# Jackie Paterson

Jackie Paterson (5 September 1920 – 19 November 1966) was a Scottish boxer who was an Undisputed World Flyweight Champion. He was also British champion at flyweight and bantamweight.

## Early life

Born in Springside, Ayrshire, Paterson emigrated with his family from Scotland, when he was eight years old, to Scranton, Pennsylvania. He returned to Scotland in his early teens to work at John Brown & Co, shipbuilders on the Clyde. He later worked as a butcher. When he was thirteen, he joined the Anderson Club in Glasgow and began to box as an amateur. He turned professional when he was seventeen.

## Boxing style

Paterson was a southpaw with a knockout punch in either hand, his most lethal weapon being his left hook. He was comparatively broadly built for a flyweight, and often struggled to make the eight stone flyweight limit. In the latter stages of his career, he fought as a bantamweight.

## Pro career

Paterson's first fight was in May 1938 in Greenock, and he beat Joe Kiely on points over ten rounds.
In his nineteenth fight he won the vacant British flyweight title, beating Paddy Ryan by a knockout in the thirteenth round. The fight was in September 1939, in Glasgow.
With the outbreak of World War II, Paterson joined the RAF, but continued to box regularly throughout the war years. By 1943 his rank had risen to Sergeant.
In March 1940, he added the vacant Empire title to his British one, when he won on points against Richie Kid Tanner in Manchester.
In February 1941, he defended both titles against Paddy Ryan in Nottingham, winning on a technical knockout in the eighth. Nine days later he beat Empire bantamweight champion Jim Brady on points in a non-title fight.
In August 1941, he had a shot at the Brady's Empire bantamweight title in Glasgow. However, he lost on points over fifteen rounds.

### World title

In June 1943, Paterson fought former flyweight champion Peter Kane from Golborne in Lancashire for the vacant World flyweight championship. The world title fight, held at Hampden Park in Glasgow, lasted only 61 seconds, as Paterson caught Kane early in the first round putting him down twice, before he was counted out the second time. Paterson was the first southpaw to be world flyweight champion. By successfully defending his British flyweight title twice he had also won a Lonsdale Belt outright. Paterson was subsequently recognised as world champion by the NYSAC.
In September 1943 he suffered his first defeat since May the previous year when he was beaten on points by Len Davies. Paterson was 11.5 pounds overweight at the weigh-in.
In September 1945, Paterson had a re-match with Jim Brady for his Commonwealth bantamweight title, beating him on points in Glasgow, to take the title.
In March 1946, he fought the Frenchman, Theo Medina, for the vacant European bantamweight title. He won the fight, in London on a disqualification in the eighth. Paterson was now World, British and Commonwealth flyweight champion, as well as Commonwealth and European bantamweight champion.
In July 1946, he defended his flyweight titles against Joe Curran in Glasgow, winning on points.
In October 1946, Paterson defended his European bantamweight title against Theo Medina, again in Glasgow. He lost the title when Medina knocked him out in the fourth round.
Recognising that his performance levels were dropping, which he blamed on having insufficient time to train while serving in the RAF, in November 1946, Paterson announced his intention to retire after touring either South Africa or Australia, although he changed his mind and would continue for several more years.
In February 1947, he challenged for the British bantamweight title, held by Johnny King. They fought in King's hometown of Manchester, and Paterson knocked King out in the seventh after putting him down four times in the fight.
In October 1947, he defended his British and Commonwealth bantamweight titles against Welshman, Norman Lewis, at Harringay Arena, London. He scored another knockout, stopping Lewis in the fifth.

### Stripped of titles

Paterson was finding it more and more difficult to make the eight stone flyweight limit. In July 1947, he was due to defend his World flyweight title against Dado Marino, but collapsed at the weigh-in after making over-strenuous efforts to lose weight. The result was that the National Boxing Association of America and the British Boxing Board of Control stripped him of his British, Empire, and World titles. Rinty Monaghan of Northern Ireland fought and beat Marino to take the World title, but Paterson took out an injunction against the BBBC to prevent it from recognising Monaghan as champion.
After appealing to the Board, his titles were reinstated in November 1947, and he was ordered to defend against Monaghan.
Eventually, in March 1948, Paterson and Monaghan met in Belfast to decide the matter. Paterson had to lose 4 lbs 12 oz in a week to meet the eight stone limit. As a result, he was dehydrated and weakened. Monaghan knocked him down in the second round and Paterson retired at the end the seventh with a cut over his eye, Monaghan taking the World, British and Empire titles.

