Richard "Skeets" Gallacher (born 1925 in Renton

Renton, Scotland

Renton is a small district in central Scotland. In the 2001 National Census it had a population of 2,138.Renton is particularly famous for the village's association football side. Renton F.C...

, Scotland) was a leading boxer

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

. As a boy he was trained as a boxer by his father, who identified him as a natural southpaw. Richard was nicknamed Skeets after a film character of the day and had his first fight in 1942 weighing only 7 stones (44 kg). Skeets went on to win 34 consecutive amateur contests and in doing so became Scottish and British Champion. Defeats of French and American rivals later saw him crowned unofficial amateur flyweight

Flyweight

Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing less than 112 lb but above 108 lb .-Professional boxing:...

champion of the world. His professional careers was cut short by injury, but he remained a well-respected figure still involved in later years in keep fit classes and local boxing clubs. Gallacher Way in Renton was named after him in 1995.

External links

• article which mentions him