Fury v Oleksandr Usyk rematch) there was virtually nobody ringside to watch me but thousands watching online.

“There was no noise. So, it felt like I was sparring.

“There will be 200 folk coming through from Perth for my next fight, so there’s no way the Hydro will feel like sparring, that’s for sure.

“It’s a different pressure when you’ve got people buying tickets to see you. But I thrive on that.

“The Saudi fight has raised my profile to the next level and May should see it go up again.

Luke Bibby lands a body punch.
Ramiro Garcia Lopez is one of the boxers Luke Bibby has defeated. Image: SNS.

“I’m definitely getting more recognised.

“If I could get more tickets I would sell them, no problem.

“It could be a big day for Perth

“A lot of people out of the 200 will be hoping they’ll have a full day in Glasgow.

“Can you imagine if Saints are in the final and then I’m fighting a few hours later?

“They’ve got Celtic to beat to get there, so it will be a hard ask for them.”

Recent McDiarmid Park visit

Bibby was a hospitality guest at McDiarmid Park for Saints’ recent game against Hearts, which whetted the 24-year-old’s appetite for being the first boxer to headline a show in Perth’s football stadium.

“My sponsor is Home Heating,” said Bibby. “Dave Stewart gets a game a season.

“It was a last-minute thing – they had a space and asked if I wanted to come.

“It was a great day.

“Nobody really recognised me at the club but that will come. I’ll be fighting there one day.

“That’s the dream.

“It’s about a 10-minute walk from my house.

“I run past it all the time – along the Crieff Road and up Newhouse Road.

“I’ve done that since I was a little kid.

“It’s destined to happen.”

Injury heals

In Bibby’s last fight, against Artem Pugach in February, a clash of heads left him with the worst injury of his career to date.

“It was a really bad one,” he said. “I lost a lot of blood.

“It’s fully healed now, though. Hopefully it never happens again.

“I’ve had cuts before but nothing like that. I couldn’t see out of my right eye.

“If you’re going to get a bad cut, it was in a good place. It was on the top of my head. If it had been on my eyebrow, that would have been far more of a problem going forward.

“The better fighters would target it.

“It was a good gut check for me. You don’t get things your own way and have to be able to react.

“It was another box ticked.”

Bibby, Scotland’s busiest fighter in 2024, has already earned a reputation that is scaring off fellow countrymen in his weight division.

“I’ll be ready for whoever is put in the ring with me,” he said. “I’m never out of the gym.

“I’m finding it hard to get a Scottish lightweight to fight me.

“It’s annoying but it’s a compliment I suppose.

“I can let it get out to me – I just need to keep improving in the gym.

“I know everything will fall into place. Hopefully my first title shot will be the fight after this.

“Although I’ve had a lot of fights, I’ve not been a pro for that long.

“Usually, people only have four or five fights under their belt by this stage – I’m nine and 0.”

Josh Taylor

Sharing a gym ring with May’s headliner, Taylor, is fast-forwarding Bibby’s education.

“Every time I get the chance to spar with Josh, it’s bringing me on,” he said.

“The camp in Liverpool ahead of his second Jack Catterall fight was brilliant.

“Then we sparred again in the build-up to my last fight.

“We must have done over 100 rounds now. It’s given me lots of confidence. It’s invaluable.”

Luke Bibby with Josh Taylor.
Luke Bibby has been sparring with Josh Taylor. Image: submitted.

Bibby’s plan, of course, is to one day be the main man when it comes to Scottish fight nights.

But the strength of the scene north of the border means several domestic boxers can help propel each other.

“This card will be a great showcase for the next generation of Scottish boxers,” said Bibby.

“It’s not like there’s only one spot – there’s no reason a few of us can’t progress together and make it to the top.

“The talent is there.

“If we keep winning, there will be three or four of us bringing big fights and events to Scotland.

“It’s easier to convince promoters to put on shows here if there’s a crop of Scottish fighters doing well and selling tickets.

“A lot of good Scottish fighters are missing out on this card, so I feel privileged to be on the bill.”

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