Dingwall boxer Ben Bartlett sets sights back on becoming double Scottish champion after easing to ninth professional win in Aberdeen
Ben Bartlett eased through his first professional boxing bout in a year – and re-affirmed his desire to become a double Scottish champion early in 2025.
After a late change of opponent at Aberdeen’s Beach Ballroom meant the 25-year-old’s bout last Saturday became a non-title fight, the “Bad Boy” eased to a unanimous decision victory.
The Dingwall native won all six of his rounds against John Henry Mosquera, and admitted he expected a tougher challenge in his first fight in a year after a hand injury took him out of action for most of 2025.
Now that he has shaken off that ring rust, though, he is determined to get the Scottish Super Welterweight title shot he had been working towards.
“I thought it was going to be a little bit harder to be honest,” Bartlett said of Saturday’s victory.
“I did feel a little bit rusty, but the performance didn’t look like that at all even though it was hard to get my shots off, because my opponent was just shelling up.
“I expected more from my opponent. I found it quite hard to fully commit to shots when he was just shelling up, but I got the job done and that’s all that matters.
“I had to get the rounds in and make a professional performance out of it, so it was good to get the six rounds in ahead of what will be a big 2025.
“Now it’s a case of staying active. There were no problems with my hand, so I’m looking to jump straight back into a fight at the start of next year.
“Hopefully it’s for the Scottish title against Rico Marinovic, because that would be an amazing start to the year.”
Marinovic pulled out of the Aberdeen show, citing an elbow injury as a reason he could not compete.
When that news became public, both athletes exchanged in a back-and-forth on social media, and Bartlett made his intentions clear by once again calling Marinovic out in the ring after his hand was raised last weekend.
Marinovic is due to be assessed at the end of this week when, hopefully, a rescheduled timeframe for the title bout will become clear.
Bartlett has not ruled out Inverness as a possible location for the fight, and says there is plenty of interest in what would be his 10th professional fight.
“He’s obviously got to get his elbow right, and then it’s just a case of getting the date locked in,” Bartlett admitted.
“We’ve got to make things right now. There has been too much going back and forth, and I have people wanting to buy tickets already with the fight not even being announced yet.
“I’m not quite sure where it will be – it could be Inverness or Glasgow – so that would be something to look forward to if it is in Inverness.
“That would be my 10th professional fight, and hopefully I would add another belt to my collection and I would be a two-weight Scottish champion.
“That would set me up for a massive year after that. That’s a big fight, and a big ticket seller now that there’s been a bit of back and forth.
“I feel like that is the best way for my career to progress.”
