BoxRec

Two tragic events in the Sixties were body blows to the sport of boxing.
The most significant one was the loss of Benny Kid Paret in his welterweight title fight
with Emile Griffith. This sad tragedy was remembered in the outstanding documentary
"Ring of Fire - The Emile Griffith Story".

The other tragedy was the unfortunate death of Ohio's world featherweight champion
Davey Moore in the title bout with Sugar Ramos in 1963.

However tragic deaths outside the ring have been the case of numerous champions and contenders young and old such as Rocky Marciano,Eddie Machen, Zora Folley, Freddie Mills, Battling Siki, Randy Turpin, Stanley Ketchell, Billy Papke, Harry Greb, Tiger Flowers, Marcel Cerdan, Al (Bummy) Davis, Pancho Villa, Les Darcy, Billy Miske, Young Stribling and many more.

The sad demise of Les Darcy is an Australian and an American tragedy. Sadly, there are many cases of persecution that leads the victim down that dark road of despair. :idea:

How was Les Darcy perceived in the USA ?

Here in Aiustralia, even today, he is greatly respected and martyrd.
He is one of those guys here that many remember fondly and talk
about with such pride, as though he stood to represent the spirit of
a young Australia.

Australia by that stage had a few top fighters on the international
scene, none capturing Australia's heart as much as Darcy did. I think
defecting to the USA really hurt many here, especially as he refused to
enlist and fight in the Great War. Enlisting in the USA did little to
erase this hurt. His death made many of his critics hang their heads
in sorrow and shame that they thought so badly of Darcy.

He was so young, so talented, but dying when he did makes his legacy
perhaps all that greater. "He could have been" is always easier to realise
than looking at "what was".

Robinson wrote:How was Les Darcy perceived in the USA ?

Here in Aiustralia, even today, he is greatly respected and martyrd.
He is one of those guys here that many remember fondly and talk
about with such pride, as though he stood to represent the spirit of
a young Australia.

Australia by that stage had a few top fighters on the international
scene, none capturing Australia's heart as much as Darcy did. I think
defecting to the USA really hurt many here, especially as he refused to
enlist and fight in the Great War. Enlisting in the USA did little to
erase this hurt. His death made many of his critics hang their heads
in sorrow and shame that they thought so badly of Darcy.

He was so young, so talented, but dying when he did makes his legacy
perhaps all that greater. "He could have been" is always easier to realise
than looking at "what was".

Well, the fact is Darcy tried to enlist in Australia a number of times, but the British Army turned him down due to his impaired vision.

Bill Stern's wrote it well in his "Favourite Stories", published by Blue Ribbon Books, New York,
1949. Copyrite, Mac Davis 1948:

"Les Darcy was a victim of harsh and hasty criticism because he stood
so far above the common man and made so tempting a target".

RING related deaths:

A quick review of ring deaths reveals there are two basic types. The first are accidents.
In my opinion the deaths of Davey Moore and Jimmy Doyle should be placed in the accident
column.

Then there are those deaths that should never have happened if there were approprite
procedures to minimize the risk based on the facts and the approprite control procedures in place. Three significant cases that fall into this type would include the deaths of
Lavern Roach, Benny Paret and Ernie Schaff.

Although Georgie Small, Emile Griffith, and Primo Carnera were the competition in those
tragic bouts. It is necessary to step back in time to review the results of the
Lavern Roach - Marcel Cerdan, Benny Paret - Gene Fullmer, and Ernie Schaff - Max Baer bouts,
Based on the time factor, the Geogie Small - Lavern Roach situation based on the Cerdan bout
is less convincing, but should be considered due to the beating Roach suffered at the hands
of Cerdan,

A river of tears, teardrop by lonely teardrop, can never wash away the sorrow for the lost
boxers and the crushed hopes wishes and dreams, but we can remember the loss of the boxers,
the sorrow of the families, and the shadow of hurt hanging over Small, Griffith and Carnera.

Where were the doctors, referees, and cornermen during the initial bouts ,
where were the managers,
doctors, commission members, and fight fans in the interim between the end of the first
bouts to the start of the fatal three bouts that destroyed more than three young lives.
And, in the fatal bouts, where were the officials and the cornermen, or the ringside
doctor. Where was the voice of the fans when Benny Paret was helpless on the ropes.
And where was the dignity and respect for Georgie, Emile and Primo in the days and years that followed. How much internal and emotional hurt was suffered by Georgie Small and Emile Griffith. :idea: :?? :>

We now have a documentary for Emile, but what was there for Georgie Small
except a free pass for the road to obscurity.

Going back to the 1980's there were critics concerning the deaths of Cleveland Denny and
Johnny Owen. Of interest there were critics of Robert o Duran when he quit in the Leonard fight.

