Charlie Purdy, who became New Zealand’s first Olympic boxing representative, won the Bantamweight title in 1921, defeating Hector Leckie from Otago, before winning the featherweight crown in 1922 and 1923. 

Purdy was adjudged to have been out-pointed by local French idol Marcel Thorley, at the 1924 Olympic's, although many at ringside were convinced that Purdy had prevailed. Purdy showed his true class, with a decisive win in the Tail Teann Games in Ireland after the close of the Olympiad, at which he was awarded the boxer of the tournament.

Nearly a century ago, Tommy Griffith was rated as one of the cleverest amateur boxers developed in New Zealand, before going on to become one of the best professional featherweights seen in Australasia.

The Otago pugilist preceded his two Bantamweight championship titles in 1923 and 1924, with the first flyweight crown of the Dominion, at the 1922 Nationals in Auckland. In 1923 Griffith completed the trifecta of the Otago, South Island and New Zealand bantamweight titles, before finishing runner-up at the Australasian titles. 

During 1924, he went back to back at the New Zealand Boxing Association nationals with his second bantamweight title. However his greatest success came the following season, when he beat the legendary Johnny Leckie to with the Otago featherweight title. The New Zealand featherweight title fell to the Otago boxer, defeating Greymouth’s Neil Kiely in the title decider, after lowering the colours of another New Zealand boxing legend in Tommy Donovan.

A measure of the stature of Tommy Griffith as a boxer can be provided by his victories over Johnny Leckie and Tommy Donovan in the amateur ranks. The late twenties and early thirties, were the time of Leckie and Donovan, who not only had a number of magnificent professional battles but both fought and defeated the American visitor Pete Sarron. The American fighter went on in 1936 to defeat Freddie Miller for the featherweight championship of the world. 

In 1927, Auckland Bantamweight Jack O’Sullivan, was the first to receive the Jameson Belt at the conclusion of the Invercargill National Championships. Jack O’Sullivan’s offspring would go on to incredible success in the thoroughbred racing industry, with son Dave a champion trainer and grandson Lance arguably the best kiwi jockey of the modern era.

The Jameson Belt was presented to the New Zealand Boxing Association in 1927, by the well known Dublin distillers, John Jameson and Sons. The belt is awarded annually to the most scientific senior boxer of the National Championships, as selected. 

Jack Cadwallader is one of the few Wairarapa representative boxers to win a senior title, earning the bantamweight title at the 1934 Hastings Nationals, when he defeated Fred Finnigan. Jack went on to add the Australasian 8 stone 6lb stone crown in the same year. Dual success bookended World War Two, with Wellington's Harold Foote going back to back in 1938 and 1939 before Bob Gosling repeated the feat at the end of hostilities.

One of the characters of New Zealand boxing in Paddy McNally, won the bantamweight final in 1959 getting past Toro George who would go onto outstanding success in the professional ranks, winning a Commonwealth title. Paddy McNally achieved a feat that can ever be repeated, winning the flyweight crown in 1958 at just fourteen years of age, when the National Championships were open title bouts.

The early 1960's belonged to Otago sharp shooter Les Hunter who banked a trifecta of bantamweight titles in 1960, 1961 and 1961. Hunter beat two very well performed boxers in his first two titles, getting past Jameson Belt winner Dennis McKenna in his first title decider and Laurie Ny the following year.

Some of the best performed lighter-weighted boxer of the 1960's and 1970's, claimed a sole bantamweight gold medal on the way to multiple titles in other weight divisions. Brian Kendall was successful in 1964, with Rex Redden and Pat Ryan following suit in 1965 and 1969.

Derek Wilson defeated Phil Shelley from the Waikato to grab back-to-back crowns in 1971 and 1972. Another Lower North Island boxer to finish with multiple success, was Warren Karaitiana who wore the colours of the Masterton Boxing Association, when he collected a three-peat in the mid 1970's. The three-time champion represented his country at the 1974 Commonwealth Games held in New Zealand.

Peter Warren won two 54 kilo titles in 1979 and 1982, with the added bonus of a trip to Brisbane for the Commonwealth Games to accompany his second title. Danny Meehan added the Jameson Belt to his first bantamweight title in 1980 and went on to beat future 1986 Commonwealth Games representative Shane Buckley in 1981. 

Colin Adamson had his name engraved on the George Aldridge Cup on four occasions in the 1980's, with his first and last titles, overcoming two extremely talented boxers in Shane Samuels and Danny Masterton respectively. Gary Jago, coached by Dr John McKay took over the bantamweight mantle from Colin Adamson, winning four titles from 1990 to 1993, which included the Jameson Belt at the 1991 Tauranga National Championships. 

Canterbury's Noah Lopez won the Bantamweight/Jameson Belt double in 1996, with another Canterbury boxer in Michael Newton earning three bantamweight crowns from 1998 to 2000. From 2003, the bantamweight title disappeared from the National championships before making a return in 2012, when Luke Jeffries defeated Matt Crawford in the title decider. Crawford would go on to win the George Aldridge Cup in the following two years with Keegan O'Kane-Jones splitting Rendz Remaneses two gold medals in 2015 and 2017.

Article added: Sunday 06 September 2020