When mighty Watt’s punching power conquered the world

WE QUITE rightly are proud of Andy Murray being the best tennis player in the world, but back in April, 1979, boxer Jim Watt won the world lightweight title to become Scotland’s only world champion in any major sport at the time.

Look at the delight amidst his exhaustion as Jim holds his arms aloft in victory as worthy opponent Colombian Alfredo Pitalua stands in dejection after the referee stopped the fight at Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall in the 12th round.

As The Herald’s great boxing writer Jim Reynolds described the last round: “Watt was on his man like a tiger, throwing punches from every angle. Pitalua could do nothing. His hands dropped by his side, his head rocked back and forth, and the referee shook his head and pulled the little Scot off his man.

“The Kelvin Hall erupted to greet Scotland’s new world champion.” There were nearly 10,000 boxing fans in the hall and many climbed over the seats and tables of ringside journalists in order to acclaim their hero in the ring.

Some 30 pubs in the city had applied for late licences till 2am in order to allow folk to celebrate the fight late into the evening.

The Herald said the win would help the country’s sporting pride which had been terribly dented by the shambles of Scotland’s World Cup campaign in Argentina the previous year.

Jim successfully defended his title until he lost it over two years later to Alexis Argüello in London.

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