Who Do You Think Is Australia's Best Boxers Of All-time

[grayfist]

Geez, all these replies and not one mentions the names of Young Griffo or Les Darcy, which are probably the two most famous Australian fighters in the historical sense of things...

And heck, throw the names of Dave Sands into the mix, as well, and while you're at it add Jimmy Carruthers' name somewhere on a list/ranking of fighters from Australia.

Hi Yogi!

I confess having some reservations about tossing in Young Griffo to the short list of Aussie greatest, but won't really argue against his being put there.

Griffo won a world title (Featherweight) that was only recognized in Britain and Australia.

He was quite a character. He figured in such incidents as:

1. A 70-round non-title fight against Young Pluto that reportedly started at 8pm and ended at 2:00 o'clock dawn!

2. Just hours prior to facing the Irishman "Spider" Weir in Chicago, he was declared missing! The police later located him in what was called a "low dive", drunk! He was hustled to a steam bath and made to stay there until he was just a little sober. Not in any condition for a long night, he trashed Weir from the opening bell and KO'd "Spider" in the third round! If one finds that amazing, then, more amazing is the report that most of the time, Griffo was drunk when he fought! Now, consider that 70-round fight and alcohol...

3. In St. Louis, MO, facing Tom Tracy, Griffo perfunctorily exchanged tentative shots with his opponent in the first round, then, suddently turned around, went to the ropes and made a speech! He said the taxi he took to the arena collided with a streetcar and he became so bruised that he could not continue. Scheduled for 6 rounds, the fight was declared a No Contest, Round 1.

From 1893 on, Griffo fought dozens of times in the US (before that he fought almost exclusively in Australia) but never for a widely accepted world title. He instead earned quite a name for himself with his adventures, another one of which is the story told about his penchant for going into a bar, placing a handkerchief on the floor and challenging anyone to knock him off the kerchief.

It is said that Griffo is the "forgotten genius of boxing". Americans at the time used to call him the "most clever fighter to come to American shores."

Griffo was a natural. He may be the best Australia has produced. If only he had won a world title more widely recognized....

Apologies are in order for overlooking Les Darcy. The oversight cannot be justified by his rather short career and that he only held the Australian version of the World Middleweight title along with the Australian Heavyweight title. Darcy is held in high esteem by boxing experts. He trashed all middleweights who visited Australia to face him.

But with all that said, I add that I view Darcy as a case of "what could have been, more than what really was."

Politics--not only boxing politics-- prevented him from pursuing a career that would have showcased further the type of figher he was--great. He was driven out of Australia by fans who turned against him for his failure to enlist in the Armed Forces for WWI (ala Ali?) He went to the US hidden in the belly of an oil tanker, stayed in New York and tried to get a license to ply his trade. But the NY governor at the time disapproved his application. A US tour put together by Tex Rickard failed to materialize when governors of other states followed NY's example.

Darcy tried to make up, as he took an oath of allegiance to the US and enlisted in the US Army. Weeks later he died. An infected tooth ( Pancho Villa?) His remains were shipped back to Australia and received with mourning.

Darcy is in Canastota.


Jimmy Carruthers (first incarnation) had a four year career, winning both the World Bantamweight crown and the British Empire Bantamweight belt in his first fight vs. South African Vic Toweel by first round KO. His first defense was against the same Toweel. It ended in the 10th.

His second defense was against Pappy Gault, whose best achievement was the North American belt which he defended successfully only once.

Carruther's next and final defense was against the Thai Songkitrat. He won by UD, then retired.

His second incarnation came 7 years later as a Jr. Light- Light; it resulted in a record of 2 wins and 4 losses; three of the 4 losses were in his first three come-back fights.

The middleweight Dave Sands has a first round KO win over Commonwealth and BBBofC titlist Dick Turpin, a decision W over Robert Villemain--a French top contender who had SD loses to Kid Gavilan, Bobo Olson and Jake LaMota and went the distance with the great Sugar Ray Robinson--and two wins by PTS over Hall of Famer Bobo Olson.

Along with having held the Australian middleweight crown, Sands held the AustralAsian LightHeavy and Australian Heavy belts. But he never got a world title.