Reader Ros Goulding sent me this message saying, “Hi I’m trying to find out who this boxer is please. The photo was found at my grandmothers after she died. Her name was Jane or Jeanie Gillan (was Duffy) born 25th September 1898. I believe in the Blantyre area. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.” […]
In Summer 1905, Messrs May & Cyclops hosted a travelling boxing saloon tent in Blantyre. The business employed several “star” boxers who would take on local men for big prizemoney, usually generated by purse monies of the audiences. One such fight took place between Blantyre’s Joe Smith and one of the travellers, Mr. Pasha Liffey. […]
Credit has to go to late historian, Jimmy Cornfield for the words in this article. Jimmy wrote much of this in February 2000 assisted by Helen McIntosh Gordon, David McIntosh and Arthur Grant (Snr and Jnr). Ian McIntosh was born in Blantyre in 1915 and was the eldest of 6 brothers who lived with his […]
Mr. Tommy Allan – Thomas was a Blantyre amateur boxer from 1927 until 1936 often featuring in local news reports. When Tommy fought Frank Parkes in Dundee in winter 1927, the judges narrowly gave the contest to Parkes, which caused massive upset in the audience. The pair met again a year later. He fought […]
Mr. Joseph Smith – was more commonly known as Joe. Joseph was born at Causeystanes on 28th August 1887 in Blantyre, the son of John Smith and Margaret Keegans. He made a success of his hobby, boxing and became the bare-knuckle champion of Scotland in 1906. Joseph married Annie McGorgary in 1908 at the relatively new […]
An interesting Blantyre story appeared in the Motherwell Times on Friday 12th June 1931. “Particulars have just been received from Mr. James Coffey, Main Street, High Blantyre, of the tragic death of his son, Mr. Bob Coffey, Australia, which followed a knock-out in a fight in which he was engaged with Bill Singleton Leitchhardt, Sydney .on […]
Benny Lynch was a Scottish Fly weight professional boxer born in the Gorbals in 1913. He was considered by some to be one of the finest boxers below the lightweight division in his era and often been described as the greatest fighter that Scotland has ever produced. In 1935, at the age of 22, during an interview with newspapers, […]