Olympic gold medallist and RAF boxing legend Dick McTaggart dies aged 89

A legend of RAF boxing, Dick McTaggart MBE, has passed away at the age of 89.

The Scot did his National Service with the RAF in the 1950s and his passion for boxing was born in the UK Armed Forces winning five RAF titles and four UKAF championships.

He came from a family of military boxing champions, with two of his brothers also claiming success in the ring in the British Army and Royal Navy.

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During his time with the RAF, McTaggart went on to win an Olympic gold medal in Australia in 1956.

He also won a Commonwealth Games gold medal in Cardiff two years later, and in Rome, at the 1960 Olympic Games, he finished third to win a bronze medal.

He became the first British boxer to appear at three Olympic Games with his appearance at the 1964 Games in Tokyo, where he reached the quarter-final stage.

McTaggart remains the only Scottish boxer to win an Olympic gold medal to date.

His in-ring accomplishments also included European gold and four national amateur championships.

He retired with a record of 610 wins out of 634 bouts.

After hanging up the gloves, he was awarded an MBE for his services to boxing in the 1985 Birthday Honours and helped prepare the Scotland team for the 1986 and 1990 Commonwealth Games.

McTaggart was announced as part of the Boxing International Hall of Fame in 2000, and in 2002, he was inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame.

In the past two years, he had been dealing with dementia and passed away in the early hours of Sunday morning.