‘I demanded a rematch back then but after watching the entire fight for the first time maybe Kenny did me a f

50 YEARS ON, JIM WATT RECALLS HIS EPIC BATTLE WITH KEN BUCHANAN

SCOTTISH boxing today celebrates the 50th anniversary of a true ring classic featuring two of the country’s most revered champions. On January 29, 1973, Ken Buchanan and Jim Watt stepped into the ring at Glasgow’s Albany Hotel to contest the latter’s British lightweight title on the opening night of the St Andrew’s Sporting Club.

The venue — one of the first luxury hotels in the city and a popular hotspot for the rich and famous — has long since vanished under a pile of rubble.

While plans to rebuild the iconic landmark continue to gather dust on the drawing board in the knowledge that The Albany is unlikely to rise once more like a phoenix from the ashes, memories of the Buchanan-Watt slugfest remain fresh in the minds of the dwindling numbers who witnessed that enthralling contest.

Buchanan, as widely prophesied, triumphed by dint of a unanimous points decision at the end of the epic 15-round duel that surpassed all expectations.

But what was envisaged as a likely stroll in the park for the Edinburgh legend turned out to be a much tighter encounter than had been anticipated.

Watt recalled: ‘Most people didn’t give me a chance. I’d had only 17 fights up to that point and Kenny had recently lost his world title to Roberto Duran, so it was no surprise that he was a strong favourite.

‘But it turned out to be a hell of a hard fight for both of us. It was nip and tuck all the way through and Kenny was quick to congratulate me, adding that I was a better man than he thought I was after we’d knocked lumps out of each other.

‘I treated each round as a fresh challenge and recall hearing the legendary Harry Carpenter, who was commentating for BBC, saying at one point that it had been a while since Buchanan had a good round.

‘That tells you something about my performance. I was up against it from start to finish, yet I thought I was capable of stopping him.

‘I’d studied Kenny’s boxing style and I didn’t reckon it would be too difficult to land punches on him.

‘What I didn’t realise beforehand was that, as well as being a brilliant boxer, Kenny was also as hard as nails. I had no problem landing punches that had stopped opponents earlier in my career but every time I did so, he just soaked them up and slammed straight back at me.

‘Full credit to him for doing that and I have never complained about the decision — and never will.’

Buchanan, at 27 three years Watt’s senior, was still at the peak of his glittering career in the wake of his highly controversial low-blow loss to Duran, while Watt’s best years lay ahead of him.

Indeed, Watt is of the opinion that losing to Buchanan turned him into a winner at the sport’s highest level when he was subsequently crowned world champion against Alfredo Pitalua at Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall in April 1979.

Four successful defences followed before the great Alexis Arguello ended Watt’s 27-month reign as champion, on points at Wembley.

Given that he was approaching 31 when he defeated Pitalua, it seems reasonable to suggest that Watt was something of a late developer. His manager, Terry Lawless, had advised against taking the fight with Buchanan, in the belief that his fighter was not quite ready to undertake such a challenge.

But Watt has always believed that losing to Buchanan was the springboard that launched his career to new heights.

He explained: ‘I think that was the moment my career took off. The performance I put up and the fact that I did a lot better than most people thought I would did a lot for my standing in the fight game.

‘It did a great deal for my credibility on the world stage and also gave me the belief that I was capable of moving forward with renewed confidence.

‘I reckoned that if I could mix it with the second best lightweight in the world, which Kenny was after losing to Duran, then maybe I had a future in this game after all.

‘It may have taken me a few more years to get there but I made it eventually.’

After being told repeatedly that he had been part of a ring classic, it was only recently that Watt was able to see for himself what they were talking about.

He explained: ‘Everybody said at the time that it was a really good fight but it wasn’t until two years ago that I saw all 15 rounds for the first time when it was shown on a sports channel.

‘At the time of the fight, the recording was delayed for 24 hours and, when it was broadcast the next day, the BBC showed only five rounds.

‘Back then, I had been demanding that Kenny give me a return. But, Christ almighty, after watching the entire fight for the first time maybe he did me a turn!

‘Kenny messed me about for a time by holding onto the British title with the blessing of the Boxing Board of Control and a couple of years passed before I became champion again. But that’s water under the bridge. We are the best of pals now and our relationship underlines what a great game boxing is.

‘Kenny won fair and square but after seeing the show I put on I am proud of how I performed against a great fighter before going on to achieve so much later in my career on the back of that 1973 fight.

‘The St Andrew’s Sporting Club also has a special place in my heart. I won British and European titles boxing there and I have a host of special memories associated with the St Andrew’s.

‘Back in the day, every major city in Britain had a sporting club. But there is only one now, the St Andrew’s, and I am proud of my association with the club of which I am a patron.’

Watt retired from boxing immediately after relinquishing his world crown to Arguello in June 1981, having won 38 of his 46 bouts and Buchanan followed suit seven months later with a record of 61 wins and eight defeats.

But while Watt’s dapper appearance and apparent rude good health belies his 74 years, Buchanan has been less fortunate in recent times after being dogged by various setbacks.

But these ring giants share a common bond, in terms of their achievements at the highest level of the sport and their joint status as true gentlemen of their sport.