Two trainers. Two stables. Two cities.
Damien Durandt and Matt Leisching are among South Africa’s best emerging boxing trainers, united in their ambition to produce champion fighters.
Although Leisching now calls Cape Town home, both he and Durandt grew up in Johannesburg.
Durandt was in the spotlight even as a young boy, chiefly on account of his late father Nick, a prolific trainer, always taking him to tournaments, and has remained a central figure in the sport.
But it’s more than just boxing that links the pair.
By a strange twist of fate, Durandt and Leisching share a common familial trait: their grandfathers were both prominent footballers.
Cliffie Durandt began his playing career with Marist Brothers. At 17, he joined Wolverhampton Wanderers after impressing against them while playing for a SA XI. He starred in Wolves’ 1958 FA Youth Cup win and made his senior debut in 1958 in a 4–0 rout of Manchester United. After sporadic appearances, he moved to Charlton Athletic in 1963, later playing for several South African clubs.
Proving that the proverbial apple never falls far from the tree, son Nick (father of Damien) also turned out for Wits briefly, playing under ex-Manchester United player Eddie Lewis.
Len Leisching, grandfather of Matt, was more versatile, playing hockey, football, squash, golf, boxing, tennis and competing in athletics at school.
As a boxer, he captured a bronze medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki and won gold at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in British Columbia.
Football was his first love, however, and he was an ardent Everton supporter. In his younger days, he played for Rangers, tried out for Liverpool at Anfield and played for Wigan Athletic in England. He also marked Sir Stanley Matthews in the English XI.
In all, Leisching played as a fullback for Johannesburg Rangers, Wigan Athletic, Llandudno and Southern Suburbs.
His English adventures also included a spell at High Wycombe Cricket Club, where he was a prolific batsman. Returning to SA, he played Premier League cricket for Southern Suburbs.
Sadly, both have since died, Durandt succumbing to a heart attack in 2002 and Leisching passing in 2018.
Thankfully, their bloodlines remain strong, powered on through their grandsons who are each making their own mark, as their forebears once did.
