A knockout charity auction held in Aberdeen this month raised £1,000 for a city hospice.
Former super-middleweight world champion “the Welsh dragon” Joe Calzaghe hosted the exclusive dinner event held at the city’s Hilton Treetops hotel last weekend.
And organisers had another treat in store for fight fans with a special auction of an Aberdeen football shirt signed by American boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard in aid of Roxburghe House.
Mr Leonard, who won titles in five weight classes and a gold medal at the 1976 Montreal summer Olympics, visited the Granite City in March to give a motivational talk in March where he signed the shirt.
It was bought for £900 by Graeme Harper, who is managing director of Aberdeen based North Sea Power Solutions.
Mr Harper said: “As I have been a lifelong fan of both Aberdeen FC and Sugar Ray Leonard the shirt was obviously of interest to me.
“When I learned that 100% of the proceeds would go to Macmillan Cancer Care it simply made me more determined to bid for the shirt.
“I have now learned that apart from donating the cost of the shirt and framing, Elite Promotions have decided to add £100 to my bid and Macmillan will now receive a whopping £1,000. I am absolutely delighted to have played a part in this rather unusual donation.”
Aberdeen entertainment and events company Elite Promotions handled table sales and sponsorship for the event.
John Anderson, of the firm, said: “We have supported MacMillan in the past and they were our choice again as they are currently very busy trying to raise funds for improvements to Roxburghe House.
“In this current climate it must be a very difficult task but we hope that the amount we raise will edge them a step closer to their target.
“At the time the shirt was signed we told Sugar Ray of our plan because of the fantastic work they do. He asked to be kept informed on how the auction went and he is delighted it reached such a sum.”