Sideline Sid Sports correspondent & historian www.sunlive.co.nz

The Boxing New Zealand National Championships being staged in Tauranga this week are the showcase of the sport in New Zealand.

The best pugilists in the country will gather for four days of competition, where the 2023 champions will emerge to be engraved into the Boxing New Zealand history forever.

Over the years, an elite group of Western Bay of Plenty boxers have won Boxing New Zealand senior titles and other honours.

The first Western Bay boxer to be awarded national honours was Gerry (Gerald) Sims from Mount Maunganui.

The 1958 Nationals in Hastings saw Sims defeat a Wellington boxer in his first fight to secure a place in the title decider.

Gerry squared off against hometown favourite Henry Bristowe in the final and was rewarded with a points decision victory, to give the Tauranga Boxing Association their first national crown.

Just two years later, another Tauranga Boxing Association fighter in David Black was crowned the 1960 light middleweight champion.

First up, he got past Wellington's Robert Jackson before beating Sua Brown from Auckland in the semi-finals.

Black's opponent in the final was 1958 light middle titleholder Lex Ashton from Timaru.

After a stirring three rounds of action, David Black's hand was raised in victory.

It would be 32 years until another local pugilist won a national crown.

The 1991 Nationals held in the QE Youth Centre in our fair city saw Daryll Leabourn win two fights to earn the lightweight national title.

The icing on the cake was Leabourn being presented with the Bill O'Connor Cup, awarded to the youngest senior titleholder.

The arrival of well regarded boxing coach Chris Walker in Tauranga in 2002, accelerated the success of Tauranga boxers at the big dance.

Women's lightweight Kelly Woolrich, who won six national title during her career, brought the first national title back to the Tauranga Boxing Club headquarters in 2007.

Woolrich followed with her last national title in 2009 and added the best women's boxer trophy to her glittering boxing resume.

Anthony Taylor and Dave Aloua-Rogers brought further glory to the TBC gym, with light welterweight and heavyweight titles in 2008 and 2009 respectively, with Taylor earning the Bill O'Connor Cup.

The 2010 National Championships kickstarted a outstanding year for the Tauranga Boxing Club.

Taylor regained his light welterweight crown with Aloua-Rogers winning back-to-back heavyweight titles.

Katie Flyger made it three Tauranga Boxing Club national titles in winning the Women's welterweight championship.

Both Anthony Taylor David Aloua-Rogers went on to represent New Zealand at the 2010 Commonwealth Games held in Delhi India.

Another Tauranga Boxing Club double gold medal success came at the 2019 BNZ National Championships held in Hastings.

First up, Michelle Nuku won the lightweight title, then two bouts later Ariane Nicholson emerged triumph in the welterweight division.

Ariane Nicholson will long remember the 2019 boxing season, where she added a Arafura Games and a Super Eight (Trans-Tasman) title to her national crown.

Ariane would go on to two further nationals titles in 2020 and 2021 (and 2020 Commonwealth Games selection) – to take the list of Tauranga boxers senior nationals titles to 14 over six decades.

Tauranga Boxing Club fighters in Hannah Walker, Bradley Watkins, Rini Porter, Salo Vui and Motekai Huni along with Cyrus Dohnt, Kaitiaki O'Neill and Suliasi Lolohea-Kaifa from the Tauranga Boxing Academy, will look to write their own piece of Boxing New Zealand history, at their hometown national championships.