 |
Sports correspondent & historian with |
Comment
A while ago, I touched upon the story of the Jameson Belt, which was stolen in transit from Dunedin to the 2022 Boxing NZ National Championships, held in Whanganui.
First presented in 1927, the Jameson Belt is awarded to the most scientifically skilled elite male boxer at the conclusion of each national championship.
The engraving on the Jameson trophy reads like a who’s who of the finest pugilists to enter the ring in our country.
Last week, I stumbled upon the piece I’d written about the stolen Jameson Belt, which prompted me to try and solve a mystery that had troubled this amateur boxing historian for some time.
Nearly a century ago, two Auckland boxing brothers grabbed national sporting headlines, winning five national amateur boxing titles in the space of five years.
Two decades ago, it was agreed between the Boxing NZ historians that the common first names of boxers would be used in our newly created database.
So began a recipe for confusion that surfaced more than 20 years later.
Auckland representative boxing brothers Robert Purdie and William Purdie were known as ‘Bobby’ and ‘Billy’ Purdie respectively.
‘Bobby’ Purdie was an outstanding boxer, winning the 1929 bantamweight crown before adding two featherweight titles in 1930 and 1931. His first featherweight crown saw him become the fourth boxer to have his name engraved on the Jameson Belt.
Purdie’s dominance in the 9st 9lb ranks during 1930 and 1931 resulted in his selection for the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
No less skilful in the squared ring was ‘Billy’ Purdie, who first came to prominence at the 1932 national championships held in New Plymouth.
Such was the standard of boxing in the country between the two world wars that boxers had to win their provincial title to earn a place at the nationals.
Fighting in the lightweight division, ‘Billy’ Purdie won through three tough bouts before meeting Whangārei pugilist Harry Hughes in the title decider.
An NZ Press Association report of the day said: “The lightweight final saw two very clever boys. Purdie was the aggressor most of the time, but Hughes displayed wonderful defence.
“Purdie did his best to force the pace, but Hughes, displaying superior science, held his own to take a narrow decision.”
This display of boxing skill saw Harold Hughes awarded the Jameson Belt.
Twelve months later, the NZBA National Championships took place in Blenheim, with the Purdie brothers heavily favoured for success in their respective weight divisions.
Boxing New Zealand records show that ‘Bobby’ Purdie earned the Parisian Cup, awarded to the winner of the lightweight category, while ‘Billy’ Purdie won the welterweight division. The brothers made history, becoming the first pair of siblings to each win a national title at the same championships.
However, the two BNZ historians inadvertently altered history by recording that ‘Billy’ Purdie had won the Jameson Belt, which we later found did not cross-reference with the individual results.
Tracking back through National Library Papers Past files last week resulted in R ‘Bobby’ Purdie being correctly reinstated in BNZ records as the 1933 Jameson Belt winner.
Correcting the Jameson Belt record provided me with a valuable lesson in the responsibilities of being a custodian of Boxing NZ history: never assume anything, and always double-check everything before publishing in the public domain.