HE knocked out some of the greats of the boxing world as well as being a legend of the ring himself.

And Ronnie Clayton proved he could still pack a punch when he posed for pictures with Blackpool Mayor Henry Mitchell (pictured) who had called at his Fylde home to wish him a happy birthday.

The 76-year-old had plenty of boxing memories to reel off having started his career way back in 1941.

Blackpool born and bred, Ronnie learned his trade fighting in the local boxing clubs, before turning professional at 18

Soon after came his first major success - the Northern Area featherweight title.

He then went on to win the British Empire and European titles in 1947 which, remarkably, he was to hold for seven consecutive years, before retiring in 1954.

Councillor Mitchell, said: "Ronnie was my hero when I was a young man. I used to watch him fight and he was brilliant.

"It was a real honour to meet him for the first time. I thought he deserved a special celebration for his birthday, because he is a legend."

Ronnie was the first boxer to ever win two Lonsdale belts.

Now residing in Horncliffe Rest Home in South Shore, Blackpool, he was regarded as a craftsman rather than a slugger and was known as the gentleman of the ring.

His impressive record of 79 wins in 113 fights speaks for itself. And he was never knocked out.

He says that all he tried to do was train hard and be a clever, smart, boxer.

"I practised what I had read and learned from reading and watching other good fighters such as Peter Kane," he added.

These achievements are even more remarkable when you consider that a childhood accident left him partially sighted in his left eye.

But he cannily protected his bad eye and modestly claimed it did not affect his career.

He said: "I think having the bad eye made me more difficult to hit because I had to crouch down to protect it."

Ronnie said that his boxing years were wonderful times in which he travelled to South Africa and New York for 'friendly' fights.

And socially he met the likes of George Formby and Rocky Marciano.

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