Clarence Hill, one of Bermuda’s greatest Olympians, has been honoured as two large pictures of his glory days in the boxing ring went on display in the centre of Hamilton.

The depictions on the side of the post office on Church Street hang alongside those of Olympic gold medal-winner Dame Flora Duffy.

Mr Hill fought his way to winning Bermuda’s first Olympic medal when he took bronze at the Montreal games of 1976.

The boxer became a national hero in the process, unleashing an unforgettable air of excitement on the island, according to Wayne Furbert, Cabinet Office minister.

As he unveiled the pictures today, to the theme tune of the Rocky movie, Mr Furbert joked that he would be having a charity boxing match with Mr Hill, his distant cousin, after the ceremony.

Mr Furbert said: “We are here to commemorate that glorious moment when Clarence Hill put tiny Bermuda on the Olympic map by winning a bronze medal in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games.

“In doing so, Clarence Hill etched his name in the annals of Bermuda’s sporting history and for ever became a global icon for us.

“In recognising Clarence Hill’s outstanding achievement 46 years ago, we thank him for being a wonderful ambassador for our country.

“We honour him for that achievement with the unveiling of two posters that capture the essence of that stunning moment when Clarence Hill brought the world’s attention on Bermuda.”

Mr Hill says he has his medal winning match on tape and watched it again the night before the unveiling.

He told The Royal Gazette: “It’s a great honour. It shows they haven’t forgotten about me.

“But, this is for the young ones in boxing now, so that they can see what they can achieve.”

Mr Furbert said it was a “glorious” moment for the island, when Mr Hill achieved his Olympic success.

The minister told The Royal Gazette: “It is nice that he is next to Flora Duffy because when Bermudians drive by they can see the past glories, and then the future ones.

“You’ve got a picture up there right now, so that people can see him when they are driving by and realise what he achieved for Bermuda.

“I was just 20 years old when Clarence won, that was a glorious time, to hear that he won that – and we became number one in the world based on per head of population.

“There was a lot of excitement on the island, everyone was very happy then.”