TEN years ago, a young lad by the name of Francis Jones was introduced to me by Mark Lincoln, a close Darlington friend of mine and very knowledgeable boxing man.

Mark told me Francis had the ability to make it as a professional boxer. As a boxing writer, I've heard this hundreds of times and 90 per cent of it is nonsense. However, Mr Lincoln is not prone to outlandish predictions so I've followed Francis's career with interest.

How proud I was both of Francis and Darlington last Friday when he fought valiantly in a losing challenge for Scot Kevin Anderson's British welterweight title in Anderson's backyard of Kirkcaldy.

Classy Anderson was just that bit better than Francis in most departments, but if there's one thing Jones has in abundance, it's guts.

"Fearless" is certainly an appropriate nickname. Francis dug deep only to be stopped in the 12th and final round. He didn't win the belt, but he did win the respect of all who witnessed his effort.

My ringside reporter couldn't believe Jones' bravery and referred to him as a "warrior". Darlington should be proud of its son. He went to Scotland and showed that England has a Braveheart of its own.

Ian McNeilly, Editor, Britishboxing.net, Writer, Boxing Monthly magazine, Sheffield.