IRISH boxing will bid farewell to one of its biggest characters when Jim Jordan is laid to rest on Wednesday morning.
The respected Belfast man, who passed away on Sunday, was part of a thriving Irish boxing scene in his pomp, and made his name by reaching the final of the 1958 Empire Games – now known as the Commonwealth Games - in Cardiff.
Competing at lightweight, Jordan got the better of England’s Johnny Cooke to seal a final shot at the revered Dick McTaggart.
The highly-decorated Scotsman won Olympic medals (gold in 1956, bronze in 1960) either side of that Empire Games, and found Jordan a tough nut to crack before eventually edging a close contest.
Boxing out of the St George’s club in Belfast’s Markets area, Jordan collected three Ulster senior titles on the trot between 1956 and 1958, while boxer brother Gerry was a four-time Ulster champion, representing both St John Bosco and Immaculata.
Even in later years, Jim Jordan was still packing a punch after becoming an unlikely Tiktok sensation in 2022, after his impressive dance moves at Brooklands nursing home in Dunmurry were captured on camera.
And back in May, Jim was on hand to congratulate newly-crowned world featherweight champion Anthony Cacace, who visited Brooklands weeks after dethroning Joe Cordina in Saudi Arabia.
Jim Jordan’s funeral will take place at 10am on Wednesday, at St Michael the Archangel Church.
