Words can't adequately describe the contribution that Doctor Edward John McKay, who passed away on Tuesday 12th December 2023, made to society in general and boxing specifically over his time on earth.

Amongst John's numerous outstanding achievements and contributions, there is one unique boxing milestone that puts him apart from his many contemporaries. Dr John McKay, is one of just three New Zealand representative coaches to stand in the corner of a New Zealand Olympic medalist.

The words below are taken from a biography about Dr John some time in 2023.

Dr John had two passions in life - Immunology and boxing. John completed his MD in Immunology at the Medical University of Lund (Sweden) in 1982. He worked as a Medical Scientist in Sweden, UK. USA, Australia and New Zealand, as a research fellow in Clinical Immunology for thirty years.

He had also been a part-time lecturer at the Auckland Institute of Technology and the Auckland University of Technology, lecturing in Physiology, Immunology and Blood Transfusion.

McKay competed as an amateur boxer, engaging in some 120 fights for 85 wins. John represented New Zealand in the middleweight and light heavyweight division, winning four of his five international bouts.

John is the only coach from the South Pacific, to have worked the tough European boxing circuit in a full time position as Coach/Performance Director, recording some 45 Gold and Silver medals at prestigious multi-national events, during his four-year tenure in Scotland (2003-2007).

Known to many as simply Dr John, he was the New Zealand National Boxing Coach 1988-1993 and 1997-200 and BNZ High Performance Director 2000-2003 and 2009-2013.

John fashioned an outstanding boxing mentor record, being selected as Head Coach/Manager at two Olympics, three World Championships, five Commonwealth Games, eight British and five European championships.

Dr John trained more than 65 National and 15 Oceania champions during his time as lead-coach of Eastside (Hamilton) and Northside BC and the North Shore School of Boxing.

Seven of his charges held top-ten in the AIBA world rankings, with three Faai Falamoe (S/Heavyweight) Garth da Silva (Heavyweight) and Sililo Figota (L/Middleweight) reaching the coveted top three rankings.

McKay promoted and setup 150+ international boxing events including Yugoslavia 1985-87-88, Russia 1991, Kronk Gym 1994, Ireland 1997-98-99, Trans-Tasman/Oceania countries 1991-2019 - giving New Zealand boxers valuable international exposure and raising much needed funds for coaching and athlete development programs.

John lived by a passion of working with and teaching youth the benefits of boxing in ways other than just competing. He believed in enhancing one's self-belief, self–confidence and self-discipline, by way of exploiting the ‘noble art’, as a means of helping young people to be responsible for their own actions and becoming better citizens.

John received many accolades in his lifetime, including BNZ Life Membership, ABA Life Membership and was patron of the ABA, along with numerous other boxing recognitions. John received a prestigious Winston Churchill scholarship and a NZ MRC Postgraduate scholarship.

RIP Edward John McKay

Article added: Tuesday 12 December 2023