### Remaining career

After losing his flyweight titles to Monaghan, Paterson still held the British and Commonwealth bantamweight titles. However his career was going downhill rapidly.
In March 1949, he defended his titles in Liverpool against Stan Rowan, losing on points over fifteen rounds.
In December 1949 he challenged Empire champion Vic Toweel in Johannesburg, losing on points.
His final twelve fights resulted in nine defeats and only three wins. He retired in 1950 but later that year announced his intention to make a comeback. His last fight was in February 1951, in Dundee and was an eight-round points defeat by Willie Miles.

## Retirement and death

In his professional career Paterson had earned an estimated £50,000.
After retiring, he moved to Detroit in 1951, before living in South Africa for several years, running hotels. He briefly came back to Britain, but returned to South Africa in December 1965 and began working as a lorry driver in Durban. In 1966, Paterson was stabbed in the throat during a fight after a drinking session, and died at the age of 46.

## Professional boxing record

| 91 fights | 63 wins | 25 losses |
| By knockout | 40 | 10 |
| By decision | 22 | 14 |
| By disqualification | 1 | 1 |
| Draws | 3 | 3 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round(s) | Date | Location | Notes |
| 91 | Loss | 63–25–3 | Willie Myles | PTS | 8 | Feb 7, 1951 | Premierland, Dundee, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 90 | Loss | 63–24–3 | Eddie Carson | KO | 2 (8) | May 10, 1950 | Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 89 | Loss | 63–23–3 | Vic Toweel | PTS | 10 | Dec 17, 1949 | Wembley Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa | |
| 88 | Loss | 63–22–3 | Maneul Ortiz | PTS | 10 | Oct 26, 1949 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 87 | Win | 63–21–3 | Mustapha Mustaphaoui | KO | 4 (8) | Aug 26, 1949 | Ice Rink, Paisley, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 86 | Loss | 62–21–3 | Stan Rowan | PTS | 8 | Mar 24, 1949 | Anfield Football Ground, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, U.K. | For Commonwealth British Empire and BBBofC British bantamweight title |
| 85 | Loss | 62–20–3 | Danny O'Sullivan | PTS | 8 | Feb 21, 1949 | Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, U.K. | |
| 84 | Loss | 62–19–3 | Ronnie Draper | PTS | 8 | Nov 29, 1948 | Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, U.K. | |
| 83 | Win | 62–18–3 | Danny O'Sullivan | KO | 7 (8) | Oct 18, 1948 | Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, U.K. | |
| 82 | Loss | 61–18–3 | Teddy Gardner | PTS | 8 | Aug 23, 1948 | Greyhound Stadium, West Hartlepool, County Durham, England, U.K. | |
| 81 | Loss | 61–17–3 | Jean Machterlinck | KO | 4 (10) | Jul 27, 1948 | Embassy Rink, Birmingham, West Midlands, England, U.K. | |
| 80 | Win | 61–16–3 | Fernando Rosa | TKO | 8 (10) | May 5, 1948 | Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 79 | Loss | 60–16–3 | Rinty Monaghan | KO | 7 (15) | Mar 23, 1948 | Kings Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland, U.K. | Lost Lonsdale and The Ring flyweight titles; For NBA flyweight title |
| 78 | Win | 60–15–3 | Alfredo Chavez | PTS | 10 | Dec 15, 1947 | King's Hall, Belle Vue, Manchester, Lancashire, England, U.K. | |
| 77 | Win | 59–15–3 | Stan Rowan | KO | 5 (15) | Oct 20, 1947 | Harringay Arena, Harringay, London, England, U.K. | Retained BBBofC British bantamweight title |
| 76 | Loss | 58–15–3 | Stan Rowan | TKO | 2 (10) | Sep 8, 1947 | Harringay Arena, Harringay, London, England, U.K. | |
