Ken Buchanan has sadly died at 77
Scotland’s first undisputed World Champion Ken Buchanan (61-8, 27KO) has died aged 77.
The Ken Buchanan Foundation has announced the sad news saying: “It is with great sadness we have to inform you that Ken Buchanan passed away peacefully in his sleep. Always a gentleman and one of the very best champions we will ever see.”
It wasn't until 2021 that Ken's staggering achievement was matched by Josh Taylor who defeated Jose Ramirez to accomplish it. Josh said: “Ken is my hero and Scotland`s greatest ever champion. How we will miss him.”
Ken was awarded the MBE by Queen Elizabeth in 1972. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. Last year a statue of him was unveiled in his beloved Edinburgh.
The legend started when Ken insisted that his Dad Tommy take him to Edinburgh's Sparta Amateur Boxing Club. He won his first medal there aged eight and a half, weighing three stone two pounds! Ken beefed up to featherweight to win the 1965 ABA featherweight championship.
As a pro Ken won his first 33 fights. He won the WBA lightweight title in 1970 defeating Ismael Laguna. Ken was named Boxer of the Year by the American boxing Writers Association, ahead of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier!
Then in 1971 he won the WBC Green and Gold Belt by defeating Ruben Navarro. He controversially lost to Roberto Duran in 1972. Ken's fabulous career record was 61-8, 27 KO. In his fights he was famed for wearing the Buchanan Tartan trunks. He was often accompanied to the ring by a bagpipe band. The great British journalist Reg Gutteridge wrote that Ken's left jab was as accurate and as regular as the Greenwich Time Signal. What Ken lacked in power, he made up for in wondrous boxing skills and ring generalship.
All time Boxing Great and former WBC welterweight champion John H Stracey was a long time and loyal friend of Ken. Both were fresh faced and often mistaken for one another.
In a Special Tribute to Ken, John H recalls: “When I was 19, I went to Blackpool to attend the schoolboy championships and a Scottish guy came up to me and said `Came by car?` and I replied… 'No, I came by train'. And he repeated in a Scots burr/accent… 'No… Are you Ken Buchanan? He said you look so much like him.' And over the years, people used to say to Ken, I saw you boxing last night at York Hall. But of course it was me!
“Ken and I sparred in 1972 when my stablemate Ralph Charles was fighting Jose Napolis. I got to spar Ken and Jose Napoles. Ken was absolutely brilliant. His boxing ability was fantastic yet he never took a liberty. He was my favorite British boxer of all time. Ken was an inspiration to me. When I was 14, I saw Ken box in the ABA Finals and I said I'm going to win that, and I did four years later.
“I went to the International Boxing Hall of Fame when Ken was inducted. We had so many good times together. He wouldn't take prisoners. If he had something to say, he'd say it straight to you. That's what I so liked about him. At home Kathy and I named a room The Buchanan Suite, because he was the first person to stay with us here. Our great friend. Ken was a marvelous man!”
Ken had a dry sense of humor and an even drier wit. As world champion he was top of the bill at Madison Square Garden. He fought and defeated Donato Paduano. Muhammad Ali was on the that same bill, on the comeback trail after the Supreme Court had overturned his ban, and he was fighting Oscar “Ringo” Bonavena who he KO'd in the 15th round.
Ali's team asked to share Ken's changing room. And Ken found a piece of chalk and drew a line down the middle of it fearlessly yet tongue in cheek sternly warning The Greatest: “This is my dressing room and you're being allowed to share it. Don't forget who's world champion. Once you've got a world title, then you can come into my half of the room. If you don't keep to your side, you'll get some of this!” Shaking his fist!
Ken recalled: “The whole room went very quiet and then… Ali and I burst out laughing. That was the start of a beautiful friendship. And by the way, he disobeyed me. When he thought I wasn’t looking, he was jumping over that line, just as I would have expected.”
What a man and what a life!
The entire World Boxing Council Family send their deepest condolences to Ken's family and thousands of friends worldwide. World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman said: “Ken Buchanan is now immortal and his memory will live on for Eternity, as one of the greatest inside and outside of the ring.”
BBN would also like to extend their condolences to Ken's family and friends at this difficult time.
Article sponsored by HÖRFA
