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Sparta Amateur Boxing Club

1945

Sparta Amateur Boxing Club was founded in 1945 in McDonald Road, Pilrig, Edinburgh by the Edinburgh boxer Jimmy Robertson. 

It was named after the Sparta Club in Copenhagen in honour of a Danish boxing opponent who fought Jimmy Robinson in 1922.

Ken Buchanan

This was the club where World Lightweight Champion, Ken Buchanan and British Featherweight Champion, Bobby Neill trained  -  Ken from the age of 7 in 1953.

2005

For about the last five years [to 2005] the club has been in danger of losing its premises, following sale of land to developers who plan to build housing.

However, agreement was announced recently that the boxing club will be allowed to use part of the former Lothian Buses premises at nearby Shrubhill for 18 months whilst the land where they are presently based is developed.

They hope to return to McDonald Road once the housing there is completed and to move in to a gym in the basement of the new housing development.

[Edinburgh Evening News, 13 Jun 2005]

Thank you to Ian Foster, Perth, Western Australia,  for providing the photograph above.
He received this photo from his brother who is in the bottom row of the photo, extreme right.