BoxRec

Mick King once held the Australian version of the world middleweight title, according to at least one source. According to a death register, a former professional boxer named Joseph Wakefield Kent died at the age of 55 on March 20, 1949 in a mental hospital located in Orange, New South Wales, Australia. As a professional boxer, Kent fought as "Michael King." More information about this find can be found on Mick King's BoxRec page.

- Chuck Johnston

The line in the biography: King died circa early 1924 in the Antipodes of injuries received after being knocked out in a bout. Exact date, location and opponent unknown. may be an error as a later entry states: According to a death register, one Joseph Wakefield Kent died at the age of 55 on March 20, 1949 in a mental hospital located in Orange, New South Wales, Australia. He was known as "Michael King" .

By co-incidence, the Bloomfield Hospital, also known as Orange Mental Hospital was opened in 1924 (the date of King's supposed death). The hospital was established as one of three major mental hospitals to service rural New South Wales, and was designed as a village where patients could live and work in a therapeutic environment.

A "Google" search of boxing deaths in Australia during 1924 (and there were a few), turned up a nil result.

This is shaping up as a mystery I might have to buy into. On the job now. Will get back if I manage to find something

Great work there Chuck. Never knew Mick King was a ring name.

I never could understand how a fairly well-known boxer like Mick King could pass away virtually unnoticed in a sparsely populated country such as Australia, which also was a place where boxing was popular. Besides searching for information on the Ancestry.com website, I also looked at old Australian newspapers in digital form on the Trove website. I found that King was staying in a mental hospital or home during the middle 1920s. In fact, a Mick King Fund was set up so that items could be purchased for his use. In addition, one item also listed the days and hours that people could visit him.

It appears there is a birth record which shows that Joseph Wakefield-Kent was born on June 24, 1892 in "Newtown Sydney."

In 1949, an Australian psychiatrist named John Cade played an important part in making Lithium a widely used psychiatric drug for the treatment of bipolar disorder. It is regarded as one of the first successful us of a drug to treat a mental illness. Not afterwards, quite a number of medications were developed for other mental illnesses, notably schizophrenia. This resulted in many people being able to leave mental institutions. As a result, there are far less people living in mental institutions in many countries at the present time than there were during the 1950s. Many mental institutions were shut down due to the dramatic decrease.

- Chuck Johnston

Chuck1052 wrote:I never could understand how a fairly well-known boxer like Mick King could pass away virtually unnoticed in a sparsely populated country such as Australia, which also was a place where boxing was popular. Besides searching for information on the Ancestry.com website, I also looked at old Australian newspapers in digital form on the Trove website. I found that King was staying in a mental hospital or home during the middle 1920s. In fact, a Mick King Fund was set up so that items could be purchased for his use. In addition, one item also listed the days and hours that people could visit him.

It appears there is a birth record which shows that Joseph Wakefield-Kent was born on June 24, 1892 in "Newtown Sydney."

In 1949, an Australian psychiatrist named John Cade played an important part in making Lithium a widely used psychiatric drug for the treatment of bipolar disorder. It is regarded as one of the first successful us of a drug to treat a mental illness. Not afterwards, quite a number of medications were developed for other mental illnesses, notably schizophrenia. This resulted in many people being able to leave mental institutions. As a result, there are far less people living in mental institutions in many countries at the present time than there were during the 1950s. Many mental institutions were shut down due to the dramatic decrease.

- Chuck Johnston

I for one appreciate the research you've put into this Chuck. Very interesting.

While for a brief period King may have been quite well known, im not sure if he was ever considered a top draw card. He was part of the "Australian Invasion" of the USA in the early 1900's and im not sure he even fought here after returning. Combined with the depression im not surprised flew under the radar in his later years.... its nice to see a charity set up for him though.

Even in modern times its his association with Darcy, in which his name seems to appear the most. Its great to see his story mentioned in a broader context.

Cheers mate.

Through Ancestry.com, I was able to contact a person, Rhonda Stanley, in regards to her genealogical research of Joseph (Mick King ) Wakefield Kent. In her message, Stanley told me that her great-grandfather was the brother of Mick King's mother (her maiden name was Mary Ann Lucy Meehan). In addition, she found in the newspapers that Mick King had got into trouble with the law quite a number of times. She felt that his possible brain damage could have resulted in him getting into trouble.

While looking at old Australian newspapers on the Trove website, I found news items about Mick King being tried, convicted and fined in the Sydney Water Police Court during July 1917 for leaving Australia in an unauthorized manner to go to the United States. Since King had been in the United States for a number of months at the time that the news items appeared in the Australian newspapers, he must've been tried in absentia. Les Darcy also was under a cloud for leaving Australia in an unauthorized manner to go to the United States. But unlike Darcy, King was able to fight in bouts in the United States. It could be King was flying under the radar compared to Darcy, who garnered an incredible amount of publicity in the U.S., much more than King.

When discussing Australian boxing scene of the middle 1910s, the subject of Darcy seems to suck all of oxygen out of the room. Yet there are some other fascinating Australian boxing figures of that time. While Snowy Baker may not had the most admirable practices as the foremost Australian boxing promoter of his time, what a fascinating life he had. I have a biography of Baker. While being only mediocre as a professional boxer, Harold Hardwick won several medals as a swimmer in the 1912 Olympics and excelled in rugby. In addition, Hardwick served in the Australian military forces during both World Wars, eventually rising to the rank of Colonel.

- Chuck Johnston

Once again nice work Chuck. I must admit i had a quick poke around the Trove papers when you started this thread and saw next to nothing after 1920 odd. I must learn how to use that site a little better.

You are correct about that period, it is incredibly interesting and some very good fighters floating about. Aside from being incredibly popular, Darcy's story had all the hallmarks to make Australian. folklore... a hero... a villain... triumph... tragedy.... success.... betrayal... and ultimately death. His story will continue to get told to future generations.

Much like Hardwick, Arthur Cripps also joined the great war where he was quite badly wounded. Colin Bell "The Moree Mountain" was quite multi talented in athletics and when he took up boxing Larry Foley, who was no longer taking students, came out of retirement to make him his final protege.

Some very good smaller guys floating about too.... Jimmy Hill, Bert Spargo, Herb McCoy, a little later Billy Grime. Had some very good imports too Eugene Criqui, Llew Edwards, "Hop" Harry Stone.