Sports correspondent & historian with Sideline Sid

Boxing New Zealand lost one of its legendary figures last week with the passing of Dr John McKay.

Known to many in the boxing community, both young and old, as simply Dr John, he had an influence on countless numbers of the best boxers produced in our country for five decades.

The bare facts tell us that Edward John McKay was Head Coach/Manager at two Olympics, three World Championships and five Commonwealth Games - along with eight British and four European championships, when Scotland National Coach.

John McKay as national boxing coach in 1999. Photo: Mark Round/Stuff.

I first came into contact with John at a grassroots boxing tournament in Opotiki during 1987. The North Harbour boxing coach was a big man with a huge presence, who was particularly adept at varying his chat in the corner between rounds, to suit each of his individual charges.

In 1993, Boxing New Zealand was in turmoil after the National Executive resigned due to conflict with much of their membership. I was spouting off at the national championships about how useless the national boxing administration was - when John invited me to put my money where my mouth was and stand for the national executive in the upcoming elections.

While it took me three attempts before I was elected to the national sports administration body, so began nine years on the executive board, and two one-year terms as BNZ President.

In 1998, I convinced John to come to Tauranga as guest speaker for the Surf Lifesaving Bay of Plenty awards night. John responded to my cajoling, in spite of being deep in preparation for the Commonwealth Games, using the invitation as a short time-out from the training camp.

After introductions, John threw up on the projection screen a picture of a person with what appeared to be a severe black eye.

He proceeded to say that the image was of a bee sting, and that was something he dealt with in his day job as an immunologist scientist. John then proceeded to give a highly entertaining talk that balanced his professional life with a sport that instills hurt on the opposition.

David Light with Dr John McKay in 2013. Photo: Supplied.

John McKay built a worldwide reputation as a boxing coach.

A measure of his success was the 1997 Presidents Cup in Indonesia. Faii Falamoe and Garth da Silva won gold with Regan Foley returning home with a silver medallion.

The four-man Kiwi team finished second behind Uzbekistan, ahead of boxing heavyweights of USA, Russia and South Korea etc.

Seven of his charges held AIBA top-ten rankings, with Faii Falamoe (Super Heavyweight) Garth da Silva (Heavyweight) and Sililo Figota (Light Middleweight) reaching the coveted top three rankings.

John always had strong opinions. Just three weeks before his passing we corresponded by email about a boxer he coached in his early days, in Roger Leonard.

He stated “for mine, Rogers’s best fight for me was against David Jackson for the (1977) NZ welterweight title in New Plymouth - an easy unanimous decision - he should have also received the Jameson Belt (Senior most scientific award).

In my humble opinion, Dr John, will be long remembered for his forthright believe in the power of boxing to change and shape young lives.

Barry Leabourn