[extracts from the Appletree Press title Legends of Irish Boxing published by Appletree Press]

In Irish boxing history, the date 29th July 1980 has some significance. On that day, the Irish medals famine, in Olympics terms, came to an end as Hugh Russell defeated the Korean fighter, Yo-Ryon Sik, to secure a bronze medal at the Moscow Games. The Belfast flyweight had emulated the achievement of Jim McCourt in Tokyo sixteen years previously and had his sights set on becoming Ireland’s first boxing gold medallist.
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Russell became the sixth boxer to achieve a medal for Ireland at the Olympic Games and he went on to carve out a very successful professional career. In the King’s Hall, in February 1985, he won outright the coveted Lonsdale Belt by defeating Charlie Brown in the twelfth round of their contest. Only four Irishmen have this accolade to their name; Freddie Gilroy, Sam Storey, Hugh Russell and Neil Sinclair. Russell has this gold belt as a permanent memento of his career, and it has pride of place in his vast collection. Quite an achievement in quite a life, which all began in Belfast in December 1959.
Hugh Russell is now a renowned and respected photographer working for the Irish News in Belfast’s Donegall Street. He has witnessed at first hand political and social history through his lenses. In 1985 Russell recorded the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement. In 1989 he was in the press pack outside the Old Bailey as the Guildford Four were released. Two years later he was on hand to see the Birmingham Six set free. A love of photography has blended with a love of boxing for Russell.The boxing had been in his veins from an early age, while an abundance of roubles in Moscow set Russell off on a love of photography.
“When we were in Moscow in 1980, I bought my first-ever camera,” he recalled. “The thing about Russia back then was that everybody changed their money on the street as the rate was better than anywhere else. Being in the Olympic village made it hard to spend any money as everything was free anyway to the athletes. At the end of the Games, I had an awful lot of spare money and you could not bring Russian money back with you. So I spied this large Zenith camera and bought it and that started me on the photography.”
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“I am told that in the New Lodge area that there was a lot of rioting going on at the time of the Games and as soon as my fights came on the television, the streets cleared for fifteen minutes, and afterwards the rioting started again. Looking back it was the oddest feeling to come home. The street was decorated with a massive banner saying ‘Welcome Home Bronzy’. There was a guy who lived near me called Artie Osborne who worked in the local undertakers and he had the sign made out of coffin lining. Maybe now, looking back, I can only appreciate the achievement and with age the Olympic bronze will probably become my proudest moment.”
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The Russell versus Feeney fight will go down in history as the last ever British title fight to be scheduled for fifteen rounds.However, it only went twelve as Feeney was disqualified for persistent use of his head and Russell, in his twelfth fight, was the British champion.
“As a professional, the Lonsdale Belt was what I had set out to win, and it was a great feeling to get the title,” remembered Russell.
Unbeaten Russell, now only two defences away from winning the Lonsdale Belt outright, was faced with the prospect of defending the title. In late 1982 a promise had been given by his manager Barney Eastwood that, should Russell win the British title, his first defence would be a rematch against Davy Larmour.
The scene was set for that March for a double-header with McGuigan scheduled to fight for the featherweight title and Russell and Larmour to battle at bantamweight. McGuigan’s bout was cancelled and the main event became the battle of Belfast’s bantamweights. Any question marks over the ability of Russell and Larmour to fill the south Belfast arena were answered on the night, when the public turned out in force for the fight. As Russell recalled, nobody was surprised.“You have to remember that there were very few other attractions in Belfast at that time. The Troubles were ongoing and the prospect of two local lads slugging it out was a sure winner. People bought into the whole thing and our profile was very high at the time.”
The fight that ensued was a classic. Larmour had his homework done on Russell and reversed his defeat from the previous October to take the title. Russell had been champion for thirty-six days. He was now back as a contender and made the decision to drop a weight and try his chances in the British flyweight division. That October, he began his ascent of that division by beating Julio Guerro on points in the Ulster Hall. On 16th November, Larmour relinquished his bantamweight crown at the King’s Hall, while Russell recorded a points victory over Gabriel Kuphey to set up a crack at the flyweight title.
The champion, Kelvin Smart, came to Belfast in January 1984 and was stopped by ‘Little Red’ in the seventh round of their bout. Russell had now won his second British title and the future was looking bright.
“That was a hard fight and there was a time during the fight when both of us lost the head, but it was a vital part of the fight for both of us and I just got stronger as the fight went on.”
In November 1984, Russell took his second step in his quest for the Lonsdale Belt. The Welshman Danny Williams was stopped and the scene was set for a defence against Charlie Brown for the right to claim the belt outright.
That night in front of the packed King’s Hall, anticipating the world title eliminator between Barry McGuigan and Juan Laporte, Russell delivered the goods. In the twelfth round he stopped his opponent and the belt was his – this time for good!
Lord Lonsdale’s belt is made partly from gold and porcelain. For aspiring boxers in Britain it is the be-all-and-end-all in boxing terms. In 1985, three notches on the belt meant that a boxer could hold on to the belt as a permanent trophy of his achievements. At the height of his career, Russell retired. In hindsight, he has no regrets.
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“Hindsight is a great thing but I look back and think that the Olympic medal was the best feeling. If you had’ve asked me five years ago, I may have said the Lonsdale Belt was my greatest memory. But time does that to a person and things fall into place only long after an event. But as I said, I left boxing at the right time and I have never looked back.”

From the Appletree Press title: Legends of Irish Boxing by Barry Flynn.