ARCHIE LECKIE

Archibald ‘Archie’ Leckie along with his brother James Gunn ‘Jim’ Leckie, had their introduction to boxing through their uncle W. G. (Billy) Leckie. W. G. had been trained by Billy Parker, himself a pupil of Jem Mace when Mace ran his boxing school in Dunedin in the early 1880’s. The Leckie name therefore can be traced back to the earliest days of New Zealand boxing. They would establish themselves as arguably this country’s greatest boxing family. Archie a revered name in the sport established a legacy as possibly our greatest trainer.

Born in Dunedin, Dec 25, 1880, Archie had his first recorded amateur fight, Jun 19, 1905, In Christchurch. Scheduled for three rounds against F. Nash, the referee ordered an extra round before awarding the decision to Leckie. Five weeks later, July 25, in Dunedin, in a rematch with Nash the referee again required an extra round before awarding the decision to Archie and with it the 1905 NZABA middleweight title. 

In 1908 Leckie was defeated by Jack Smith in the championship semi-final. Smith went onto win the New Zealand title with a first-round knockout of Wellingtonian A. Thompson. Surprisingly, Leckie was chosen over Smith to represent New Zealand later that year at the Australasian Championships in Brisbane. Archie was defeated in the preliminary round of the tournament by Tasmanian Reg Midwood. Midwood went onto win the championship final a feat he repeated in 1909. 

Leckie entered the pro ranks, July 29,1909. He had been living in Wellington since the middle of 1908 and it was in the capital city that he fought his first pro bout against UK born Australian Jack Clarke. Clarke a pro since 1903 boasted a record of 9 – 4 – 2 from 15, when they met in the first of three fights. Archie lost the first two via 15 round decisions. Their third bout, Nov 9, 1909, for the vacant NZ Middleweight Title, Leckie salvaged a 15-round draw. 

Leckie was given a second opportunity to win the middleweight title, Jan 27,1910, when matched against George Gus Devitt for the still vacant championship. Devitt stopped Archie in12 rounds. Eighteen months later, Aug 7,1911, Archie met Doss Burns for the fourth time having won 2 of their 3 previous encounters. Once again, the vacant NZ Middleweight title, having been stripped from George Gus Devitt due to his absence overseas was on the line. At his third attempt Archie halted Burns in four rounds at the King’s Theatre, Christchurch, and was finally crowned NZ Middleweight champion. 

Seven months after Tim Tracy relinquished the NZ welterweight title, Archie was matched against former champion Denny Murphy for the vacant title on Dec 20, 1911. Murphy regained the championship with a 15-round decision in what turned out to be Archie Leckie’s last ring appearance. Ring Record: 10 Bouts, 3 – 6 – 1   

His competitive days behind him Archie devoted himself to training fighters. He worked out of several Dunedin gyms such as the one he opened in1922 above “Jeff’s” a business premises on King Street. He relocated in1927 to a premises at the rear of “Wardell’s the grocers” on George Street. Later still Archie was training boxers above the Otago Boxing Assoc building on Princess Street. 

Leckie’s School of Boxing became an institution. Over a period of some 50 years the number of national champions both amateur and professional he trained was large indeed, Lachie McDonald, Tommy Griffiths, Jack Paul, Roy Stevens, Lex Greaney, Ian Cruickshank, Bob Fulcher and Johnny Richmond were just a few of them. Then of course there were Archie’s extended family members; cousins Johnnie and Hector Leckie and his nephew Billy Leckie.  

The Leckie family in the main competed in boxings lighter weight divisions. Breaking the mould was J. G. Leckie also known as ‘Big Jim’, the largest of all the Leckie’s. ‘Big Jim’ won NZ amateur titles at Light-heavyweight,1923 and 1924 and at heavyweight in 1927. A multi-talented sportsman ‘Big Jim’ also excelled as a Hammer Thrower. He represented NZ at the Empire Games of 1938 and 1950. ‘Big Jim’ may have been the biggest, but it was Archie’s nephew Johnnie (best known for his high-profile 11 fight series against Tommy Donovan and visiting American Petey Sarron) who undoubtedly was the best Leckie of them all.  

Possibly the most famous name to pass through the Archie Leckie School of Boxing was one John ‘Jack’ Edward Lovelock, future Olympic 1500 metres gold medallist, Berlin 1936. In 1929 Lovelock was a first-year medical student at Otago University. Part of his routine in those his early days in Dunedin was to run from the family home in Warden Street, Opoho, down Cemetery Lane, later renamed Lovelock Avenue, then along George Street to Archie’s gym where he would spar and soak up tips from Archie. Lovelock, handy with the mitts, in his final year at Timaru Boys High had won the schools senior boys boxing championship. Later in the UK he won the London Inter hospital’s featherweight title. 

There are precious few names in New Zealand boxing that are revered, Bob Fitzsimmons, Billy Murphy, Tim Tracy, and Tom Heeney spring to mind, Archie Leckie is another. Through his long association with the game, spanning some 60 years, his prowess as both a trainer and mentor and the influential role he played in establishing the Leckie family dynasty Archie deserves to have his name mentioned in the same breath as the aforementioned.     

Archie Leckie died in Mosgiel, Aug 16,1963. Aged: 82. 

BURIED: NORTHERN CEMETERY, DUNEDIN, OTAGO, NZ. PLOT: BLOCK 176, PLOT 22. 

MP 2024.