By Gav Duthie: Being a professional footballer, boxer and music chart topper many would think versatile Super Middleweight Leon Mckenzie 7-0-1 (3) has the ideal life. However depression doesn’t discriminate and Leon sees boxing as a second chance of life after attempting suicide during his football career.
The Boxer
On Saturday night Leon defeated previously unbeaten Scottish fighter John McCallum to win a British title eliminator in only his eighth pro fight. The vacant British crown is being contested next month by Rocky Fielding and Callum Smith in Liverpool. Mckenzie is also the mandatory challenger for the Southern Area strap which is currently held by Frank Buglioni who has his own ambitions for world titles. At 37 years of age and having only been in the sport for 2 years few are expecting him to be making major inroads but what he is achieving needs to be respected.
Depression
Boxing is in the Mckenzie family’s blood but the talented athlete decided to chase the riches of professional football. After scoring 49 times in 103 games for Peterborough between 2000 and 2003 he got his big move to the Premier League with Norwich City. His spell there was relatively successful but in 2005 a combination of injuries and the break-up of his marriage lead to a deep depression. By 2009 now at Charlton he tried to commit suicide. In 2012 he was jailed for 6 months for avoiding speeding convictions. Later that year he released his autobiography ‘My fight with Life’. Little did we know after retiring from football only a year later he would have a different kind of fight in the squared circle.
A boxing family
As I said fighting is in the blood as his father Clinton Mckenzie 36-14 (12) was British and European champion in the light welterweight division and his better known uncle Duke Mckenzie 39-7 (20) was a three weight world champion between the flyweight and super bantamweight divisions. Leon attributes his new found enthusiasm for life to his boxing.
The future
Mckenzie’s most recent foe John McCallum felt the need to use Mckenzie’s depression as a weapon but the former footballer wore the Scot down before he quit. It was only a couple of years ago that former pro footballer Curtis Woodhouse won the British lightweight title but Mckenzie faces a tough battle to do the same. To match his dads achievements and be British and European champion he would need to fight the winner of Smith-Fielding or European champ George Groves. In all honesty it seems highly unlikely he could do this age 37 but even to share a ring with these fighters would be a great achievement considering where he was mentally.
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