Obituary: Bert Watt, boxing coach

Died: August 18, 2017

BERT Watt, who has died aged 81, was one of Glasgow and Scotland's most respected boxing coaches at amateur and professional level.

One of the pleasures I had as a boxing referee then a boxing writer was knowing that, more often than not, Bert Watt, with his huge knowledge of boxing history, would be at various shows. I would listen, enthralled, to his anecdotes which stemmed from his peerless ability to develop outstanding boxers at every level.

Born and raised with two boxing-mad brothers in Dennistoun, Watt was responsible for nurturing some of Scotland's most exciting and accomplished champion pugilists at his Clydeview amateur boxing club.

For example there was 1990s light-flyweight sensation Robert 'Rocky' Wright, the diminutive but explosive kid from Yoker who Watt guided to three consecutive 48kgs crowns – this despite the fact that when Watt first took Wright on, he lost his first ten amateur bouts.Yet thanks to the Watt inspirational magic, Wright went from being a serial loser to prompting every single 48kgs boxer to withdraw from the 2012 Scottish amateur boxing championships rather than confront him.

Then there were the three McLevy brothers - Steven, Graham and Jamie - who won a clutch of titles and honours representing both Watt's Clydeview club and Scotland before going on to become leading highly rated professionals in the 1990s.

Back in the 1970s one of Watt's most accomplished boxers was Glasgow light-middleweight Charley Malarkey who belied the frivolity of his surname by winning European amateur titles before attaining championship class as a paid boxer - thanks to the father-son like relationship that coach Watt built up between boxer and coach.

Another of Watt's proteges was amateur heavyweight John O' Kelo from Scotstoun. O'Kelo shattered his leg in a cycle accident while on holiday in Tunisia and was told by doctors to forget ever boxing again. But the medics reckoned without Watt, who guided him back to a miraculous return to ring combat.

Watt was also a stimulating conversationalist with a wide knowledge of films and music. He was also his own man. In this connection, although Watt was proud of the achievements of his cousin, former WBC lightweight champion and top boxing pundit Jim Watt, he deliberately avoided mentioning that he was Jim Watt's cousin, preferring to be judged on his own merits.

Watt also had to cope with tragedy when his younger brother J James Watt, a highly respected amateur boxing referee and judge at international level, was found dead in bed in a Liverpool hotel room during an international boxing tournament.

Hugely popular in a sport not always noted for its harmonious relationships between rival coaches and boxers, Bert Watt is survived by his extended family and he will be hugely missed within Scottish boxing . He died after a protracted period of illness which had forced him to close his beloved Clydeview amateur boxing club.