The Scotland-born Burlie brothers, Alec and Agnew, emigrated to Canada at a young age and rose to become two of Canada’s premier amateur boxers of the 1920s. While Alec fought as a flyweight, Agnew found success as a featherweight and was Canadian national champion in that category for several years. 1924 was not, however, one of those years – that honor went to Mickey McGowan – but Burlie was nonetheless selected as Canada’s official representative in the division for that year’s Summer Olympics at only 17 years of age (McGowan’s trip the Games was financed by his club). There he was defeated in the first round by Joe Salas, the eventual runner-up, and eliminated. His most notable international title came in 1925, when he won a Pan-American boxing championship. He eventually faded into obscurity and died relatively young, at age 45.
Canada