The Boxing New Zealand community was greatly saddened with the recent news of the passing 1950 Jameson Belt winner, Jim Pile, at the grand old age of 94 years.

There is no bigger prize on offer at the BNZ National Championships than the Jameson Belt. Presented to the then New Zealand Boxing Association, by Dublin distiller John Jameson & Sons Ltd, the Jameson Belt is awarded to the most scientific elite male boxer, at each national titles.

Auckland bantamweight Jack O'Sullivan was the first name engraved of the Jameson Belt, in 1927. 

The names on Jameson Belt read like a who's who of the best amateur boxers in our country. Names such as Ron and David Jackson, Trevor Shailer, Kahukura Bentson, - along with Shane Cameron and David Nyika, who remain the only heavyweights to win the prestigious trophy.

Jim Pile won the NZBA featherweight title and the Jameson Belt at the 1950 National Championships held in Greymouth.

Perusal of the 1950 Nationals program tells us there were just 80 entries that contested eight weight divisions. 

New Zealand men, were smaller of weight and stature seventy five years ago, which was testified to by lighter weight entries. The flyweight, bantamweight and featherweight classes had 8, 8 and 13 entries respectively.

The lightweight field had 10 boxers with 14 pugilist's entering welterweight title race. Twelve middleweights, seven light heavyweights and just six heavyweights completed the 1950 Greymouth nationals entries. 

Jim Pile wore the black and white Ashburton Boxing Association colours in Greymouth. 

Ashburton, along with such as Bluff, Ellesmere, Kaikoura, Rotorua, Pahiatua, Rotorua, Taumarunui, Waimate and Westport associations have long disappeared into recess.

Jim Pile, entered the ring at the Regent Theatre in Greymouth on four occasions before being crowned the 1950 amateur featherweight champion.

On day one, he met and beat R Wylie from Hawkes Bay in the afternoon session. Day two saw Jim account for T Lynch (Hamilton) before backing up to defeat Nobby Clarke (Canterbury). 

Finals night resulted in the Ashburton representative squaring off with Jack Keane from the Hutt Valley. Jim defied all that the Lower North Island boxer could throw at him, in coordinating defence and attack, over the three rounds of pugilistic battle. 

Jim's reward was to become the eighteenth recipient of the Jameson Belt and the third holder of the Bill Dervan memorial belt awarded to the featherweight champion.

Boxing New Zealand historian, John Mitchell, can recall meeting Jim when he was a probationary trainer based at the Woolston Boxing Club. 

"In the mid 1970's, Woolston took teams to Auckland tournaments and Jim drove us around Auckland at one stage of our visits. I asked him about his Jameson Belt win and his reply was along the lines of ‘that I must have been in the right place at the right time’. He was a very humble man".

Further research orchestrated by John Mitchell, revealed a long ring career that stretched from 1945 to 1954, representing Ashburton, Waimate and Hutt Valley in his last year of competition. 

Pile, trained by his father, travelled to Greymouth with the Waimate team of Ray Eddington (bantamweight) and Ross Sadler who won the welterweight title. They were cornered by well known Waimate trainer Bill O'Connor.

Jim preceded his Greymouth nationals attendance with a appearance at the 1947 national championships held in Christchurch, in the flyweight division.. 

Victories against Jimmy O'Connor (Canterbury) Rex Collins (Stratford) were followed by a semi-final loss to Delwin Lewis (Waimate).

On 16th January 1954 at Wellington, Jimmy Pile (Waimate) beat Colin Shanks (Southland) in a Empire Games Trial bout.

His national swansong was to have been at Lower Hutt in 1954 representing the Hutt Valley. Sadly a eye injury caused him to default to Trevor Hibbs from Greymouth. 

Further information on Jim was provided by his granddaughter, Leonie Henderson. She confirmed that his father, Tom Pile was his first coach. Tom is listed in the BNZ history records as the trainer of the 1950 Jameson Belt winner.

“Tom Pile was a professional pub boxer in London before coming to New Zealand”, said Leonie.

“Jim was selected to represent New Zealand in the British Empire Games in Vancouver in 1954, however just before his voyage abroad, his appendix burst and needed emergency surgery”. “Alan Scaife (BNZ legend and 1953 light welterweight champion) requested that his wife and sister-in-law looked after Jim whilst in recovery. The sister-in-law became my grandmother.”

Jim Pile went on to become part of the Auckland Boxing Association management crew and amongst his activities was as a ABA selector that  chose a team that traveled to Noumea in New Caledonia, in a first for the ABA.

RIP Jim Pile

Cover Photograph: Jim Pile

Article added: Saturday 18 October 2025