Duke McKenzie feels he may be forgotten hero fighting for care of former boxers

Becoming a three-weight world champion is no mean feat.

Duke McKenzie is one of the few who have done it.

He wants to be clear he is not resentful but he does feel like a bit of a forgotten man, though.

McKenzie, 57, wonders what life may have been like if he competed in the current era.

There would have been a few more zeroes in his bank account, that's for sure. But maybe also more recognition for what he achieved.

McKenzie is the former IBF flyweight world champion, WBO bantamweight title holder and WBO super-bantamweight king.

Only three Brits in history have won titles in three different divisions and there were almost 90 years between the first in Bob Fitzsimmons and McKenzie in 1992. Ricky Burns came along later.

It has led to some in British boxing calling for a late induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

“I'm not bitter about it,” said McKenzie. ”But it is almost like I've been wiped off the face of the earth.

“It is almost like my achievements have been ignored.

“We have lots of champions who have got more recognition for achieving a lot less.

“I certainly haven't upset anybody. That's not how I am, I'm just a regular guy.

“I'm a simple man but I've had an extraordinary career.”

McKenzie came from a fighting family but never shone as an amateur. Yet as a pro, he excelled.

He first won a world title in 1988 when he beat Rolando Bohol for the IBF flyweight crown.

The WBO bantamweight belt was earned by beating Gaby Canizales in 1991, while the third success on the world stage came when he beat Jesse Benavides a year later.

“All a fighter wants is to be appreciated for their efforts in the sport,” said McKenzie.

“To get recognition from The British Ex-Boxers Hall of Fame was a dream come true but to get into the International Boxing Hall of Fame would be like winning another world title.

“There's no jealousy attached but I look at the Hall of Fame and see a few of the names, not most of them obviously, and think, 'I'm better than some of them'.

“There are good world champions, then there are great world champions and the great world champions are the ones who have done something others haven't done.

“My future grandkids could read about me not only being a world champion, but also being inducted into the Hall of Fame.”

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McKenzie has done something not many from these shores have, that's for sure. But he has not been rewarded with the riches his achievements may deserve.

We are now in an era of boxing where heavyweights Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury will earn anything from £50m to £100m for a clash in the desert this summer.

While even in the smaller weights, the money has improved vastly from McKenzie's time in the sport.

“If I was boxing today, I'd undoubtedly be a millionaire,” he said.

“I've no question about that. Times have changed, life does move on.”

McKenzie is considering getting his three world title belts valued. Just in case one day times do get hard.

“To me, they're priceless,” he said. “I put in a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get them and I wouldn't let them go lightly.

“But I'm not broke or desperate. I just want them valued.

“I live a very modest life, I've got a three-bed detached house in Croydon, I don't have anything extravagant, I've a four-year-old car and a business that I run.”

McKenzie's business is a gym, Duke Box, in Croydon. Like many owners, the last 14 months have been incredibly tough.

The former fighter had just moved his gym to a new premises and put his life savings into opening not long before the pandemic hit.

But he is not one to sulk.

“When I look at my life now and see boxers who have fallen on hard times, I count myself very lucky,” he said.

McKenzie goes above and beyond to help those less fortunate than him.

Inspired by the loss of his brother – and talented boxer – Dudley to suicide in 1995, he gives as much time to those with mental health problems as he can and is an ambassador for MIND.

“I can't put into words the devastation that my brother's death caused me in my life but it is something that I've learned to manage,” he said.

“I'm not a psychologist or a doctor or a samaritan but I think I'm a good listener, people like talking to me.

“One thing my brother, Dudley, taught me is the most valuable thing you can give to people is not your house or car keys, it is time.

“I'm like a hairdresser, when people go to the hairdressers they tell them their life story and that is what happens to me.”

But McKenzie's generosity goes beyond that.

He is an ambassador for the fantastic Ringside Rest and Care, a charity led by Dave Harris looking to raise money to build and run a care home for former fighters who have fallen on hard times.

There are ex-boxers who cannot get into care homes due to fears over their aggressiveness as they battle problems like dementia.

But Harris and others want to bring them together under one roof so they can get the attention they need.

“There are so many boxers that I'm hearing who are suffering, they are suffering with their mental health and with illnesses like dementia,” said McKenzie.

“That's why I want to help great people like Dave Harris who are pushing for this care home.

“It won't be cheap to get running or keep running but, with hard work, we will get there.

“I want to help because I realise I could be one of those fighters struggling.

“I will be giving up my time and having a hands-on approach going down to the care home when it opens.

“I don't mind washing up, cooking or cleaning. It would be an honour.”

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McKenzie's work outside of the ring is almost as impressive as what he achieved inside the ropes.

People can debate whether or not he deserves a place in the sport's Hall of Fame, but nobody can say he isn't a British boxing great.

“I dared to dream,” he added. “But it wasn't my dream, it was my brother Dudley's dream, it was my promoter Mickey Duff's dream and it was my coach Colin Smith's dream.

“If I could do it all again then I would do it in a heartbeat, but just in another lifetime.”

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