Cornelius Baxter

Cornelius was a boxing champion seen as one of the most promising talents in the UK. He was
tragically killed in a car crash which left his friend fighting for life.

Hewas a front seat passenger in a Renault Clio which collided with another car and hit a wall on the
Whitburn to Greenrigg road.

The former Whitburn Academy pupil, known to most people in his home village of Fauldhouse as Neily,
had already won the Scottish Amateur Boxing Championship title for the 13-14 and 15-16 age groups,
and was described by his coach as a future world champ.



He will be sadly missed by his Mum Karen, Dad Henry and sister Sharlene.

He was a real happy-go-lucky guy who lived life to the full. Ever since he turned 13 boxing has been
his life. He wanted to be a professional and he was really focused on that. He had become so mature
too - you would have thought he was 19 or 20.

The whole family were really proud of him - we kept all the cuttings on him when he appeared in the
local papers.

I was so close to him. We've had to stick together over the years and he's always been
there for me. I don't know what I'll do without him. The whole family are just waiting for
him to walk through the door as normal. It's so difficult to come to terms with the fact that
he won't.

Neily had left school in June to focus on realising his dream of becoming a professional boxer. He
was looking forward to moving up to the 16-17 age group after his 16th birthday on September 9.

Colin McNeil, a former Scottish amateur welterweight champion who represented Scotland at the 2002
Commonwealth Games, paid tribute to the boy he saw as his "prodigy".

He said: "He was some character and some talent. He was as good a boxer as any of the men that
I've sparred with in Scotland. He's an exceptional talent. He could have become a world
champion, I've got no doubt he could have.

"The whole village is in shock and I'm so devastated by this. He's such a loss to the
village. He was my wee prodigy and he had the world at his feet. There'll never be another
Neily Baxter - he was just so special."

Pat Toner, who runs Fauldhouse Amateur Boxing Club, added: "He was one of the most promising
boxers in Britain. Every year he was just getting better and so far ahead of the rest in
Scotland."

Whitburn Academy rector David Williamson said:

"Neily was well-liked within the school and will be remembered particularly for his skill at
boxing, a sport he both loved and excelled at.