Rolling with the punches
Ken Buchanan, 75 and going strong
THE SCOTTISH boxing legend was just a face in the crowd while out and about in his home city of Edinburgh.
Yet, around 50 years ago, he was the headline attraction at the iconic New York arena of Madison Square Garden with celebrated Muhammad Ali – “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” - on the undercard.
Buchanan won 61 of his 69 professional fights, 27 by knockout, after launching his paid career on 20 September 1965 in London, knocking out Brian Tonks in the second round after a glittering amateur career topped by winning the ABA title at featherweight.
The rest is history. At the peak of his career, Ken Buchanan, MBE, was the former undisputed world lightweight title holder. Now he lives in a nursing home in Leith.