LES DARCY book by Raymond Swanwick- Excerpts

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Keep typing McGoorty you are saving me a few quid here
Good chapter on Darcy and indeed Sands in They Could've Been Contenders. Keep plugging this book people must definately think i'm on commission

You still should probably get a book on him. I can't write out the whole book but I will try to get the most important parts and the parts of interest. There are at least four books available, and you wouldn't believe how much poetry has been written about him. Also there's two DvD's on him, both doco's with one of them showing 80 % of available film of him. The film of him sparring with Dave Smith (HW Champ of Aust) is very good, Darcy is amazing in it, he must have been a nightmare in the ring.............................................. .................................................. .................................... I just watched the Peter Fenton DvD on Darcy and heard something I've never heard before, it gives a sense of how dominant he was. Les Darcy was in the U.S. and he was signed to fight LHW great Jack DILLON, well, Les had studied Dillon in action somewhere, he wrote in a letter home to a close freind, "You wouldn't believe the money they're offering me over here, all just to beat up a bum". That's Jack Dillon he's referring to but you have to understand that he did NOT say it publicly but to a freind who would not recieve it until after the fight had long been in the books. I always thought he'd beat Dillon, now I heard this I KNOW he'd have won the fight............................................. ..................... any extensive look at Darcy's story will prove his greatness, he was Great and that's all there is to it !!!!!!

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Les Darcy Vs Dave Smith -- Australian HW Title- Punch Power

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A Darcy Saga

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A Good and Game Lad -- Part 3 ---Chapter 2

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A Good and Game Lad--- Part 3-- Exerpt :-

--During this interval, the Maitland Agricultural Show was held. Among the touring sideshows was Sam Norman's Boxing troupe, known from one end of Australia to the other. -------Exerpt :-

In his troupe were Dave Meekin --- one of the best Middleweights in Australia at that time --- and Young Athorne, a hard hitting Welterweight who had won fights at Sydney Stadium.

Sam Norman heard that Les Darcy was the best of the local lads. He wanted to arrange a fight between Meekin and Darcy, but Meekin was too heavy. Sam Norman himself then undertook to stop Darcy in four rounds.------------------------------- A big crowd packed the tent for this contest, but Norman got the surprise of his life when he landed several knockout punches on the young blacksmiths jaw without result. Les shook his head and came up smiling after the heaviest punches that Norman could deliver.The Maitland boy had no chance of landing many punches on such an experienced bobber and weaver as Sam Norman. Les's idea was to earn a pound by remaining on his feet for four rounds. He suceeded in that aim, and in the process gave Sam Norman what Dave Meekin later described as "one of the loveliest shiners ever seen".----Next day Young Athorn tried to stop Darcy in four rounds, but in the third round Darcy "put him to sleep". The Maitland boy was paid Thirty Shillings for that fight.----- On the following day, Dave Meekin and Darcy gave an exhibition of sparring for three rounds, drawing a full house of spectators.-------------- Those three days were helpful for Darcy's development............. -Excerpt :---- Darcy returns to the Newcastle Tournament to fight on 27th April 1912, in which he was scheduled to meet one of the cleverest fighters of the Northern Districts, H. Emery.Despite his reputation at Maitland, Darcy was scarcely known in Newcastle, where it was confidently predicted that Emery would have no difficulty in eliminating the country boy.----- The Newcastle Herald reported the fight :----- "Emery was the favorite, and got the shock of his life when the little fellow attacked with the ferocity of a terrier, Never giving his opponent a moments peace.""Emery soon discovered that he had an awkward opponent. Darcy ducked so cleverly to Emery's leads and smothered up so efficiently before Emery even attacked, that Emery was quite at a loss to bring out the right kind of punch". "The contest went the full eight rounds, and the referee's decision for Darcy was greeted with loud applause"" Darcy seemed as fresh as when he commenced. He will fight Tom Page in the final next Saturday".-----

Stay tuned for the big Final with Tom Page....... Back shortly !!!

