'He was like a ballet dancer with dynamite in his fists.' Olympic boxing champion Dick McTaggart dies aged 89

'He was like a ballet dancer with dynamite in his fists.' Olympic boxing champion Dick McTaggart dies aged 89 Dundonian boxer won Olympic lightweight gold medal at Melbourne in 1956 McTaggart also won a bronze medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics Scot was voted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2000 Click here to visit the Scotland home page for the latest news and sport By GAVIN MCCAFFERTY Published: 16:26 EDT, 10 March 2025 | Updated: 16:32 EDT, 10 March 2025 e-mail View comments He remains the only Scottish boxer to have won Olympic gold but Dick McTaggart, who has died at the age of 89, never regretted his decision to snub the professional ranks. McTaggart was the first Briton to box in three Olympic Games, and is widely regarded as the best amateur boxer Britain has produced.

The Dundonian was voted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2000 and was one of the inaugural inductees into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. He was also named the Best British Amateur Boxer in the prestigious hall of fame of the Ex-Boxers Association. One of his vanquished opponents, Andre Vairolatto, summed up McTaggart’s style in eloquent fashion.

The Frenchman said: ‘He moves like a ballet dancer. A ballet dancer with dynamite in his fists. Olympic champion boxer Dick McTaggart has died aged 89 McTaggart won gold at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne and a bronze four years later in Rome 'It is a privilege to lose to such a boxer.

He is right there in front of you until.