PETER Kane was a hard-hitting flyweight champion who lost to not one but two Scots - Benny Lynch and Jackie Paterson - in world-title bouts in Glasgow.

Lancashire-born Kane is pictured (in dark clothing, right) training for his fight with Lynch at Shawfield stadium in October 1937.

He was just 19 at the time. He had started boxing at the age of 12 and had come to prominence at 16. Since then, he had won all 41 of his contests, including a bout against Jimmy Warnock, who himself had twice outpointed Lynch. In September 1936 Kane had been a paid sparring partner for Lynch, at Drymen, before the latter’s title fight against Pat Palmer.

A boxing correspondent writing for the Glasgow Herald witnessed Kane in training shortly before the fight with Lynch and liked what he saw, writing, “He showed himself to be ... a brilliant boxer - possessor of a superb left and showing beautiful footwork”.

On the eve of the fight, our boxing writer, assessing the fighters, said Lynch “relies mainly on a left hook to bring him victory, and by his very action must leave himself open to Kane’s most telling delivery, a right punch to the heart. This may trouble the Scot most of all. ... All things considered, a quick finish, with Kane victorious, is expected at the moment. Lynch has the ability but the weight question may prove his downfall”.

But Lynch won the fight, and retained his British, European and world flyweight titles. A whirlwind opening saw him flooring the Englishman at the first blow, and he went on to record a knock-out in the 13th round. “In winning”, our ringside correspondent reported, “Lynch revealed all the guile, craft and punching power of a real champion. In many rounds he treated Kane with calm contempt, and he proceeded to hand out tremendous punishment to a very game boxer”.

Read more: Herald Diary

In September 1938, however, Lynch having vacated his world title because he was overweight, Kane stepped up to claim it, beating the American, Jackie Jurich, on points over 15 rounds. “It was a brilliant contest”, the Glasgow Herald said, “the remarkable feature of which was the amazing speed at which both men boxed. It was therefore scarcely surprising that both were tired at the end. Jurich in particular was leg-weary”.

In June 1943, at Hampden Park, Glasgow’s Jackie Paterson, the Empire and British flyweight champion, inflicted a rapid-fire defeat on Kane to retain these titles and also claim the vacant world title. Watched by 30,000 spectators, Paterson took just 61 seconds to knock Kane out.

In May 1948 Kane (centre in the main image) was one of several notable boxers who arrived at Glasgow’s Central Station for the Press Fund boxing show, at Paisley’s Ice Rink. The Herald said his return to Scotland would be an attraction. Against the Italian, Amleto Falcinelli, Kane was much the better boxer on the night, but was surprised when the referee decreed a draw. Three thousand spectators showed their disapproval by protesting loudly.