Ken Buchanan (right)
The head coach says relationship with owner Marinakis is ‘not so good’
THE sad news that former Scottish lightweight champion and bonafide world boxing legend, Ken Buchanan, has been taken into a care home in Edinburgh with mental health issues is a sobering reminder of the man’s unending struggle to successfully transition from life in the ring to the challenges thrown up by life outside it.
A proud son of Edinburgh, who was always more revered in America than in his home town, Ken Buchanan was active during the sport’s golden age in the late ’60s and early ’70s. Winning his world title in the scorching heat of Puerto Rico over 15 gruelling rounds against Panama’s Ismael Laguna in 1970 remains arguably the most outstanding performance of any Scottish and British fighter overseas in the sport’s history.
Afterwards Buchanan turned Madison Square Garden in New York into a home away from home, headlining there five times in the early 70s. The acknowledged Mecca of boxing in its day, this was an arena where even the most accomplished of champions and contenders were liable to be overwhelmed by the pressure of occupying its hallowed terrain.
In recently published book Baddest Man, Mark Kriegel revisits the Faustian pact at the heart of Mike Tyson’s rise and the emotional fallout that followed, writes JOHN WIGHT
As we mark the anniversaries of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, JOHN WIGHT reflects on the enormity of the US decision to drop the atom bombs
From humble beginnings to becoming the undisputed super lightweight champion of the world, Josh Taylor’s career was marked by fire, ferocity, and national pride, writes JOHN WIGHT
Mary Kom’s fists made history in the boxing world. Malak Mesleh’s never got the chance. One story ends in glory, the other in grief — but both highlight the defiance of women who dare to fight, writes JOHN WIGHT
