Derry punching well beyond its weight? Billy "Spider" Kelly from Derry City was British and Empire featherweight boxing champion back in the 1950s. I can remember listening on the radio to one of his biggest fights, against Frenchman Ray Famechon, a fight he sadly lost. Being a Kelly and being from Derry made him an obvious, natural hero for kids around Ballinascreen. The fact that he lived on the Lecky Road near Brandywell and St Columb's College where many of us Derry wans went, added to his status. To this day I don't know whether he was Protestant or Catholic and I don't want to know. He had the perfect combo Prod-Taig name! We thought he might become world champion some day but that was not to be. You can read a short biography here and see a short film about him here, one that shows how little hyped sports documentaries used to be! |