Walter McGowan dead: Former flyweight world champion dies aged 73

The Scottish fighter won 32 of his 40 professional fights

Walter McGowan lands a right hand on Salvatore Burruni en route to winning the world flyweight title at Wembley in 1966 (Getty Images)

Walter McGowan, the former flyweight world-boxing champion and the first Scottish world-boxing champion in the Queen’s Birthday list, has died aged 73.

Known for his excellent footwork, the Hamilton fighter suffered only two defeats in 124 amateur bouts before turning professional in 1961 after winning the British Amateur Boxing Association’s flyweight title.

He would go on to win 32 of his 40 professional fights, claiming the Scottish, British, European and Empire titles before defeating Italy's Salvatore Burruni at Wembley over 15 rounds to land the world flyweight title in 1966.

Moving up to bantamweight, later that year he would go on to take the British and Empire title in his next fight, defeating Alan Rudkin, again at Wembley. Although he suffered a cut to his eye in the tenth round, he scored a 15 round points win.

That year he also became the first Scottish world-boxing champion to be honoured in the Queen's Birthday honours list in 1966 with an MBE.

He was later inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, alongside the likes of Scottish boxing great Ken Buchanan.

“Walter had it all. Good looks, articulate, witty and had great boxing skills,” said boxing promoter Alex Morrison in a Facebook post. “He will be remembered as an all-time Scottish great and an amazing character who had time for everyone”

An elder sister told BBC Scotland that he would be greatly missed by his family who were immensely proud of his boxing achievements.

"He's the reason my daughter is called Victoria," she said. “I was expecting a baby at much the same time as his world title fight against Burruni. He kept patting my stomach and saying, 'Hi Vic'. I told him, 'If it's a girl, and if you win the world title and if our mother recovers from cancer, then I'll call the baby Victoria.'”

She added: “He said, 'What do you mean 'if'?' He was so confident he would win. Well, of course he won, and my daughter was born the following week."

McGowan had been in poor health in recent years and was living in a nursing home in Bellshill. He died peacefully at Monklands Hospital on Monday night.