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A Good And Game Lad -- Part 4

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A Good And Game Lad -- Part 4

Excerpt :--

-- Les Darcy's weight at this time was 9 Stone 6 pounds, was much less than that of Page, who rated at Middleweight, while Les was a Lightweight. In addition, Page had a long experience in the ring and many victories to his credit in the keenly contested fights in the coalfields stadiums. He lived at Warners Bay, near Newcastle, and was known for his boxing triumphs as "The Pride of the Bay".-------------------------------------------------------------------------------The final, as usual in these tounaments, was of ten three minute rounds,.... The "Heralds report of the fight stated :----- "Page had a great advantage, in height and weight, over Darcy. The first round saw the men chiefly engaged in measuring up, but as the bout progressed, Darcy had gauged the distance perfectly, and was timing with exactitude. This is a feature of his work in the ring". ------------------------" Darcy simply peppered the stronger man, and piled up the points at an alarming rate.----------"page swung his massive arms in all directions, and occasionly fluked one with his right. At the close of the tenth round, the referee crowned Darcy the winner, He was presented with a gold medal, the gift of Mr. F. Fletcher. The win was a popular one, and the Maitland boy was cheered enthusiastically as he left the ring.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------It appears from various newspaper reports that the weight limits in this tournament were not strictly defined. Some mentioned the Heavyweight Division and others the "Ten Stone class",...........................................The Maitland Mercury was naturally proud of the local lads victory. It's report stated :---- "Darcy (East maitland) and Page (Warners Bay) were the two left in the "10 Stone Division. Although Darcy was shorter, he gained the verdict after ten rounds hard fighting, the decision being very popular".-----" Darcy is a remarkably good and game lad for his poundage".-----------------------Excerpt :-

The gold medal presented to Les by Mr. Fletcher was a memento of his win, and not a tournament prize (Les won a massive 20 pounds, a lot of money for a boy), He wore it proudly, and was photographed in his new suit, with his medal showing prominently, in company with Mick Hawkins. Now there were many fight fans who knew that the Maitland boy had outstanding ability, and the making of a champion.-----

End Of Chapter TWO..------- Chapter 3 "the Maitland Surprise Packet--- NEXT !!

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The MAITLAND Surprise Packet --- Chapter 3-- Part 1

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The Maitland Surprise Packet ---Chapter 3--Pt. 1

--- Les was not yet Seventeen,.................. It was impossible for Les to find opponents his own age or from any of the local Lightweights, to take him on in the preliminaries........His reputation was actually making it difficult for him to get opportunities. An attempt was made to match the East maitlander against a West Maitlander named Moylan, who fought under the name of "Jimmy Burns"..........................

-:Excerpt :-

-The Maitland Mercury, 9th May 1912 :----"As soon as 'Bud's' Darcy --- The winner of the 10 stone Tournament at Newcastle the other night --- heard that Jimmy 'Burns' wanted him bad ly with the gloves on, for a lump of rubbish weighing twenty-five pounds or so, Darcy, like the little bulldog he is, made all haste for the enemy, and promptly accepted the defu. If these lads get together there will be a cataclysym in punchdom in Maitland town".-------------------------------------------------- But the "cataclysym never happened as apparently 'Burns' couldn't get backers,......... 3 and a half months go by, Les continues his training,............................. Mick Hawkins tells Les that he's got nothing more to teach him, so Jack Donahue, a boxing expert takes Darcy on.-----------------------

- Excerpt :-

- Les became remarkably muscular from his hard daily work and his evening training. In August 1912 he entered again for the the Newcastle Summer Park Tournament in the Lightweight Division (considered as up to Ten Stone).-------- Even though he had won the previous tournament, he had to fight, like other competitors, in a qualifying match of four rounds. His opponent in this bout was the lad from West Maitland whose family name was Moylan, fighting in the name of (none other than,..) 'Jimmy Burns'.-------------------Darcy weighed in at 9 stone 7 pounds and Burns at 9 stone 8 pounds. They had often sparred at the old fire-station at Lorn. The result was a foregone conclusion. The Newcastle Herald reported :- "Neither boxer showed any great fighting ability. Their display was most dissapointing. Darcy, due to his cleaner and better fighting ability, was declared the winner on points.------This bout qualified Les for the quarter finals. His turn came three weeks later, on 14th September in an eight round bout against Harry Richards. This lad came from Boolaroo, a coalmining centre near Lake Macquarie,...............he had fought many contests including a twenty round bout,........................... ....... Darcy weighed in at 9 stone 7 pounds and Richards 9 stone 10 pounds. The Heralds sports reporter commented, " The first few rounds were uneventful. The crowd expressed it's disappointment and urged the boxers on. Richards came out of his shell with a fast and clever display of boxing, but the defence of "the little fellow" --- as Darcy is now referred to --- would not be penetrated.--------------------------------------------------------------- ----"Darcy scored most of the effective hits, and his opponents face suffered severely from Darcy's crashing blows,...... Darcy was declared the winner, and so entered the semi-finals',....." Darcy's timing was almost perfect. His head and foot work were admirable. He has the Makings of a champion".

Part two of this chapter soon,.... how are you guys liking it so far ??? Any Comments ???

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