Scots boxer Calvin McCord eyes up title glory at London's O2 this weekend

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Ayrshire boxer Calvin McCord has this week pledged to put pride back into the heart of the Kincaidston community - after the area was rocked last year by a gas explosion.

The events of Monday, October 18 left one family fighting for their lives, saw scores of families evacuated and left a community devastated.Calvin was training in the gym that night, but his mum and dad, Shona and Robert, were at home in Gorse Park, when the explosion took place - just 50m away from them.Thankfully the McCord family members escaped serious injury, but their home was badly damaged.They were one of many Kincaidston families rehomed for 18 days as an investigation into the blast and a clean-up operation got underway.Thirteen months on, the painful memories of that night still linger.The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now.Get all the local news in your area – plus features, football news and the latest on the coronavirus crisis – at your fingertips 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories while you can customise your page with the sections that matter to you.The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now on iOS and Android.But Calvin, 25, a former pupil at Belmont Academy, plans to put the area back on the map - for all the right reasons - by winning the vacant Commonwealth Lightweight title when he trades blows with Kent’s Sam Noakes at the O2 Arena this Saturday in London.And how Calvin would love to return to Kincaidston, show off that title belt and provide the wounded community with some much-needed good news.Calvin said: “I just hope I can go down there, win the belt, and take it back to Kincaidston.“Hopefully it’ll give the community something to be proud of and put us on the map.