Boxing historian Harold Alderman received an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for services to sporting heritage at Buckingham Palace Palace on March 28, 2009.
He is a founder member of Aylesham Boxing Club and now its president. But he has spent a lifetime acquiring an encyclopedic knowledge of the sport through exhaustive research.
He is now acknowledged by the British Boxing Board of Control as a leading historian and is a regular contributor to the Boxing Year Book.
One of his most rewarding roles has been tracing the careers and movements of ex-boxers which has helped reunite families.
Mr. Alderman, a retired floor layer, cares for his older brother.
He learned to read the Boxing News before he even started school and saw his first fight at the Drill Hall in Canterbury when he was just eight.
His office is crammed with hundreds of files, books and records but all his notes are written by hand because he does not use a computer.
He is also a good friend of Barry McGuigan whose son began his boxing career at the Aylesham Club.
Mr. Alderman added: “I was surprised but really proud to get the honour and would like to thank those who nominated me.”