| 75 | Win | 58–14–3 | Emidio Cacciatori | KO | 3 (10) | May 15, 1947 | Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 74 | Win | 57–14–3 | Corrado Conti | PTS | 10 | Apr 17, 1947 | Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 73 | Win | 56–14–3 | Johnny King | KO | 7 (15) | Feb 10, 1947 | King's Hall, Belle Vue, Manchester, Lancashire, England, U.K. | Won vacant BBBofC British bantamweight title |
| 72 | Loss | 55–14–3 | Cliff Anderson | PTS | 8 | Jan 20, 1947 | Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, U.K. | |
| 71 | Loss | 55–13–3 | Theo Medina | KO | 4 (15) | Oct 30, 1946 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | Lost EBU bantamweight title |
| 70 | Win | 55–12–3 | Joe Curran | PTS | 15 | Jul 10, 1946 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | Retained NBA, Lonsdale, and The Ring flyweight titles; Retained EBU bantamweight title |
| 69 | Loss | 54–12–3 | Rinty Monaghan | RTD | 7 (10) | Jun 7, 1946 | Kings Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland, U.K. | |
| 68 | Win | 54–11–3 | Jimmy Webster | KO | 5 (8) | May 22, 1946 | Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 67 | Win | 53–11–3 | Theo Medina | DQ | 8 (15) | Mar 19, 1946 | Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, U.K. | Won vacant EBU bantamweight title |
| 66 | Loss | 52–11–3 | Bunty Doran | PTS | 10 | Mar 8, 1946 | Theatre Royal, Dublin, Ireland | |
| 65 | Loss | 52–10–3 | Theo Medina | PTS | 10 | Nov 19, 1945 | Palais des Sports, Paris, France | |
| 64 | Win | 52–9–3 | Sammy Reynolds | TKO | 3 (10) | Nov 6, 1945 | Queensberry Club, Soho, London, England, U.K. | |
| 63 | Win | 51–9–3 | Jim Brady | PTS | 15 | Sep 12, 1945 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | Won vacant Commonwealth British Empire bantamweight title |
| 62 | Loss | 50–9–3 | Gus Foran | PTS | 10 | Aug 24, 1945 | The Dome, Brighton, Sussex, England, U.K. | |
| 61 | Win | 50–8–3 | Jackie Grimes | PTS | 8 | Jan 29, 1945 | Alexandra Theatre, Stoke Newington, London, England, U.K. | |
| 60 | Loss | 49–8–3 | Ben Duffy | KO | 7 (10) | Dec 14, 1944 | Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 59 | Loss | 49–7–3 | Danny Webb | TKO | 3 (10) | Oct 25, 1944 | Queensberry Club, Soho, London, England, U.K. | |
| 58 | Win | 49–6–3 | Ronnie Clayton | TKO | 12 (15) | Aug 12, 1944 | Anfield Football Ground, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, U.K. | |
| 57 | Win | 48–6–3 | Ben Duffy | PTS | 10 | Jul 6, 1944 | Hamilton Rink, Hamilton, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 56 | Win | 47–6–3 | Ben Duffy | PTS | 10 | Apr 24, 1944 | Drill Hall, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England, U.K. | |
| 55 | Win | 46–6–3 | George Pook | TKO | 6 (10) | Nov 24, 1943 | Queensberry Club, Soho, London, England, U.K. | |
| 54 | Loss | 45–6–3 | Len Davies | PTS | 10 | Sep 27, 1943 | De Montford Hall, Leicester, Leicestershire, England, U.K. | |
| 53 | Win | 45–5–3 | Gus Foran | PTS | 10 | Aug 11, 1943 | Queensberry Club, Soho, London, England, U.K. | |
| 52 | Win | 44–5–3 | George Williams | TKO | 2 (10) | Jul 22, 1943 | Douglas Park, Hamilton, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 51 | Win | 43–5–3 | Peter Kane | KO | 1 (15) | Jun 19, 1943 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | Won Lonsdale and The Ring flyweight titles |
| 50 | Win | 42–5–3 | Al Phillips | TKO | 3 (10) | Mar 17, 1943 | St Andrews Hall, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 49 | Win | 41–5–3 | Phil Milligan | TKO | 2 (10) | Jan 13, 1943 | Queensberry Club, Soho, London, England, U.K. | |
