LES DARCY book by Raymond Swanwick- Excerpts

[McGoorty]

[IronDanHamza]

Great and interesting read.

Keep them coming

[McGoorty]

Great and interesting read.

Keep them coming

How's this for keepin' 'em coming ???

[McGoorty]

Les DARCY v George CHIP Part 1

[McGoorty]

Les DARCY V George CHIP Part 3

[McGoorty]

The Maitland Surprise packet - Chapter 3-- Pt 5

Les DARCY Vs Billy HANNAN

Excerpt :- On 15th March 1913, Les was matched to fight Billy Hannan at the Adelphi Hall, Maitland, for a purse of 75 pounds . It was amazing that a youth of seventeen was expected to go twenty rounds with a man many years older, who was experienced in professional fighting, and had been regarded for at least six years as the Maitland champion. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Billy Hannan had given Les his first boxing lessons when Les was eleven. Now the pupil was expected to surpass the master. Darcy's second appearance in a public stadium had been in a four round bout with young Donahoe, as a preliminary to a big fight,--- Hannan vs Charlie Raff. Now, twenty months later, Les had made the grade to the top. At this time Billy Hannan was in his prime. He had just returned from a tour of New Zealand, where he had beaten the N.Z. lightweight champion, Tim Tracy. ------------------------------------------------------------------As St. Patricks Day, 17th March, was on a Monday, the annual St. Patrick's Day sports meeting was held at Maitland that year on Saturday the 15th of March. The sports meeting, with a program chiefly of foot-races, was to begin at 11.30 am, so the fight was arranged to begin at 10 am. --------------------------------------------------------------Hannan and Darcy were both of Irish blood, but it was Darcy who got the yells of delight from the crowd when he entered the ring wearing emerald-green boxing trunks. There was heavy betting on the fight, but the odds were in favour of Hannan. One local sport, martin Kingsley, in particular backed Hannan for big money, thinking that Billy would certainly be too experienced for his younger and lighter opponent. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- In the first few rounds the points were even, as both boxed cleverly, but Darcy succeeded in landing some strong punches on the body of the older man. As the fight progressed Hannan was noticeably tiring. After the fifth round Darcy was boxing with exceptional speed, and his left was continually worrying Hannan. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In the fourteenth round, darcy began to hit Hannan at will, but Hannan refused to give in. The end came in the eighteenth round when the East maitland youngster laid the West Maitland low with a clean knockout that settled the argument, and so won the prize of 75 pounds. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hannan went home to bed after the bout, as he was very knocked about, but Darcy was scarcely marked, and after a bath and rub-down, went on to the Maitland Sports Ground. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The prize money Les earned from the fight, added to his earnings at the Newcastle Tournament and from his fight with Jimmy Burns was enough to enable him to purchase for his parents an old but large cottage at East maitland, which became their home. There they had much better living conditions than they had been able to afford previously.----------------------------------------

Stay tuned, more shortly.

[McGoorty]

I will continue the Darcy story tomorrow, but I just found a newspaper report of the first Darcy Vs McGoorty fight, I hope some of you find this cool. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yOAfqp6pR-...9981-6-001.jpg

[McGoorty]

The Maitland Surprise Packet - Part 6

Part 6

Excerpt :-- Throughout his career, whenever he entered the ring for a fight, Les darcy's will to win stemmed not only from the zest of combat, but also from a deeply ingrained desire for him to provide financial help for his parents, brothers and sisters, enabling them to rise out of poverty that had been his experience as a boy. many a man has risen to fame and fortune as a reaction to searing poverty in childhood : but Les Darcy was rare in retaining his inborn happy temperament despite every adversity that he had suffered in childhood, and even despite the hard knocks that he had to take from tough opponents in the ring. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hit him and he would grin : but his determination to win stemmed not from a desire to hurt or humble his opponent so much as from a wish to earn the approval of his friends who now had confidence to beat all-comers in his weight class, irrespective of their experience. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

After his victory over Billy Hannan, his supporters declared that he was good enough to be matched at Sydney Stadium against any Lightweight of the top class. Hugh D. McIntosh had handed over the Sydney Stadium at Rushcutters Bay to Reg L. "Snowy" Baker in December 1912. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Baker continued the policy of importing boxers, chiefly Heavyweights, for major contests. He would not consider arranging a top of the hill fight for a boy not yet eighteen, who was in the Lightweight class. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At about this time --- the middle of 1913, when Les was seventeen and a half ---- he stood 5 feet 7 inches high. He was nuggety and burly, with a short and thick neck, but his most remarkable physical feature was the length of his arms. His reach from fingertip to fingertip was seven inches more than his height from tip to toe. In ideal proportion, an athletes reach is the same as his height, but Les Darcy had exceptionally big hands and long fingers. This increased his reach by the extra length which an opponent did not expect. It gave his punches the extra stiking force which is the difference between a hit, and a hard hit. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A special friend and advisor of Les at this early stage in his career was the Reverend Joseph Coady, of the Catholic Church at East Maitland, where the Darcy Family attended mass every Sunday. Father Coady was an Australian, born at Scone in the upper Hunter Valley and educated at the Sacred Heart Colledge, Campbell's Hill. He was a fine horseman, and owned a racehorse which was entered in race meetings at Maitland and elsewhere in the Hunter River District. His brother was a policeman. .....------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Les moved up into the Welterweight Division, he found it as difficult to obtain opponents as previously among the Lightweights. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Four Months went by after his defeat of Billy Hannan before another opponent could be found for him. On 19th July 1913, at Andrew's Stadium, He fought Reg Patton, an experienced Welterweight who was known in the ring, under the name "Regio Delaney".------

The Delaney fight NEXT !!!!!

