John “Cowboy” McCormack

Excellence in Boxing
British & European Middleweight Champion, Olympic Bronze Medal Winner
45 contests, won: 38, Lost: 7

Maryhill born John “Cowboy” McCormack has a totally unique claim to fame in the annals of Scottish professional boxing. The former Dux of St Marie’s primary school is the only Scottish pro boxer in the entire history of the sport to be beaten by a boxer of identical name.

Or June 28th 1966 in his last paid bout, John “Cowboy” McCormack was out pointed by Irelands John McCormack. A highly symbolic fact for if ever a boxer out pointed himself in terms of a contest between potential and actual performance, then it was this bow-legged warrior from Maryhill.

Both legendary trainer Joe Aitchison and former British bantamweight star McCormack himself says he could have become Scotland’s first world middleweight champion had the Maryhill Southpaw trained harder. Be that as it may, proof positive that John was a class act in the ring can be gleaned from the fact that the legendary Sugar Ray Robinson’s manager George Gainford invited “Cowboy” McCormack to join his stable in August 1964. Gainford was quoted as saying “Cowboy” would do all right in American rings.

Born on January 8th 1935 the son of a regular soldier who boxed for the Cameronians, John discovered boxing and his future pro’ manager and ex-Scottish bantamweight champion Charlie Kerr in 1949, at Glasgow’s North British Loco amateur boxing club.

Distinguished amateur career under Charlie Kerr’s tutelage culminated in 1956, when Cowboy McCormack won the British A.B.A. Victories that gained John a place in the British Olympic boxing squad in Melbourne. It took someone of the calibre of the future world light / heavyweight champion and author Jose Torres to controversially out point the Maryhill Cowboy who won the Bronze Medal for the light-middle weight class. In 1957 the beginning of the colourful and controversial McCormack pro career started under his old amateur coach Charlie Kerr.

An impressive 14 bout-winning streak was snapped by Coventry’s Jimmy Lynas but John made no mistake in a return bout by out-pointing Lynas. During this period John McCormack wrecked the career of a much touted London prospect called Harry Doddoo – managed by a then unknown Terry Lawless by kay-oing Doddoo inside a round! It was typical of Cowboy that when winning his first pro title a Scottish middles crown by outgoing current pro ref Len Mullen, John McCormack should order a dinner suit from bespoke tailor Mullen during a clinching session I their ring clash. John McCormack wasn’t awed when Peter Keenan making his debut as a promoter in Paisley offered the Maryhill rising ring star a bout with a tough Sengalese called Michael Diouf who had stopped Paddington’s Terry Downes on cuts prior to meeting “Cowboy”. Again, John McCormack beat the tough French colonial paving the way for his now 1959 British middleweight title scrap with Paddington’s “Crashing Bashing” Terry Downes. Despite the fact that Cowboy was an 11-10 pre bout betting favourite nobody could have foreseen John winning that September 1st 1959 title joust on his hands and knees while Downes was disqualified by the Referee Ike Powell for an alleged foul blow! Even though McCormack lost the return to Downes, Paddington’s pride Downes admitted “the return was harder and bloodier and me and McCormack finished up mates, while famous boxing writer Peter Wilson praised “The Maryhill Cowboy displaying some of the rawest courage I have ever seen in a Boxing Ring.

Never daunted by defeat John roared back to outpoint top rated American George Benton. Again, despite being decked three times in the first round by another top rated American; Henry Hank, John stormed back to out-point the yank over eight rounds at Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall. Such form brought a European middleweight title in October 1961 when ‘Cowboy” out-pointed Holland’s Harko Kokymeyer. A title successfully defended in January 1962 when Maryhill mitt ace McCormack out-pointed German Heini Faeytag before losing his title in Copenhagen. In a riot torn Danish stadium which saw “Cowboy” and his entourage chased from the ring by Danish fans who wrongly thought that McCormack had fouled Dane Chris Christiansen. Although “Cowboy” McCormack – weakened by weight problems lost a subsequent British Title joust against Market Harborough’s George Aldridge John’s sweetest personal victory was yet to come. One June 10th 1965 John stopped his bitterest Scottish rival Craigneuk based British Light, Heavyweight Champion Chic Calderwood in two rounds after slashing open Calderwood’s eye. It was the peak of his career that between 1957 and 1966 he had excited those privileged to watch the punching playboy from Maryhill who, with greater dedication, could have been Scotland’s first World Middleweight Champion. Asked to name his favourite Scottish boxer W.B.C Lightweight Champion Jim Watt said John “Cowboy” McCormack – he was a great character