Trying to catch Ken Buchanan these days is a bit like trying to catch Usain Bolt but I managed to pin him down.
Who would have thought a wee boy from Northfield, Edinburgh, whose auntie Agnes from Musselburgh, bought him a pair of boxing gloves when he was 8 years old, would then go on to become an Undisputed World Boxing Champion Legend.
On Monday night the St Andrews Sporting Club held its 40th anniversary, the opening night of the St Andrews sporting Club which featured an all Scottish affair between Edinburgh’s Ken Buchanan and Glasgow’s Gentleman Jim Watt, regarded by many as the best Scottish fight on home soil.
I asked Ken if he enjoyed his night at the 40th anniversary, he replied “I didn't even know it was happening", however, Tommy Gilmour who promotes the St Andrews Sporting Club tried to contact Ken several times by e-mail and phone and was deeply disappointed he wasn't there.
With regards to your fight against Watt how did it go? “It was an East versus West encounter; it was not long after I lost my World Title and I wanted to beat him to win the Lonsdale belt outright. I didn’t think the fight would have went 15 rounds, I wanted to knock him out”.
Was it a partisan crowd? “It was a very even crowd; “I brought a bus load from Edinburgh so I had a good support, after I won the title I gave it up so Jim could fight for it”. Ken seemed to woo the crowd over because on the footage from the fight all you could hear was C’mon Kenny, C’mon Kenny.
This historical most talked about fight in Scottish Boxing History led to a great friendship between the old foes and they remain friends to this day.
What are your thoughts on Scottish boxing at the moment? “I think Ricky Burns and Willie Limond are good fighters, there are a couple of boys coming up, Edinburgh’s John Thain is one of them and there’s healthy prospects coming through”.
“I won the Scottish Senior Title and bronze medal in the European Games at 17 years old”.
Ken fought the Olympic Champion Stanislav Stepashkin who was 5 years his senior, in the semi finals of the European Championships held behind the Iron Curtain in Berlin, East Germany.
What memories do you have of the fight? “He hit me very hard, he was very strong, the fight was 50/50, I could have beaten him, I could have lost, it’s hard to say”. Many reporters thought Ken had won that fight.
Ken was such a good amateur that opponents were hard to find and more often than not he had to do exhibitions with Scottish Amateur Legend Dick McTaggart.
You turned pro at 19 years old, was this an advantage or was it down to money? “I was ready for it, I was Scottish and British champion and got a bronze in the European championships losing to the best amateur boxer in the World, having such a good amateur career Welsh manager Eddie Thomas asked me to turn professional”.
Your first Professional fight was against Brian Rocky Tonks, were you nervous before the fight? “He had just come off 3 wins in a row, he was experienced but I was too fast for him and won by TKO 2, I was nervous before every fight”.
You fought Maurice Cullen for the British Title – Cullen was the last Briton to fight at the old Madison Square Garden’s – was this a hard fight? “This was a hard fight, a very hard fight, he was a good boxer nearing the end of his boxing days, he had a good left hook, I wasn’t looking for a knockout but it just came in the 11th round”.
You fought Miguel Velasquez in Spain in his back garden so to speak and incurred your first loss, how do you feel about this? “I got robbed in this fight, I thought I’d won, people watching on TV also thought I had won”.
Buchanan had fought in 4 continents before he got his World Title shot but over the span of his illustrious career he fought in all 5 continents.
You travelled 4075 miles to San Juan Puerto Rico to win the World Title from Ismael Laguna, what was going through your head? And was it in the contract for a rematch if you won? “I didn’t know what to expect, it was 125 degrees when we got off the plane, I always remember my dad saying “how you going to fight in this heat son”, I trained really hard, pressured Laguna, stayed on top, the times when he wanted a breather, that’s when I went for him. A rematch was never written into the contract because he thought he was going to beat me so he would never have to fight me again”.
