Charlie Hill (20 June 1930 – 3 July 2010) was a Scottish

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

who was British

featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, this ...

champion between 1956 and 1959.

Career

Born in Flemington, the son of a steel worker, and based in

Cambuslang Cambuslang ( sco, Cammuslang, from gd, Camas Lang) is a town on the south-eastern outskirts of Greater Glasgow, Scotland. With approximately 30,000 residents, it is the 27th largest town in Scotland by population, although, never having had a ...

, Hill began an apprenticeship as a shipyard electrician at

Harland and Wolff Harland & Wolff is a British shipbuilding company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It specialises in ship repair, shipbuilding and offshore construction. Harland & Wolff is famous for having built the majority of the ocean liners for the W ...

in Glasgow at the age of 14, and took up boxing at the Halfway Miners club in Cambuslang and later the Scottish National club in Bridgeton, winning West and Scottish (featherweight, 1953) titles as an amateur.Obituary: Charlie Hill, boxer
, ''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its par ...

'', 12 July 2010. Retrieved 18 March 2016 He made his professional debut in June 1953 with a points win over Art Belec. He lost by disqualification in his second fight, but went on to win his next 15 before facing Chic Brogan in December 1954 for the vacant BBBofC Scottish Area featherweight title; Hill won on points to take the title.Chic Brogan
, ''

Glasgow Herald ''The Herald'' is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded in 1783. ''The Herald'' is the longest running national newspaper in the world and is the eighth oldest daily paper in the world. The title was simplified from ''The Glasgow Herald'' in ...

'', 26 January 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2016 After a win over

Jacques Bataille Ancient and noble French family names, Jacques, Jacq, or James are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over ...

in June 1955, Hill was set to challenge for Ray Famechon's European title later that month, but the fight was cancelled. He was due to face

Sammy McCarthy Sammy McCarthy (5 November 193110 February 2020) was a British professional boxer who was the featherweight champion between 1954 and 1955. He also fought for the British lightweight title and the European and British Empire featherweight titles. ...

in November 1955 in a final eliminator for the British title, but due to a bout of

influenza Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptoms ...

was instructed in October not to fight or train for the remainder of the year; He returned to the ring at the end of December with a points win over Jesus Rubio. He finally got to challenge for Norther Irishman Kelly's British title in February 1956 at the Kings Hall,

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

; Kelly had Hill down twice, but Hill got the points verdict, sparking a riot among the audience. After winning his next three fights, he was stopped in the first round in December 1956 by

Bobby Neill Bobby Neill (born 10 October 1933)

, and was stopped in his next fight by Joe Quinn. He won his next two, before making the first defence of his British title in October 1957 against Jimmy Brown; Brown had Hill down twice, but he recovered and knocked the challenger out in the tenth round. In December 1957 he faced Percy Lewis for the Commonwealth title vacated by

Hogan Bassey Hogan "Kid" Bassey MBE MON (3 June 1932 – 26 January 1998) was a Nigerian-British boxer; he was the first man of Nigerian descent to become a world boxing champion. He was born Okon Asuquo Bassey on the banks of the Cross River, Creek To ...

, Lewis stopping him in the tenth round. In July 1958 he stopped Brogan in the second defence of his British title, to win the

Lonsdale Belt The Lord Lonsdale Challenge Belt, commonly known as the Lonsdale Belt, is the oldest championship belt in British professional boxing. Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale, introduced the prize on behalf of the National Sporting Club (NSC), inten ...

outright. He made a third defence in April 1959 against Neill, losing the title after being stopped in the ninth round, having been knocked down nine times.Hall of Fame beckons for ring legend Neill
, ''

'', 11 September 2004. Retrieved 18 May 2016 This proved to be Hill's final fight, and after retiring from boxing he moved with his family to work in

Rugby, Warwickshire Rugby is a market town in eastern Warwickshire, England, close to the River Avon. In the 2021 census its population was 78,125, making it the second-largest town in Warwickshire. It is the main settlement within the larger Borough of Rugby whi ...

before emigrating to Australia. Boxing champion Charlie Hill dies aged 80
, '' Daily Record'', 21 July 2010. Retrieved 18 March 2016 He died the morning of Saturday 3 July 2010, in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, Australia, aged 80.

References

External links

Career record
at boxinghistory.org.uk *
"Charlie Hill K.O.S Jimmy Brown (1957)"
British Pathé News {{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Charlie 1930 births 2010 deaths Scottish male boxers Featherweight boxers Sportspeople from Cambuslang