BOXING Scotland is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Scotland’s greatest ever amateur boxer, Dick McTaggart MBE.
The Dundonian is arguably Britain’s best ever amateur boxer after a glittering career that saw him claim a truly remarkable 610 wins from 634 amateur contests.
Dick remains the only Scottish boxer ever to win a Gold medal at an Olympic Games, following his triumph in Melbourne, Australia in 1956.
In addition to becoming Olympic Lightweight champion in 1956, Dick also became the only British boxer to ever be awarded the Val Barker Trophy for the most outstanding boxer at the Olympic Games.
The Scot, who never turned professional, followed up that feat with a Bronze medal at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, Italy – which remains the last Games that a Scottish boxer won an Olympic medal.
The following year McTaggart became Scotland’s first – and to date only – senior European champion with Lightweight Gold at the Men’s EUBC European Championships in Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
The boxer who competed domestically for Dundee ABC and the Royal Air Force was also a two-time Commonwealth Games medallist – winning Lightweight Gold at the 1958 Games in Cardiff, Wales before moving up to Light-Welterweight in 1962 and returning home from the Games in Perth, Australia with a Silver medal.
More history was made in 1964 when McTaggart became the first – and to date only – British boxer to compete at three separate Olympic Games.
The Scot unfortunately would not medal at his third Olympics in Tokyo, Japan as he lost out to eventual Gold medal winner Jerzy Kulej of Poland.
McTaggart would retire from the ring the following year in 1965, but not before equalling the record for the most ABA Championships, with a record-equalling fifth Gold medal in London.
In retirement Dick would remain closely involved with the sport, working as a coach with Team Scotland at both the 1986 and 1990 Commonwealth Games.
McTaggart, who in later years would become Honorary President of Boxing Scotland, was also a regular fixture at grassroots boxing shows and would hand out medals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
His achievements in the ring have rightly been honoured many times as he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2000, inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2002 and given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Team Scotland Sports Awards in 2019.
Boxing Scotland would like to pass on our deepest condolences to his wife Doreen and the rest of the McTaggart family.