| 48 | Win | 40–5–3 | Battling Jim Hayes | KO | 1 (10) | Nov 26, 1942 | St Andrews Hall, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 47 | Win | 39–5–3 | Norman Lewis | PTS | 10 | Sep 24, 1942 | St Andrews Hall, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 46 | Win | 38–5–3 | Phil Milligan | PTS | 10 | Aug 7, 1942 | King's Hall, Belle Vue, Manchester, Lancashire, England, U.K. | |
| 45 | Win | 37–5–3 | Eddie Petrin | KO | 2 (10) | Jul 20, 1942 | Queensberry Club, Soho, London, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 44 | Win | 36–5–3 | Frankie Kid Bonsor | TKO | 2 (10) | Jul 6, 1942 | Greyfriars Hall, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, U.K. | |
| 43 | Win | 35–5–3 | Billy Tansey | KO | 2 (10) | Jun 18, 1942 | St Andrews Hall, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 42 | Loss | 34–5–3 | Frankie Kid Bonsor | TKO | 6 (10) | May 18, 1942 | Greyfriars Hall, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, U.K. | Paterson quit with broken hand |
| 41 | Win | 34–4–3 | Joe Hardy | TKO | 4 (10) | Mar 12, 1942 | St Andrews Hall, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | Hardy retired with an injured wrist |
| 40 | Win | 33–4–3 | Joe Hardy | TKO | 6 (10) | Feb 23, 1942 | Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, U.K. | |
| 39 | Win | 32–4–3 | Dudley Lewis | KO | 1 (10) | Dec 8, 1941 | Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, England, U.K. | |
| 38 | Win | 31–4–3 | Billy Hazelgrove | KO | 9 (10) | Nov 14, 1941 | King's Hall, Belle Vue, Manchester, Lancashire, England, U.K. | |
| 37 | Win | 30–4–3 | Richie Tanner | PTS | 10 | Sep 19, 1941 | King's Hall, Belle Vue, Manchester, Lancashire, England, U.K. | |
| 36 | Loss | 29–4–3 | Jim Brady | PTS | 15 | Aug 5, 1941 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | For Commonwealth British Empire bantamweight title |
| 35 | Win | 29–3–3 | Jimmy Lydon | TKO | 9 (10) | Jun 20, 1941 | King's Hall, Belle Vue, Manchester, Lancashire, England, U.K. | |
| 34 | Win | 28–3–3 | Jimmy Stubbs | PTS | 10 | Jun 1, 1941 | The Stadium, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, U.K. | |
| 33 | Win | 27–3–3 | Richie Tanner | TKO | 2 (10) | May 27, 1941 | Shawfield Park, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 32 | Win | 26–3–3 | Billy Hazelgrove | PTS | 10 | May 19, 1941 | Colston Hall, Bristol, Avon, England, U.K. | |
| 31 | Win | 25–3–3 | Phil Milligan | PTS | 10 | Mar 24, 1941 | King's Hall, Belle Vue, Manchester, Lancashire, England, U.K. | |
| 30 | Win | 24–3–3 | Jim Brady | PTS | 10 | Feb 12, 1941 | New St James Hall, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, England, U.K. | |
| 29 | Win | 23–3–3 | Paddy Ryan | TKO | 8 (15) | Feb 3, 1941 | Ice Rink, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, U.K. | Retained Commonwealth British Empire and BBBofC British flyweight titles |
| 28 | Win | 22–3–3 | Billy Clinton | KO | 2 (10) | Jan 1, 1941 | Tannadice Park, Dundee, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 27 | Win | 21–3–3 | Jimmy Stewart | KO | 3 (10) | Dec 28, 1940 | Grove Stadium, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 26 | Win | 20–3–3 | Teddy O'Neill | PTS | 10 | Dec 25, 1940 | Parkhead Arena, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 25 | Win | 19–3–3 | Jimmy Stewart | KO | 6 (10) | Nov 13, 1940 | New St James Hall, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, England, U.K. | |
| 24 | Win | 18–3–3 | Richie Tanner | PTS | 10 | Jul 25, 1940 | The Stadium, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, U.K. | |
