SCOTT HARRISON could be boxing in front of 40,000 fans at Hampden Park this summer, according to Frank Warren, his promoter.

After an awesome display in defeating Wayne McCullough at the Braehead Arena, the search is on to again find a bigger venue for Harrison’s next bout. The arena was again sold out on Saturday night and Harrison was appreciative of the fans’ reaction.

“When I came into the arena and heard the roar, it was incredible,” he said. “It made the hair stand up on the back of my neck.” But the lack of larger venues in Scotland is a source of frustration to Warren. Kelvin Hall, which was also considered for the bout, has a smaller capacity, while the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, which has a larger one, is often booked for a long time in advance.

But there is no doubt that Harrison’s next bout, which will be in late June, will be in Scotland. “He’s a Scotsman,” Warren said. “Why does he need to travel? We should not be looking at venues of 10,000-15,000, we should be thinking of 30,000-40,000.” Warren promoted Mike Tyson’s bout with Lou Savarese at Hampden Park in 2000 and has his eye on that venue again. “It depends on who the opponent will be, but that is possible,” he said.

“There is no need to go to America. In Las Vegas, the big hotels offer site fees, but Scott is a featherweight, so the site fee would not be that great anyway. What we can offer over here is a massive live gate, that’s something you wouldn’t get in America.”

Ringside for the bout was Johnny Tapia, the five-time world champion from America, but Warren insisted that no talks had taken place on a bout between the pair.

Tapia, who was recently in hospital after a fall at his home, was impressed with Harrison’s performance and did not rule out a future bout between the pair. “I’m just out of the hospital and people want me to get hit again,” he said. “Harrison looks too tough, I would have to be running for the whole fight.”

Alex Arthur, the British super-featherweight champion, came through his toughest test by stopping Patrick Malinga, from South Africa, on the same bill on Saturday.

Malinga had fast hands and a decent punch, as he rocked Arthur in the second round, before the Edinburgh boxer got on top, a big left hook setting up the stoppage in the sixth round. “I was very pleased with Alex,” Peter Harrison, his trainer, said. “We are trying to change the way he boxes, so he takes his time.”

The win saw Arthur add the WBA International belt to his collection of trophies. The belt is not a world title but does guarantee Arthur a top 15 world ranking.