THE success of Olympic medal-winner Amir Khan has revived memories of another boxing star to emerge from the Bolton Lads and Girls Club.

William (Billy) Bryon from Walkden learned to box at the Lads Club, and became a successful amateur flyweight before turning professional in 1930 at the age of 21.

He won a Lads Club tournament in 1928 and only lost two out of 46 amateur fights.

During his professional career, the "Lancashire Boxing Machine" fought 100 professional fights - winning 74, drawing 4 and losing 22 - before he retired in 1938.

Billy, who was the eighth of 12 children, lived at Hill Top, Walkden, and went to Kellet's School in Worsley Road, now North Walkden Primary.

When he was 13 he started work at Cocker's Joiners on Memorial Road and continued to work as a joiner during his years in the ring.

He died in 1999, aged 90.

Billy's niece, Jean Jackson, of Calder Drive, Worsley, has acquired a great deal of memorabilia - including trophies, photographs and detailed records - which were collected during a successful sporting career.

Mrs Jackson is keen to keep his memory alive and used some of the material for an exhibition in 2002 and 2003 at the Salford Lifetimes Gallery in The Crescent.

She also wrote an article for LifeTimes Link, the magazine of the Salford Museums & Heritage Service.

The high spot of his career was fighting world flyweight champion Jackie Brown in London in May, 1933 - although he lost the bout.

Some of the event advertisements collected by Billy Bryon from different venues show scant regard for spelling - his name was often printed as "Byron", "Byran", "Bryan" or other variations.

Mrs Jackson says her Uncle Billy was a quiet and shy man who never talked about his achievements.

"He was fighting once or twice a week - absolutely crazy when you think what they do now.

"Boxing was like football today. His cousins have told me that there were thousands at Belle Vue when he fought.

"He had a lot of fans in the area and he was a pin-up in the local mills."

She says Billy, who never married, had a cauliflower ear and a boxer's shuffle, but he lived until he was 90.

When he finished boxing he continued as a referee and match maker from 1938 to 1945 and he had his own boxing club at Walkden cricket club, teaching local boys.

His last bout was an exhibition fight against Bob Healey at St Anne's School, Clifton, on February 25, 1938.