Looking back to one of my Sound Off comments in "International Boxing, April 1981
- page 12:

"The boxing critics are using a two-edged sword to put the knock on boxing.
The deaths of Cleveland Denny, Johnny Owen and others in 1980 has brought
a wave of protest over the brutal nature of the sport. Likewise, the critics are
protesting the conduct of Roberto Duran, who quit in his fight with Ray Leonard.

In my opinion, the boxing critics and fans should work in harmony and cooperation
to solve the critical problems rather than dwell on the Duran case. Better for Duran
to quit like other great champions like Willie Pep and Marcel Cerdan than to be
carried out of the ring like Benny Paret and Davey Moore.

The main goal should be to adopt rules that will ensure the safety of the boxers.
These rules should be standardized and enforced world-wide" - Brian Zelley.

For those that may not remember, Denny died from a bout with Gaetan Hart
in Montreal, Canada in 1980.

Zelley wrote:RING related deaths:

A quick review of ring deaths reveals there are two basic types. The first are accidents.
In my opinion the deaths of Davey Moore and Jimmy Doyle should be placed in the accident
column.

Then there are those deaths that should never have happened if there were approprite
procedures to minimize the risk based on the facts and the approprite control procedures in place. Three significant cases that fall into this type would include the deaths of
Lavern Roach, Benny Paret and Ernie Schaff.

Although Georgie Small, Emile Griffith, and Primo Carnera were the competition in those
tragic bouts. It is necessary to step back in time to review the results of the
Lavern Roach - Marcel Cerdan, Benny Paret - Gene Fullmer, and Ernie Schaff - Max Baer bouts,
Based on the time factor, the Geogie Small - Lavern Roach situation based on the Cerdan bout
is less convincing, but should be considered due to the beating Roach suffered at the hands
of Cerdan,

A river of tears, teardrop by lonely teardrop, can never wash away the sorrow for the lost
boxers and the crushed hopes wishes and dreams, but we can remember the loss of the boxers,
the sorrow of the families, and the shadow of hurt hanging over Small, Griffith and Carnera.

Where were the doctors, referees, and cornermen during the initial bouts ,
where were the managers,
doctors, commission members, and fight fans in the interim between the end of the first
bouts to the start of the fatal three bouts that destroyed more than three young lives.
And, in the fatal bouts, where were the officials and the cornermen, or the ringside
doctor. Where was the voice of the fans when Benny Paret was helpless on the ropes.
And where was the dignity and respect for Georgie, Emile and Primo in the days and years that followed. How much internal and emotional hurt was suffered by Georgie Small and Emile Griffith. :idea: :?? :>

We now have a documentary for Emile, but what was there for Georgie Small
except a free pass for the road to obscurity.

Excellent post

Les Darcy could not legally enlist on his own because of his age. At the time he couldnt enlist without his mothers permission. He made a hollow attempt to enlist knowing that his mother would not allow it and his request was quickly denied. Knowing that Darcy wanted to go to America to make his fortune the public felt he was leading them on as far as joing the war effort was concerned and their suspicions were confirmed when 4 days before his 21st birthday (when he was expected to legally join the military) he and E.T. O'Sullivan stowed away aboard a steamer in Newcastle and headed for the USA (which still was not involved in the war) where he wanted to make bigger purses. He was branded a coward at home and very quickly this sentiment spread to the USA. When the initial excitement over his arrival faded Darcy found himself blacklisted and unable to get the fights he wanted. He was matched numerous times for different fights but none came through. Some of the fights Darcy was asking far too much money for and some the promoters could not get approval to allow a "deserter" to fight in the state. In early April of 1917 the USA declares war on Germany. Seeing that he would not get a fight without joining the war effort Darcy joins the fledgling flying corps and very quickly had a fight scheduled by memphis promoter Billy Haack to face Len Rowlands. Hardly the auspicious premiere bout he had desired but it was a fight none the less. Shortly thereafter Darcy collapsed while training from the effects of an infected tooth. The infection had spread throughout his body causing sepsis. Darcy lingered for a month before finally dying in a Memphis hospital. His body was taken to San Francisco where it was met with a massive audience. The press which had so recently attacked Darcy now hypocritically turned and mourned him. When his body arrived in Australia it was greeted there by a massive throng which now, instead of chastising him as a slacker, greeted him as a fallen tragic hero. In truth Darcy seems to have been somewhat naive and selfish. He was already providing a nice income for his family when he fled the country and no doubt would have continued to do so while in the service. Instead he chose to flee to a neutral country to try to make much more money than he ever had. It was terrible miscalculation on his part.