[McGoorty]

The MAITLAND Surprise Packet --- Chapter 3-- Part 7

Part 7 :-- LES DARCY Vs REGIO DELANEY

:-- In the first round, Regio caught Darcy with a left hand that shook him and had Les on the back foot. __________________________________________________ ________Les then moved in and, as a newspaper report stated, " After a hard fight in the early rounds, Darcy's superior stamina and boxing ability prevailed, and Regio was forced to surrender in the 8th round ". ___________________________________Regio's seconds threw in the towel, and Darcy was crowned the winner on a Technical Knockout. After the fight, Regio said, ----------- " It would have been madness to have stayed there. He is too heavy and strong for me ". ( Editor Note : this is the first quote from an opponent that I have,.. Regio Delaney is also the first opponent I have a photo of ) If there had been any doubt before, there was none whatever that the East Maitland blacksmith's apprentice was qualified to fight any Welterweight who could be brought into the ring with him, on the coalfields or from elsewhere. __________________________________________________ ________________________________Two months after he had beaten Regio Delaney, Les was matched, on 27th September 1913, in another fight at Andrews Stadium, West Maitland, against Joe Shakespeare, known as the "Fighting Miner", from Cessnock. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Joe Shakespeare had been the winner in most of his 33 stadium fights at various coalfields towns. Les Darcy, one month before his Eighteenth birthday, had an unbeaten record in two tournaments at Newcastle and in his four Stadium fights against DUPENA, BURNS, HANNAN & DELANEY, --------- but his experience was only that of an outsider, as compared with that of a seasoned professional such as Joe Shakespeare. __________________________________________________ ____________________________--This bout was intended as a qualification for a match with BOB WHITELAW, the reigning Australian Welterweight Champion. ------------------------------------ It was agreed that the winner of the Darcy Vs Shakespeare fight would meet BILLY McNAB for a purse of 100 pounds (a vast amount of money for the Darcy's). And the winner of that contest would meet BOB WHITELAW at Newcastle for a purse of 150 pounds.

Next Up :-- DARCY Vs SHAKESPEARE.

[McGoorty]

The MAITLAND Surprise Packet --- Chapter 3-- Part 8

PART * :-- LES DARCY Vs JOE SHAKESPEARE

:- The fight between Les Darcy and Joe Shakespeare was held at night under gaslights in Andrew's Stadium, attracting a crowd of more than a thousand, chiefly miners from Maitland and Cessnock, who showed strong local favoritism in this set to between the Maitland and Cessnock champions. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Since his defeat of Billy Hannan, Les Darcy had become recognised as the Maitland Champion, an unofficial title. The contingent that came by train from Cessnock to cheer Joe Shakespeare were anxious to see how the Maitland boy would shape. in a fight against the battle-toughened Joe. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first two rounds were full of fire as both fighters boxed at high speed and with all their skill to gain an initial advantage. The refere, W. Brien, later stated that Darcy won both those rounds on points. In the third round, a shower of rain fell. As the Stadium had no roof, the spectators and fighters were drenched, but the fight had to go non regardless. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Both fighters were wearing sand-shoes with rubber soles. As Shakespeare sidestepped a punch, his foot slipped on the wet canvas and he fell. Les had not landed any punch to cause the fall. The lad aws worried at this mishap to the much older amn. He rushed in and helped Joe to his feet. The amused spectators at the ringside heard the boy say in a concerned tone of voice, "We must be careful, Mr. Shakespeare. The floor is very slippery, isn't it ??. .. what say we take off our shoes, Joe suggested,........ good idea, Mr. Shakespeare", les agreed. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The shower of rain passed, but the canvas of the ring remained wet and slippery, so the boxers took their shoes off and fought barefoot. --------------------------------------------------------------- In the fourth and fifth rounds, Darcy had his opponents measure. He stopped sparring and began fighting, landing heavy punches with straight lefts to the face followed by right hooks and short left jabs. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the sixth round, Shakespeare fought on gamely in the face of certain defeat. Darcy knocked him down three times. Near the end of the round he was exhausted, and fell, clinging to Darcy's legs, thus bringing Darcy down too. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The gong saved Shakespeare, who was hustled to his corner by his seconds to his corner in a dazed condition. In the seventh round, Darcy moved in and begun punching so briskly that Shakespeares seconds immediately skied the towel, and Darcy was crowned the winner on a T.K.O. the referee stated that Darcy had won every round on points. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This victory gave the Maitland boy the right to meet Billy McNABB, who was regarded as the logical challenger of Bob WHITELAW for the Australian Welterweight Championship. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Billy McNABB, aged twenty-one, was a butcher at Cessnock. He had fiery red hair, and was a nephew of a famous old-time-bare-knuckle-fighter, "Jawbreaker Jim FOGARTY". He had won tournaments at Newcastle against tough opponents. ----------------------------------------------------Jack Andrews put up a purse of 100 pounds for the fight between Les Darcy and Billy McNabb at the Maitland Stadium on Saturday, 25th of October 1913, six days before Darcy's eighteenth birthday

The Billy McNab fight next !!..