Jim Watt vs Sean O'Grady

On Saturday, November 1st, 1980, at the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, Scotland, Jim Watt defended his WBC World Lightweight title for the fourth time against Sean O'Grady. The fight was promoted by Mike Barrett and Mickey Duff and was aired on the BBC. Jim Watt, from Glasgow, Scotland, weighed in at 135 lbs, while Sean O'Grady, from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, weighed in at 133 lbs.

The fight was a closely contested battle, with both boxers giving their all. However, it was O'Grady who seemed to be in control in the early rounds, using his superior hand speed to keep Watt at bay. O'Grady was landing some sharp combinations, but Watt was not taking a backward step, as he tried to cut off the ring and land his own shots.

In the 10th round, the fight took a dramatic turn when O'Grady suffered a nasty cut on his forehead caused by a headbutt from Watt. Referee Raymond Baldeyrou called a brief halt to the action, allowing the ringside doctor to attend to the cut. O'Grady was given the go-ahead to continue, but the wound began to bleed profusely again soon after the fight resumed.

Watt seemed to smell blood and began to increase his output, sensing that the end might be near. He caught O'Grady with a powerful left hook that opened up a bad cut on the side of O'Grady's left eye, which was inspected by Doctor James Shea. Shea gave O'Grady his lifeline by allowing him to continue, but the injury proved too much for O'Grady, and the fight was eventually stopped in the 12th round.

It was a disappointing end to what had been a thrilling encounter, with the crowd disappointed that the fight was stopped due to a cut. However, both fighters had given their all, and it was Watt who emerged victorious. O'Grady's camp received death threats from a Protestant extremist group in the lead-up to the bout, and tensions were high due to O'Grady's decision to pose with the Catholic Glasgow Celtic soccer club rather than the Protestant Glasgow Rangers soccer club while promoting the fight.

After the fight, Pat O'Grady, Sean's father and manager, said, "The butt was unfortunate, but I don't think it was deliberate. We are not going to squeal. We got a fair crack of the whip. As soon as Sean's wounds heal, we would like a return to settle it once and for all." The rematch would never happen, however.