Exhibition of Scotland’s boxing heritage to open in Stirling

A new exhibition displaying Scotland’s proud boxing history will open to the public at the University of Stirling this month.

Following a funding award from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the University has created ‘Tales from the Ring: Celebrating Scotland’s Boxing Heritage’. The project, working with members of the Scottish Ex-Boxers Association, is creating an archive of material and oral histories to identify and explain the country’s boxing heritage.

The materials already collected will go on display to the public from Sunday 19 January, and will be available to view in the University’s library until Thursday 26 March. The archive will be housed permanently at the University of Stirling.

The opening of the archive will also mark the launch of a new set of boxing reminiscence cards by the Sporting Memories Foundation Scotland, which the University supports in its work to bring people together through the power of sport.

The archive project team remain keen to hear from ex-boxers and their families who are interested in providing an oral history or items for the exhibition. Ex-boxers already taking part in the project include Dick McTaggart, gold medallist at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and 1958 Cardiff Commonwealth Games.

Anybody interested in taking part should please contact the University Archives at archives@stir.ac.uk.

The project is supported by £9,900 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and will archive items to international standards, ensuring their preservation. The University’s expert team of archivists will also provide training to members of the Sporting Memories Foundation Scotland.

Karl Magee, University Archivist, said: “We are delighted to be opening this exhibition to the public and are grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for their support. We are proud to be playing a part in promoting and preserving the rich history of Scottish boxing.

“The University of Stirling Archives holds one of the largest collections of sporting archives in the country, including the Commonwealth Games Scotland Archive, and this new project continues our commitment to supporting Scotland’s sporting heritage.”