At the latest meeting of East Kilbride Probus Club members learned about the career of boxer Benny Lynch.
Proceedings got underway, however, with President Ray Jones announcing the death of a founding member Mr Tom McNeil age 87 for which there was minutes silence.
He then introduced the speaker, Mr Kevin Kerrigan who talked about Benny Lynch.
Kevin has worked for some 20 years within the Glasgow Museums.
Since 2015, he worked for the Open Museum, which is Glasgow Museums outreach service. He takes the Museum to people in the community through exhibitions, projects, talks, papers and events.
He has been working from home these past two years including researching and writing of a new book about Benny Lynch, which this talk was based on.
There is also an exhibition about the boxer that he curated, which is currently on at the Peoples Palace and will run until summer 2023.
Benny Lynch started his ‘boxing’ career literally in the streets and was soon taking part in boxing booths on the likes of Glasgow Green.
Generally a bit of a scrapper, he was soon spotted by Sammy Wilson, a boxing promoter, as someone with potential.
In the early days, Sammy created a training camp in the Cathkin Hills south of Glasgow.
It was a fairly rough and ready encampment but it toughened up Benny and was where he also started to learn the skills of boxing.
He made his professional debut in April 1931 with a second round stoppage of Young Bryce.
His first significant victory came in June 1932, when he beat the experienced Jock Joe Aitken on points.
Lynch, recognised as champion in Britain, settled the matter when he out-pointed NBA and NYSAC flyweight champion Filipino Small Montana in London in January 1937 to establish himself as the undisputed world flyweight boxing champion.
He then fell out with Sammy to go to a new promoter for more money.
However, by 1938 he had lost his title.
In 1939, the Boxing Board refused his application for the restoration of his boxing licence, stating that "he is at present not fit to carry on a career as a professional boxer".
He had always struggled to be within the weight parameters of a light flyweight; he was only 26.
In the few short years that he fought from 1931 to 1939 fame did not sit on him lightly and he got addicted to drink and other excesses.
Lynch died in in hospital in 1946 of malnutrition-induced respiratory failure.
He was only 33 and is buried in St Kentigern’s Cemetery in North Glasgow.
The Vote of thanks was given by Ken Lawton and noted that although Benny had literally pulled himself up by his bootstraps, through the then poverty and lack of opportunity in the Gorbals, fame had gone to his head to end so tragically.
To find out more about EK Probus contact the Secretary, Mr Eddie Holmes at 01355 234 942 or go to its website.
The next meeting will be on February 2 with a topic on ‘In the Time of Robert Burns.’
The group were due to be will be back in the Old Parish halls in Glebe Street after the lifting of the COVID restrictions.
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