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Ijarcy took limply rvvt*tiK<« hit«r on. We now come to the d«but m Sydney of thin wonderful boxer. The ".Sportsman" had Iwen commenting on hIH form for dome time and the- attention of miiy Howe, then secretary and | manager of the new club, the Olympic, N'ewtown, was thereby drawn lo th«* lad's achievements, and being himself a Maitland man he was all the more Inclined to give his towney a chance. Ho selected as his opponent the big and powerful London ***, Jack Clarke, ono of the most awkward men to "gef that Another could face. They met at Olympia Club on January 6. 1914. and If ever a man got a Ineinir Clark© did. It was the first time I
had seen Darcy and I was greatly impressed by his natural defence; while he faced his formidable and experienced opponent with an assured smile, worked inside his tremendous swings and ****** him almost at will. Clarke was floored five times m nine rounds and compelled, as a, measure of "safety first," to offer his hand m token of defeat, m the middle of the ninth round.
Tommy Hanley figured that his boy, "Young Hanley," was " just the chap to wallop Darcy, but he was out at the end of the first round, only the bell saving him, and was finally knocked out m the fifth, at Olympia, on January 30. Darcy next met Bob Whitelaw, m a return match, this time at West Maitland, on March 21, 1914, and, never giving him a look-in, the youngster outed the Newcastrian m the fifth round; while McNabb was settled m four, on the 23rd of April following. Strangely enough, the Olympia folk failed to find further employment for the lad, but my constant hammering at them and the Stadium management, on his behalf, at length induced Mr. Harry Keesing. acting m Mr. Baker's absence abroad, to give him a chance. He selected Fritz Holland as his opponent, and the biggest crowd seen m the Stadium since Johnson and Burns met, welcomed the smiling debuntant and his wily foe, on July 18, 1914. Two special trains ran from Maitland and Newcastle, and there was a tremendous hostile demonstration when Harold Baker's verdict went to Holland m one of the closest possible things and after a memorable fight m which Darcy made the pace from bell to bell. Darcy took his defeat manfully, and, Btrangoly enough, he was not asked to appear again, despite his so obvious popularity, till he waa rematohed with Holland on September 12 of the same year. Darcy was winning easily when, m the eighteenth round, be accidentally struck low and lost on a foul. The French middleweight. Knockout Marehand, was his next vis a vis, and Darcy knocked him clean out of | the ring and the fight, m the fifth round, on October 5. The cast-iron faced Gus Christie, specially imported from America, only supplied Les with exercise, though he stayed twenty gruelling r nds, on November 7. On the Boxing iJ>ny following, m Brisbane, after being quarantined, along with his now manager aad tutor — tho first he'd ever had— Dave Smith, and having no training, Darcy beat the Weteh boxersinger. Fred Dyer, on points, after 20 rounds. His first fight m 1915 was on January 23, with the American. Jeff Smith (Jerome Jeffords), Darcy was punishing Smith so severely that the arrant cur ceased to attempt to fight him, devoting his attention entirely to hitting him low, with the intention of losing on a foul. It was so scandalous and obvious to everyone but the referee, Harold Baker, that after protesting and showing the official D&rcy's dented shield, Dave Smith, hi 3 second, refused to allow him to take further risk of injury and threw up the towel while Los sat m his choir, after the fifth round. It was an unwise thing to do, though Dave had ample reason, as it allowed Smith to go about America billed as "the only man who ever knocked out Les Darcy," a He that only too many Yankee papers were only too eager to swallow and perpetuate. That splendid little nugget of hardflghting material, Frank Loughrey, Smith's stable mate, was Darcy's next customer, on February 27. He stood a terriblo beating and was there at the end of tho twenty rounds; but Darcy got all the points, and won without ruffling his hair.
had seen Darcy and I was greatly impressed by his natural defence; while he faced his formidable and experienced opponent with an assured smile, worked inside his tremendous swings and ****** him almost at will. Clarke was floored five times m nine rounds and compelled, as a, measure of "safety first," to offer his hand m token of defeat, m the middle of the ninth round.
Tommy Hanley figured that his boy, "Young Hanley," was " just the chap to wallop Darcy, but he was out at the end of the first round, only the bell saving him, and was finally knocked out m the fifth, at Olympia, on January 30. Darcy next met Bob Whitelaw, m a return match, this time at West Maitland, on March 21, 1914, and, never giving him a look-in, the youngster outed the Newcastrian m the fifth round; while McNabb was settled m four, on the 23rd of April following. Strangely enough, the Olympia folk failed to find further employment for the lad, but my constant hammering at them and the Stadium management, on his behalf, at length induced Mr. Harry Keesing. acting m Mr. Baker's absence abroad, to give him a chance. He selected Fritz Holland as his opponent, and the biggest crowd seen m the Stadium since Johnson and Burns met, welcomed the smiling debuntant and his wily foe, on July 18, 1914. Two special trains ran from Maitland and Newcastle, and there was a tremendous hostile demonstration when Harold Baker's verdict went to Holland m one of the closest possible things and after a memorable fight m which Darcy made the pace from bell to bell. Darcy took his defeat manfully, and, Btrangoly enough, he was not asked to appear again, despite his so obvious popularity, till he waa rematohed with Holland on September 12 of the same year. Darcy was winning easily when, m the eighteenth round, be accidentally struck low and lost on a foul. The French middleweight. Knockout Marehand, was his next vis a vis, and Darcy knocked him clean out of | the ring and the fight, m the fifth round, on October 5. The cast-iron faced Gus Christie, specially imported from America, only supplied Les with exercise, though he stayed twenty gruelling r nds, on November 7. On the Boxing iJ>ny following, m Brisbane, after being quarantined, along with his now manager aad tutor — tho first he'd ever had— Dave Smith, and having no training, Darcy beat the Weteh boxersinger. Fred Dyer, on points, after 20 rounds. His first fight m 1915 was on January 23, with the American. Jeff Smith (Jerome Jeffords), Darcy was punishing Smith so severely that the arrant cur ceased to attempt to fight him, devoting his attention entirely to hitting him low, with the intention of losing on a foul. It was so scandalous and obvious to everyone but the referee, Harold Baker, that after protesting and showing the official D&rcy's dented shield, Dave Smith, hi 3 second, refused to allow him to take further risk of injury and threw up the towel while Los sat m his choir, after the fifth round. It was an unwise thing to do, though Dave had ample reason, as it allowed Smith to go about America billed as "the only man who ever knocked out Les Darcy," a He that only too many Yankee papers were only too eager to swallow and perpetuate. That splendid little nugget of hardflghting material, Frank Loughrey, Smith's stable mate, was Darcy's next customer, on February 27. He stood a terriblo beating and was there at the end of tho twenty rounds; but Darcy got all the points, and won without ruffling his hair.
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