With the staging of the 2025 Boxing New Zealand National Championships, on the close horizon, this story looks back at the seventeen previous nationals held in the greater Wellington region.

We will look at a number of the significant names and feats of the titleholders who grabbed the headlines in Wellington nationals competition.

1906 - Four years after the first national title deciders in Christchurch, during 1902, the championships took place at the Wellington Town Hall. The best known name at the first Wellington championships was featherweight victor, Ben Tracy, trained by the legendary Tim Tracy who would go on to coach 1928 Olympic Gold medalist Ted Morgan.

1912 - Six years after the first Wellington championships they again took place in the nation's capital city. Geoff Watchorn (Manawatu) who is remembered by the presentation of the light welterweight nationals trophy, of the Geoff Watchorn Belt, added his third welter crown to his 1909 and 1910 titles.

1924 - Otago light heavyweight, Jim Leckie, added another page to the Leckie family history, when he beat Joe Garvey from Greymouth in the title decider. Laurie O'Neill who boxed in the Greymouth singlet won back to back titles in the middleweight division.

1936 - A tenth presentation of the Jameson Belt, awarded to the most scientific boxer at the nationals, saw Oamaru lightweight Norm Jenkins become the first of just two boxers to win the championship big prize, without winning a national title.

1949 - The first Wellington nationals since WW2, saw Ken Anderson (Otago) add the Jameson prize, to the Parisian Cup awarded to the lightweight title winner. 

1954 - Vern and Maurice Tuck, trained by Greymouth maestro 'Doc' Finlay provided a wealth of headlines at the 1954 titles. Vern won the light middleweight big prize and also received the Jameson Belt. Not to be outdone, brother Maurice earned his fifth title in outboxing his middleweight opponents.

1964 - Manny Santos provided an entree to his outstanding professional career in winning the lightweight crown and the Jameson prize. Manny won the Commonwealth lightweight title, in defeating Bunny Grant at the Wellington Town Hall, on the 15^th March 1967 - in the days where a Commonwealth crown ranked not far behind a world title.

1975 - Ron and David Jackson, trained by Alan Scaife, rewrote Nationals history after putting a stranglehold on the John Jameson & Sons presentation, on six successive occasions during the 1970's. Ron won the most scientific award at the 1973 and 1974 championships before David had his name engraved on the prize at the 1975 Wellington region titles.

Ron came back in 1976 and 1977, with his third and fourth Jameson Belts, with David being presented with his second Jameson prize during 1978.

1979 - Grant Scaife (Hutt Valley) added his name to the Geoff Watchorn Belt, awarded to the light welterweight champion, twenty-six years after his father Alan had won the same title. Taranaki welterweight, John Coombe earned the John Jameson Belt after edging Timaru’s Paul Tarrant in the title matchup.

1981 - Just two years later, the Hutt Valley Boxing Association put their hand up to stage the New Zealand amateur showcase, on the 69th occasion of the national titles.

Steve Renwick from Wellington inked his name to the first of his trifecta of welterweight titles, in Upper Hutt, and he also took home the Jameson Belt defeating Kevin Pyne from Canterbury in the championship final.

1982 – The Nationals returned to Upper Hutt the following year but this time they were hosted by the Wellington Boxing Association. Steve Renwick who was trained by Chris Kenny, had another stirring contest in the welterweight final, before having his hand raised in victory after a battle with Grant Scaife.

1988 - Canterbury light welterweight Jason Eade won the Jameson Belt at the 1988 Nationals held at the Upper Hutt Civic Hall. David Tua, first made a national championship statement, in the Youth heavyweight class at the Hutt Valley tournament as a fifteen year old, tornado. 

1999 - It was to be eleven years before the championships would return to the bottom of North Island, with the now Wellington/Hutt Valley Boxing Association, hosting the 87th nationals.

As long as there are historical records of Boxing New Zealand, the name of the winner of the 1999 Jameson Belt, in Trevor Shailer, will occupy a place at the top of the list of the best amateur boxers produced in this country. Five light welterweight and two welterweight crowns were accompanied by four Jameson Belts (1990, 1994, 1995, 1999).

Shailer's second welterweight title (and fourth Jameson Belt) was a remarkable achievement following several years of retirement. His icing on top of the cake was a Commonwealth Games Bronze medal and a entrance at the 1992 Olympic Games.

2005 & 2008 - Just two names were engraved on the Jameson Belt between 2005 and 2008. The 2005 titles held in Lower Hutt saw home-grown boxer Joseph Blackbourn emerge with both the welterweight title and the Jameson Belt.

The following year it was the turn of  Canterbury's, Nathon McEwen, to grab the middleweight title and add the most scientific award. In 2007, Joe Blackbourn edged McEwen in the middleweight title final, with the result reversed in Upper Hutt during 2008 in another terrific contest.

2011 - Much has been written about the occasion when the Jameson Belt was strapped around the waist of Wellington/Hutt Valley light welterweight Harrison Scaife in the Lower Hutt Town Hall during 2011.

Just three years into the creation of the light welterweight class, Hutt Valley resident Alan Scaife, won the crown in following in the footsteps of two of the footsteps of two of the legends of the division, in Barry Brown and Joe McNally.

Twenty-six years later Alan's son Grant won the light welterweight crown at the 1979 Nationals.

There were more than a few years shed when Alan Scaife wrapped the Geoff Watchorn belt and the Jameson Belt around his grandson’s, Harry Scaife’s middle, at the 2011 Nationals prize giving.

2020 - The Scaife name made another appearance on the Jameson Belt in the Covid delayed 2020 National Championships, held in Porirua in 2021. Ryan Scaife won his fifth successive middleweight title and his second Jameson Belt, as the country started to climb out of the world-wide epidemic. 

Cover photograph: Trevor Shailer in international competition action

Article added: Tuesday 02 September 2025