Jim Watt

In June 2015, Watt's 38-year-old daughter Michelle Watt was found dead in her home. She appeared in various programmes as a television hostess, including 60 Minute Makeover. Watt's 17-year-old son James died in a car crash in 1995.

Watt made a special guest appearance on the BBC's Still Game sitcom in August, 2007, as well as television adverts for Kelvin Timber (a Scottish home and building supplies stores company) in the 1980s. He and his family settled in the town of Kirkintilloch to the north of Glasgow.

Watt, along with former world Middleweight champion Alan Minter, earns his living as an after dinner speaker. He was awarded an MBE. He was long-term co-commentator with Reg Gutteridge on ITV's The Big Fight Live and moved with Gutteridge to Sky Sports in 1996 when ITV withdrew from boxing coverage. During 2016, Watt announced his retirement as a boxing commentator.

Watt had also fought, and lost to, Ken Buchanan after 15 rounds in 1973. On 20 June 1981, he fought his last fight, when losing the WBC world Lightweight title to Alexis Argüello by a 15-round decision in London. The three judges' scores were 147-143, 147-143 and 147-137. Watt retired with a record of 38 wins (27 by knockout) and 8 losses (3 by knockout).

He regained the British title in 1975 against Johnny Cheshire and added the European title in 1977 by beating Andre Holyk. By this time Watt had moved his training base from Glasgow to London. He had also parted company from his long time mentor, Jim Murray and had resigned himself to a few more fights before concentrating on his used car business. Terry Lawless, his new manager, persuaded Watt to carry on and focus on winning the world title. After thrashing former light-welter world champ Perico Fernandez in his third defense of the European lightwight title, Watt was pitched against WBC champ, Colombian Alfredo Pituala. Watt came of age that night in the Kelvin Hall and ground Pituala down in 12 rounds of non stop aggression. The Glasgwegian audience went wild and Watt went on to dominate the division for the next 2 years. Never a great stylist, Watt relied on sheer physical strength and aggression to overpower his opponents. This approach also was good enough to beat Olympic gold medallist, Howard Davies. Showing some signs of slowing down, Watt overcame future WBA champ, Sean O'Grady with the help of some rough-house tac-tics.

He twice held the British lightweight title, winning it against Tony Riley in 1972 only to lose it the following year to former world champ, Ken Buchanan.

The road to the top was a long and protracted affair for Jim Watt, a rugged, no nonsense Scotsman. As an amateur boxer Jim Watt had a notable victory over John H Stracy in the 1968 ABA finals.

Jim Watt MBE (born 18 July 1948) is a Scottish former boxer and commentator who became world champion in the lightweight division when Roberto Durán left the title vacant in 1979 and the WBC had him fight Alfredo Pitalua. Watt knocked out Pitalua in twelve rounds.