Unbeaten Fil-Scot fighter cherishes heritage

MANILA, Philippines - Undefeated Fil-Scot lightmiddleweight John Thain said yesterday he’s determined to become a world boxing champion and bring honor to his Filipina mother Rizalina Aying’s country like his idol Manny Pacquiao.

Thain, 25, was born in Edinburgh. His late father John was a Scottish sailor in the merchant navy and met his mother while working in the Philippines. The couple moved to Scotland in 1986 and Thain was born a year later. He has two sisters Catherine, 23, and Jacqueline, 21. His father died of pneumonia after a brief illness when Thain was only 15.

“My mother is 46 and was originally from Mindanao but now, the Filipino side of the family lives in Cebu,” said Thain. “I visited the Philippines in 2006 and we went to Cebu. I met my grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins. Before that, only as a baby had I been to the Philippines so it felt like my first visit.”

Writer Shaun Brown recently said Thain “hopes to return to Southeast Asia with titles and pockets filled with money to do something good for a country that will forever have a place in his heart.” Brown quoted Thain as saying, “I want to look after my family first and foremost when I become a champion...And when I’ve made my money from boxing, I plan to go back to the Philippines and build a house for someone or a family, I know it sounds far-fetched but they live a lot more uncomfortably than we do.”

In an e-mail to The STAR, Thain said he’s just as homegrown as any Filipino. “I love chicken adobo, pansit, always with rice,” he said. “In fact, there is a Filipino restaurant in Edinburgh called ‘Rice Terraces’ which I’ve been to before a few times. At home, we have a couple of small Filipino pieces on the wall, candles and at one time, hand-made wooden ornaments of cock-fighting. I love drinking coconut water straight from the coconut.”

When Thain visited Cebu in 2006, he met ALA Gym trainer Edito Villamor. “I brought my gear with me and Edito gave me rounds on the mitts at the Fight Club gym,” he recalled. “Three years later, I met Edito at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles while he was training Z Gorres. There were some good Filipino amateurs in the gym living in LA so it was good to share the gym with them.” Thain was still an amateur at the time.

This year, Thain visited the Wild Card Gym for two weeks with trainer Terry McCormack. “Freddie (Roach) is a great trainer and has become good friends with Terry,” he said. “We went to Las Vegas and had lunch with Freddie who was training (Julio Cesar) Chavez. He had so many great stories about the boxers he knew and trained. I think I told Freddie I’m half-Filipino. I’ve never met Manny but in 2009, I saw him train at the gym. He was getting ready for his fight against Miguel Cotto. Being half-Filipino, it really was wonderful to watch Manny.”

Thain told worldboxingnews.net that someday, he’d like to meet Pacquiao. “Watching Manny spar was a real honor and pleasure,” he said. “I’m sure seeing him on TV takes away his speed, power and intensity. You have to watch him live because he is unbelievable. Being in the same environment as him certainly rubbed off on me as success breeds success. I’d like to meet him properly as my Mum’s a big fan and she’ll kill me if I don’t get his autograph.”

    Thain turned pro in 2010 and has since compiled an 8-0 record, with 1 KO. Last September, he outpointed Lee Noble in a six-rounder in Glasgow. His only win by knockout came at Iain Eldridge’s expense in the first round in December 2010. A left to the body followed by a left to the chin finished Eldridge off. Thain was 14 when he made his simon-pure debut in 2002 and logged about 60 amateur fights. He said he owes his boxing career to McCormack. Thain used to play football with McCormack’s son and when McCormack opened the Lochend Amateur Boxing Club, the Fil-Scot reported for duty.

Losing his father was painful. “My father was a sailor and was at his work offshore when it happened,” he said, quoted by Brown. “He got ill and we were told not to worry. I don’t know how I coped but I had good friends. It sounds stupid but I didn’t want them coming to the funeral. I didn’t want them thinking I was being weak. I was trying to be a man because I was the only male in the house.” His Filipina mother, however, has filled the vacuum. She once frowned on Thain becoming a boxer but now loves the sport and attends all his fights. Thain and his mother, who works as a cleaner, enjoy a special intimate relationship. His sister Catherine is a university graduate and another sister Jacqueline is an aspiring actress.

“I really want to be a great world champion in the future and I just take every fight one at a time,” Thain told The STAR. “So to make sure I stay focused, my goal is always just to win the next one, never really looking past that day. However, I do hope that in the next year to 18 months, I can be a challenger for the British title.”