Ken Buchanan earns 'greatest Scottish boxer' tag as Steve Bunce delivers emotional tribute to legendary world champion

Steve Bunce insists all bets should be off when listing the runners and riders for Britain’s greatest ever fighter with Ken Buchanan the unopposed champion.

The BBC boxing pundit paid tribute to his pal who died at the weekend at the age of 77 by claiming the Edinburgh born Scot’s ring career is now immortalised in legend. As the passing of the former undisputed world lightweight champion was recognised by the great and good of the fight game, Bunce provided an insight into a talent who became unfashionable by the establishment for refusing to bend to their demands.

He said: “We need to drop the greatest Scottish boxer tag with Ken as there’s a really strong case to be made for him being the greatest ever British boxer. Let’s be honest, he was far better than just being one of Scotland’s finest, he was one of the finest in Britain and was arguably Europe’s finest. Let’s detail his career and the stuff he did.

“In 197O he sent his belt back as he couldn’t make a living as a professional boxer, he was 22-years-old and an undefeated young guy. He sent his Lonsdale belt back to the board and then flew to Puerto Rico via New York to fight one of the greatest fighters of the 1960s, Ismael Laguna as a massive favour and beat him over 15 rounds.

“That is the stuff of legends. When we talk about the greatest wins by British fighters we have ever seen then that is probably it. Then there was the run he went on at Madison Square Gardens, incredible.”

Bunce holds both personal and professional affection for Buchanan and his memory is of a man who beat the best in their own backyard and never receiving the acclaim in his homeland for a succession of stunning achievements. He said: “I wrote a history book about boxing and Ken loved