On This Day: August 21st
1958: Richard Hanna and Peter Lavery secured bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games in Wales. Belfast flyweight Lavery outpointed Nigerian Orizu Obilaso before going out in the semis to England’s Tommy Bache.
Bantamweight Hanna stopped Rhodesia’s Abel Bekker but was beaten in the last four by eventual winner and future World champion Howard Winstone.
1968: The recently deceased Des Rea unsuccessfully challenged for the European light welterweight title. The Belfast legend, then the reigning and inaugural British champion, took on future World champion Bruno Arcari in Italy, being stopped in the sixth round after also being down in the second.
