YOU state that Benny Lynch, the Gorbals flyweight, was ''Scotland's first world boxing champion'' (“Fight launched for tribute to champ Lynch”, The Herald, November 25). This view is discredited among most modern knowledgeable boxing historians and British boxing's ruling governing body, the British Board of Boxing Control (BBBC).
The BBBC published in its annual yearbook for 2006 an article by me explaining that Scotland's first world boxing champion was Johnny Hill, Edinburgh-born and raised but based in Strathmiglo, Fife.
Hill became our first world flyweight champion in August, 1928 by outpointing American ''Newsboy'' Brown (an American Jewish boxer from California who was born with the Scottish-sounding name Dave Montrose).
Hill beat Brown at London's Clapton stadium and in December 1928 America's New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) – the sine qua non of American recognition of Hill's world title win – wrote to Hill's father and trainer, David Hill, in December, 1928. This letter /signed by Charles J Harvey, chairman of the all-powerful NYSAC, confirmed that that they granted Hill full recognition as world champion, with a condition being that he agreed to box American contender, Frankie Genaro, early in 1929.
This was agreed. However, Hill died from pneumonia at the age of 23 the same week that Genaro arrived at Southampton en route to challenging Hill for his world flyweight title in London. Consequently instead of fighting Hill for his world title, Genaro attended his funeral in Strathmiglo instead.
Brian Donald,
7 Arran Crescent, Kirkcaldy.
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