James "Tancy" Lee was a Scottish professional boxer who competed from 1906 to 1926. He held the IBU world, EBU European and the National Sporting Club’s British flyweight titles in 1915, becoming the first Scot to hold a British title.
Career
Early career
Born in Leith in 1882, Lee had his first fights as an amateur in 1906. In 1910 he won the ABAbantamweight championship, but was stripped of the title after it was discovered that he had infringed the amateur boxing laws. Undefeated as a professional by 1911 he suffered his first loss when he was stopped in the thirteenth round by Alex Lafferty in a contest for the Scottish bantamweight title. He won the Scottish flyweight title three years later when he beat Dan McGrady.
After beating Tommy Harrison in an eliminator he was to face Percy Jones in October 1914 for the latter's British and World flyweight titles but Jones failed to make the weight; The fight went ahead as a non-title catch-weight fight with Lee stopping Jones in the 14th round. In January 1915 he faced Jimmy Wilde, at the time unbeaten in over 90 fights, for the vacant British, European, and IBU World titles at the National Sporting Club, stopping him in the 17th round to become triple champion. He lost the British and World titles nine months later to Joe "Young" Symonds. In February 1916 he beat Johnny Best to take the Scottish bantamweight title, and four months later faced Wilde for the British, European, and World flyweight titles, Wilde stopping him in the 11th round. In December 1916 he successfully defended his Scottish bantamweight title against Lafferty and then moved up to featherweight. In November 1917 he knocked Charlie Hardcastle in the fourth round to become British featherweight champion. Although he lost his next three fights he successfully defended his British title in October 1918 against Joe Conn, and again in February 1919 against Danny Morgan to win the Lonsdale Belt outright. In December 1919 he challenged Louis de Ponthieu for the vacant European featherweight title at the Cirque de Paris, but was stopped in the 17th round. Having relinquished the British title he fought for it again in October 1920, but retired in the 19th round against defending champion Mike Honeyman. After losing to Auguste Grassi in March 1921 he retired from boxing, although he fought in a three-round exhibition bout in 1922, and made a comeback in 1926, at the age of 44, when he drew with Johnny Seeley.
Retirement and death
After retiring from the ring Lee became a bookmaker, and also a boxing trainer and manager, having co-founded the Leith Victoria Club in 1919, and training fighters such as Johnny Hill, Alex Ireland, Jim Rolland, and Lee's nephews George McKenzie and James McKenzie, both Olympic medallists, George also winning the British featherweight title. In April 1930 a testimonial tournament was held in his honour in Waverley Market, Edinburgh. As the first outright winner of the Lonsdale Belt to reach the age of 50, he became in 1932 the first to receive a £1 per week pension from the National Sporting Club. Tancy Lee died on 5 February 1941, aged 59, after being hit by a bus in Duncan Place, and was buried at Seafield Cemetery in Edinburgh. He was survived by his widow Harriett and three daughters. His wife sued the Edinburgh Corporation, owners of the bus, but the action was unsuccessful. Lee was inducted into the Scottish Boxing Hall of Famein September 2008, in a ceremony attended by his 94-year-old daughter.
