West Ham lost another of its own with the passing of esteemed boxing journalist Colin Hart.
While we don’t usually cover figures from other sports, the timing was poignant—Colin passed exactly a year to the day after Claret & Hugh founder Hughie Southon.
Hughie often spoke about Colin, as the two were old colleagues from the Fleet Street journalism days. While Hughie became a football correspondent and Bobby Moore’s ghostwriter, Hart made his name in boxing and athletics.
Born in West Ham in 1935, Hart was known as “the voice of boxing.” In the 1980s and 1990s, he was one of the sport’s top journalists, often working alongside the legendary Harry Carpenter.
Despite covering global icons like Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson, Hart never forgot his East London roots. He frequently called Hughie for the latest West Ham and England news.
Now, a year after losing Hughie, his old friend has followed. A true journalistic great.
On a personal note, I appreciate everyone who left kind messages on the anniversary of Hughie’s passing. Your words meant a lot to his family.
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