John McDermott (featherweight boxer)
| Personal information | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | British (Scottish) | |||||||||||
| Born | c.1939 Scotland | |||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||
| Sport | Boxing | |||||||||||
Event | featherweight | |||||||||||
| Club | Scottish National, Glasgow | |||||||||||
Medal record
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John McDermott (c.1939) was a boxer who competed for Scotland and won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.
Biography
While living in Cambuslang and serving his national service with the Royal Scots in Benghazi, Libya, McDermott and fellow boxer Tommy McGuinness formed a boxing club for the regiment.[1]
In 1962 boxing for Scottish National, he defeated Ronnie Lendrum in the semi-finals of the prestigious ABA Championships but lost the final to Billy Wilson.[2] However, he did win the Scottish featherweight title and defeated Evan Armstrong in the Empire Games eliminator.[3][4]
He represented the 1962 Scottish team[5] for the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth, Australia. He competed in the featherweight category,[6] where he won the gold medal, defeating Ali Juma of Kenya in the final.[7]
McDermott turned professional and fought nine bouts in 1963.[8] He then switched to becoming a boxing trainer, a position he held for decades, earning an MBE in the 2004 Birthday Honours, for services to the sport and working with youngsters at Blantyre Miners' Welfare Gym.[1]
References
- ^ a b "John McDermott MBE". Blantyre Project. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
- ^ "Liverpool's A.B.A. title double". Liverpool Echo. 28 April 1962. Retrieved 3 January 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "mcDermott wins eliminator". The Scotsman. 31 August 1962. p. 18. Retrieved 24 October 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "John proves he is best". Daily Record. 23 February 1962. p. 26. Retrieved 24 October 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Scotland's 35-strong team for Perth". The Scotsman. 12 September 1962. p. 14. Retrieved 24 October 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Scotland Perth 1962". Commonwealth Games Federation. Archived from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
- ^ "Commonwealth Games - Perth, Australia - November 22 - December 1 1962". Amateur Boxing. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
- ^ "John McDermott". Box Rec. Retrieved 24 October 2025.