Seven New Zealand senior championship titles, four Jameson Belts, Olympic selection and a Commonwealth Games bronze medal highlight the illustrious career of Trevor Shailer. 

The Manawatu boxer was an outstanding prospect from the start, winning the first of four junior titles in the minimum 34 kilo weight division at the 1983 Nationals held in Timaru.  Two intermediate crowns were the prelude to a remarkable five successive light welterweight titles from 1990 to 1994, including winning the Jameson Belt in 1990 and 1994.

At the 1995 Auckland Nationals, Shailer make the jump up to claim the welterweight title with his third Jameson Belt the icing on the cake. The 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games saw the Manawatu pugilist earn selection alongside Sililo Figota and David Tua, with the Kiwi boxing team returning home with just the countries third Olympic medal, courtesy of David Tua's bronze medal.

A Commonwealth Games bronze medal was Trevor Shailer's reward at the 1994 Commonwealth event, after he defeated Malawi and Tongan opponents, before being defeated by Mark Winter from Northern Ireland in the semi-finals. 

Retirement after the welterweight crown lasted four years, before the (now) Wellington representative made a remarkable comeback at the 1999 Wellington National Championships. Trevor claimed his second welterweight title adding the Jameson Belt (for the fourth time) for good measure.

Two highly regarded Canterbury boxers in Jason Eade and Dean Calvert, preceded Trevor Shailer's five year run of light welterweight glory, winning light welterweight gold in 1988 and 1989 respectively. 

Central North Island's Robert Walker came out of a ten year hiatus from the sport, to win back to back titles during 1997 and 1998. Walker's first 63.5 kilo title came when he defeated 1999 champion Julian Scully, before getting past David Beard the following year. His 1997 title was accompanied by the championships big prize of the Jameson Belt. Walker gained selection for the 1998 Commonwealth Games.

Double light welter title success in 2001 and 2002, propelled Daniel Headifen to a berth in the 2002 Commonwealth Games team, with Carl Commons winning three successive titles from 2005, alongside a trip to the 2006 Commonwealth event in Melbourne.

Bay of Plenty's Anthony Taylor won the light welter crown in 2008, to take a year off, before coming back in 2010 to earn the experience of representing his country at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. 

Harry Scaife achieved a never before completed family treble when he defeated Todd Commons to win the 2011 light welterweight title. Grandfather Alan had won the title in 1954, with Harry's father Grant, achieving the same feat in 1979. An additional bonus saw Scaife having the Jameson Belt strapped around his waist by his grandfather. 

Leroy Hindley who won the title in 2013,  went on to box at the 2014 Commonwealth Games where he won two bouts before tasting defeat in the quarterfinals. Otago's Richie Hadlow won four consecutive titles from 2014 and also grabbed a Commonwealth Games spot on the Gold Coast in 2018

Post Script

In 1969, legendary boxing historian and writer Brian O’Brien was set a task by the Nationals program editor, to write about the three best amateur fights that he had witnessed. The following were his own words “rather than rate the best I simply name them three of the greatest”. One of the three chosen by the doyen of boxing writers, was the first Light Welterweight final held in 1951 between Barry Brown and Joe McNally. The following is Brian O’Brien’s account of the 1951 light welterweight finale.

McNally nephew of the formidable Lachie McDonald, one of the immortals of the New Zealand ring, had gone perilously close to losing his semi-final to Sonny Black, a Southlander who hit like a middleweight, while the tall slim Brown had needed his two fights to warm to the task.

Brown was a comparative rarity – a southpaw with a skilled right hand. The Bay boy, later to achieve his own brand of immortality by becoming the first professional ever to win a British Empire Championship Title in this country, was a straight stinging puncher and he caught McNally, an aggressive little fellow, with a whole range of right jabs and left crosses delivered with a relaxed air that came close to casual.

At times he would change his feet when he went to throw his left, which suggested he was not a natural left hander, and was more impressive from the waist up than his footwork.

Nonetheless he punched with beautiful accuracy against the walk-up McNally, who himself was no mean slugger but a shrewd creator of opening while just lacking the range of the other boy. Whenever McNally tried to slug it out, Brown would take him on and defeat him in the punching rallies, for almost always it was Joe who was the first to break the ground. And when the South Islander straightened his punching and sought to outbox Brown, he simply could not bring anything very effective to bear, for Brown had a slight but valuable edge in speed to add to his extra reach.

McNally fought with all the fierce determination that was expected of one with his antecedents, but no matter what he tried, Brown matched him and eventually won the day after one of the best boxers versus fighter contests in many years.

e added: Monday 24 August 2020