The Light Middleweight division at the BNZ National Championships, was bookended by two of the real warriors of the sport, when the AIBA eliminated the division from competition in 2003.

Maurice Tuck won the first two Light Middle titles in 1951 and 1952, with Kahukura Bentson winning the Sommerville Cup in the last three years before the trophy was retired from competition.

Both boxers shared remarkable longevity, with Tuck winning the first of his six New Zealand titles in 1948 and the last in 1954. Bentson was a Nationals fixture for over a decade, with the first of three successive Light Middleweight crowns in 2000, before the Welterweight title in 2004 and the Middleweight belt in 2012.

A tribute to Bentson’s prowess in the ring, was that two of his three Light Middleweight titles were accompanied by the Jameson Belt, in 2000 and 2002. Bentson beat the 1999 Light Welterweight champions Julian Scully, at the 2000 Nationals in Christchurch, before dispatching Daniel Miller and Chad Bates in the gold medal contest at the following two championships.

A further similarity with Maurice Tuck, was that both boxers wore the black uniform of their country at the Commonwealth Games, with the boxer who was born in the far north of the country, boxing at both the 2002 Manchester and Melbourne 2006 Games.

The 1983 Timaru Nationals, saw Michael Flavell trained by well-credentialed Waikato coach Bill Miles, have his hand raised in triumph by the referee after defeating Wally Mangin. Flavell, who earned a berth at the 1983 Commonwealth Championships in Belfast, also took home the Jameson Belt.

Wally Mangin went one better at the 1984, National Championships in Rotorua beating Steven Nicol, in an all Manawatu final, with Nicol winning the Light Middleweight title the following season.

Future Middleweight champion Michael Bell won the Sommerville Cup prize in 1984, with Taranaki's Frankie Cunningham trained by Martin Ryan, adding the Jameson Belt to his 1986 title in Hamilton.

Dual 1978 and 1979 Light Middle champion Andy Creery, followed up his Nationals success with a Bronze medal at the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games. First-up Creery, earned a 4-1 decision over an Indian opponent, before flattening a Trinidad boxer in round two of their quarterfinal contest. The Waikato resident then came up on the wrong end of the judges decision against Canadian Raymond Downey.

The other Auckland Games Light Middleweight Bronze medalist won a three-peat of National titles in 1990, 1991 and 1992. Sililo Figota who represented Western Samoa at the 1990 Games, defeated the 'Rubber Man' Stephen Woods who always bounced back, at the 1990 Nationals.

Come-backing  Colin Hunia earned the 1993 Light Middleweight honours before 'Woodsey' went back-to-back in the following two years. Trained by one of the characters of the sport, in Fraser Boyd, Tony De Vorms also went back-to-back in 1996 and 1997.

1998 saw Wellington/Hutt Valley boxer Myles Dyne defeat Kahukura Bentson. The 1999 Wellington Nationals produced another New Zealand champion from the hugely successful boxing stable of (Dr) John McKay. Irishman Tom Fitzgerald highlighted his time in the country, when defeated the defending titleholder Myles Dyne to win the Light Middleweight crown.

Article added: Sunday 14 June 2020