Ken did fight Laguna again but this time it was at Madison Square Garden’s, the Mecca of World Boxing back then, he said, “My eyes were swelling up so badly the referee had to call the doctor to take a look a few times – I was winning the fight and had it been stopped the crowd would have been in an uproar, I could hardly see out of one eye and the other was almost shut so my manager cut open the swelling with a razor, this allowed me to see and continue the fight. I went on to win the fight by a bigger margin than the previous encounter”. The use of the razor was copied many years later in a Rocky film but for Buchanan it was for real.
What was it like to dance with Princess Anne? “I was shaking that much, she was brilliant, I don’t think I impressed her with my dance moves”.
You were Sports Personality in 1971 and awarded the MBE, how proud were you? “I went to Buckingham Palace, it was really nice, I was getting awarded for all those years as a boxer, I felt great”.
During the time you were World Champion you had 8 fights but 4 were non title fights, why were they not all for the title? “You just can’t do one after the other”.
One of the non title fights was against unbeaten Canadian Welterweight Champion Donato Paduano at Madison Square Garden’s, who was rated number 4 in the world, were you not taking a chance due to the weight advantage? “If you’re fighting someone a stone heavier, then it’s a stone slower, I was much faster than him and I won on points”.
Another non title fight was in Johannesburg, South Africa; against world number 4 rated lightweight Andries Steyn. When the referee separated the boxers at the end of the first round he accidentally stuck his thumb in Kens eye, Buchanan’s vision was impaired in the second, knowing he could only fight for so long in this condition he went out and stopped Steyn in the 3rd.
You won the American Boxing Writer’s Association’s Fighter of the Year in 1970, beating the likes of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, are you the only British fighter to win this award? “Yes”
Can you see any British fighter winning this prestigious award in your lifetime? “No, the boxers nowadays are all hometown fighters, Jim Watt only defended his WBC title in England and he got beat”
Buchanan also topped the bill to the man crowned Sportsman of the Century, he was simply known as ‘The Greatest’ Muhammad Ali.
Who was your hardest opponent and why? “Ismael Laguna and Roberto Duran, they were good fighters, they could box, they had heart and they could punch”.
You lost your World Title to Roberto Duran, was a rematch in the contract? “Yes, the WBC stripped him of his title, but he still wouldn’t fight me again”.
Why do you think Duran would not fight you again? “He knew that I would have boxed his head off for the whole fight, I underestimated Duran and if he fought me again I would not have taken the fight so lightly”.
What do you think of the new law stating if a boxer is deemed to be hit below the belt they can have up to 5 minutes to recover? “That’s a good thing because sometimes you get hit by mistake; I wish that rule had applied in my day”.
In my last interview Gareth Stemp was clearly hit below the belt and the referee told him so after the fight, Gareth said if he had 20 seconds to recover he could have finished the fight stronger and may not have lost. Ken Buchanan was clearly infamously hit below the belt and after 20 seconds he pleaded with the referee to let him continue the fight.
Who do you consider to be the best boxer of all time? “I don’t single one out but I’d have to say Sugar Ray Robinson, Rocky Marciano, Roberto Duran, Ismael Laguna, Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard and off course Muhammad Ali, they were all great fighters”.
Considering New York is 3268 miles away from Edinburgh, did it feel like home? “Oh aye, the fans were brilliant, they loved seeing me in my tartan dressing gown and tartan shorts, the Americans love the tartan”.
What was the registration on your car back then? “KB123”
What advice do you have for young amateurs or professionals? “Train hard, look after your body, don’t take drugs and try not to drink too much”.
What was your favourite Rocky film? “I thought Rocky 1 was the best”
You have a new book out, what is it called? “Adopted Legend: The Welsh Connection, written by Phil Jones”.
What’s the book about? “It’s all about the time I spent in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, sparring with World Champion Howard Winstone, my manager Eddie Thomas and the friends I made who I still keep in touch with to this day”.
Ken was inducted into the American Boxing Hall of Fame in the year 2000.
Buchanan’s fighting overseas especially in America is unparalleled by any British fighter.
And I’d like to say “Dad, I’ve always been your biggest fan”.
By Raymond Fraser Buchanan
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