| 23 | Win | 17–3–3 | Young Chocolate | TKO | 2 (10) | Jun 26, 1940 | Hibernian F.C. Ground, Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 22 | Win | 16–3–3 | Wally Knightley | TKO | 8 (10) | Jun 1, 1940 | Saltergate (Chesterfield FC), Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England, U.K. | |
| 21 | Win | 15–3–3 | Richie Tanner | PTS | 15 | Mar 11, 1940 | King's Hall, Belle Vue, Manchester, Lancashire, England, U.K. | Won vacant Commonwealth British Empire flyweight title |
| 20 | Loss | 14–3–3 | Charley Brown | PTS | 10 | Nov 27, 1939 | Earls Court Empress Hall, Kensington, London, England, U.K. | |
| 19 | Win | 14–2–3 | Paddy Ryan | KO | 13 (15) | Sep 30, 1939 | Cartyne Greyhound Track, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | Won vacant BBBofC British flyweight title |
| 18 | Win | 13–2–3 | Eric Jones | KO | 1 (15) | Aug 15, 1939 | Cartyne Greyhound Track, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 17 | Win | 12–2–3 | Joe Curran | PTS | 10 | Jul 19, 1939 | Caird Hall, Dundee, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 16 | Win | 11–2–3 | Tut Whalley | KO | 1 (10) | Jun 15, 1939 | Saracen Park, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 15 | Win | 10–2–3 | Freddie Tennant | TKO | 11 (15) | May 31, 1939 | Caird Hall, Dundee, Scotland, U.K. | Won BBBofC Scottish Area flyweight |
| 14 | Draw | 9–2–3 | Valentin Angelmann | PTS | 10 | May 16, 1939 | Saracen Park, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 13 | Win | 9–2–2 | Raoul Degryse | PTS | 10 | May 3, 1939 | Saracen Park, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 12 | Win | 8–2–2 | Gavino Matta | TKO | 7 (10) | Mar 10, 1939 | Eldorado Stadium, Edinburgh-Leith, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 11 | Win | 7–2–2 | Jack Kiley | KO | 1 (10) | Feb 24, 1939 | Town Hall, Port Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 10 | Draw | 6–2–2 | Tut Whalley | PTS | 10 | Jan 16, 1939 | New St James Hall, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, England, U.K. | |
| 9 | Win | 6–2–1 | Phil Milligan | TKO | 6 (10) | Dec 19, 1938 | New St James Hall, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, England, U.K. | |
| 8 | Win | 5–2–1 | Billy Nash | RTD | 8 (10) | Dec 14, 1938 | City Hall, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 7 | Win | 4–2–1 | Mickey O'Neill | PTS | 10 | Sep 27, 1938 | Shawfield Park, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 6 | Loss | 3–2–1 | Joe Curran | TKO | 4 (10) | Aug 26, 1938 | Saracen Park, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 5 | Draw | 3–1–1 | Tommy Stewart | PTS | 10 | Aug 19, 1938 | Cuba Street Sports Stadium, Belfast, Northern Ireland, U.K. | |
| 4 | Loss | 3–1 | Joe Curran | DQ | 4 (8) | Aug 17, 1938 | Shawfield Park, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Pat McStravick | TKO | 8 (10) | Aug 2, 1938 | Parkhead Arena, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Rinty Monaghan | KO | 5 (8) | Jul 23, 1938 | The Oval (Glentoran FC), Belfast, Northern Ireland, U.K. | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Joe Kiely | PTS | 10 | May 27, 1938 | Argyle Theater, Greenock, Scotland, U.K. | |

## Titles in boxing
### Major world titles

* NBA (WBA) flyweight champion (112 lbs)

### The Ring magazine titles

* The Ring flyweight champion (112 lbs)

### Regional/International titles

* Lonsdale Belt flyweight champion (112 lbs)
* Scottish Area flyweight champion (112 lbs)
* British flyweight champion (112 lbs)
* Commonwealth flyweight champion (112 lbs)
* Commonwealth bantamweight champion (118 lbs)
* European bantamweight champion (118 lbs)
* British bantamweight champion (118 lbs) (2×)

### Undisputed titles

* Undisputed flyweight champion