Hugh Russell

For the member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, see Hugh Russell (politician).

Hugh Russell (15 December 1959 – 13 October 2023) was a Northern Irish professional boxer from the New Lodge area of Belfast who competed from 1981 to 1985. He held the British bantamweight title in 1983 and flyweight title from 1984 to 1985. As an amateur, he won bronze medals at the 1978 Commonwealth Games and the 1980 Summer Olympics, both in the flyweight division.

Hugh Russell
Born	(1959-12-15)15 December 1959 Belfast, Northern Ireland
Died	13 October 2023(2023-10-13) (aged 63)
Nationality	Irish
Other names	Little red
Statistics
Weight(s)	Flyweight Bantamweight
Height	5 ft 4 in (163 cm)
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	19
Wins	17
Wins by KO	8
Losses	2
Medal record Men's Boxing Olympic Games Representing Ireland 1980 Moscow Flyweight Commonwealth Games Representing Northern Ireland 1978 Edmonton Flyweight

1980 Olympic results

Below are the results of Hugh Russell, an Irish flyweight boxer who competed at the 1980 Moscow Olympics:

• Round of 32: Defeated Samir Khiniab (Iraq) on points, 5-0
• Round of 16: Defeated Emmanuel Mlundwa (Tanzania) on points, 5-0
• Quarterfinal: Defeated Yo Ryon-Sik (North Korea) on points, 3-2
• Semifinal: Lost to Peter Lessov (Bulgaria) on points, 0-5.

Professional career

Known as "Little Red", Russell turned pro in 1981 and won two British titles in bantamweight and flyweight. He was the first boxer to win a British title at both divisions in that order.

In October 1982 he defeated Davy Larmour at the Ulster Hall to win the Irish Bantamweight title. The fight was also a final eliminator for the British title.

An iconic image of Russell reaching through the ropes to kiss his mother, Eileen, after winning the fight, appears in photographer Brendan Murphy's book Eyewitness.

In January 1983, he fought in the last 15-round British title fight, against reigning bantamweight champion John Feeney. The fight was stopped in the 13th round when the referee disqualified Feeney for persistent misuse of the head.

Russell retired in 1985 as undefeated British flyweight champion after securing a Lonsdale Belt.

Death

Russell, who worked as a photographer for many years for the Irish News, died on 13 October 2023 at the age of 63.

See also

• List of British bantamweight boxing champions
• List of British flyweight boxing champions

Sources

• Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Hugh Russell". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 13 October 2012.