Here's a bit longer article about Les Darcy:

http://www.sportsbar.net.au/les-darcy-boxing/

Then there was the case of Oscar Bonavena. From the mid-Sixties to the mid-Seventies,
Oscar was an interesting fighter with wins over the likes of Tom McNeely, and George Chuvalo,
but losses to the likes of Zora Folley, Joe Frazier, Jimmy Ellis, and Floyd Patterson.

Grant wrote:

Zelley wrote:RING related deaths:


Then there are those deaths that should never have happened if there were approprite
procedures to minimize the risk based on the facts and the approprite control procedures in place. Three significant cases that fall into this type would include the deaths of
Lavern Roach, Benny Paret and Ernie Schaff.

Although Georgie Small, Emile Griffith, and Primo Carnera were the competition in those
tragic bouts. It is necessary to step back in time to review the results of the
Lavern Roach - Marcel Cerdan, Benny Paret - Gene Fullmer, and Ernie Schaff - Max Baer bouts,
Based on the time factor, the Geogie Small - Lavern Roach situation based on the Cerdan bout
is less convincing, but should be considered due to the beating Roach suffered at the hands
of Cerdan,

A river of tears, teardrop by lonely teardrop, can never wash away the sorrow for the lost
boxers and the crushed hopes wishes and dreams, but we can remember the loss of the boxers,
the sorrow of the families, and the shadow of hurt hanging over Small, Griffith and Carnera.

Excellent post

As a follow-up, regarding Georgie Small, I looked through some dusty old boxing magazines
that have been hidden away for 20 plus years, and found an article on Georgie Small.
It appeared in a 1963 edition "Boxing Yearbook" published by "True Magazine".
(it was a reprint from "TRUE", Copyrite 1961, Fawcett Publications Inc. snd titled
"The Bitter End Of The Brownsville Banger") by Jimmy Breslin.

Of interest, the 1963 yearbook also featured a post Benny Kid Paret article on
Emile Griffith called "Emile Griffith comes back fighting" by Barry Gottehrer
The article was primarily about his "comeback fight" with Ralph Dupas.

For historical purposes, some of the other articles focused on "Patterson vs Liston',
Carlos Ortiz, Wilbert (Skeeter) McClure, Cassius Clay, Eddie Machen, Joey Giardello,
Harold Johnson and Gene Tunney, and a recap and predictions for all divisions.

Zelley wrote:Two tragic events in the Sixties were body blows to the sport of boxing.
The most significant one was the loss of Benny Kid Paret in his welterweight title fight
with Emile Griffith. This sad tragedy was remembered in the outstanding documentary
"Ring of Fire - The Emile Griffith Story".

Sadly, there's an endless list of deaths caused directly or indirectly as a result of boxing.

Sadder still is the fact that many could have been avoided.

The Benny Paret KO and subsequent death could in my view be blamed to some extent on poor refereeing. Watch the fight footage and tell me how many times you would have stopped that fight prior to its actual ending. What was that referee thinking? Was he thinking at all??

COULDHAVEBEEN wrote:

Zelley wrote:Two tragic events in the Sixties were body blows to the sport of boxing.
The most significant one was the loss of Benny Kid Paret in his welterweight title fight
with Emile Griffith. This sad tragedy was remembered in the outstanding documentary
"Ring of Fire - The Emile Griffith Story".

The Benny Paret KO and subsequent death could in my view be blamed to some extent on poor refereeing. Watch the fight footage and tell me how many times you would have stopped that fight prior to its actual ending. What was that referee thinking? Was he thinking at all??

With the Paret death there is lots of blame to go around including the promoters, Paret's
management, the referee, and others. If he hadn't have died following the Griffith fight,
his story was still a tragedy waiting to happen following the Gene Fullmer bout.
It is a common thread in many tragic cases where the fighters receives a one-sided beating
only to jump back into the ring after a short time period to have their "Last Farewell".

Tragedy and death permeated Bud Taylor's boxing career (1920-1931). Frankie Jerome died after a fight with him in 1924 in Madison Square Garden, then Clever Sencio died after fight with Taylor in 1926 in Milwaukee. These deaths were not only tragic for the family and friends of the deceased, but took a toll on Taylor by his own self-destructive acts later in his career, and perhaps, in his retirement. Taylor had not met Jerome before their fight, but he knew what a likable guy he was. Taylor did indeed know Sencio beforehand, and he liked him. Both these fights were long, brutal ones that went in to the later rounds, and it's hard to say without seeing film whether the refs can be blamed for not stopping them. I wrote the recent book on Taylor, and my own inclination is, from the news accounts, the refs were not to blame. In both instances, one of the very qualities that made Jerome and Sencio successful - the ability to take enormous amounts of punishment and still fight -- led to their deaths.

1980 USA Boxing Team

One of the most tragic boxing stories is the case of the 1980 Airplane Crash that killed most members of the team such coach Sarge Johnson.
one of the recognized names was Paul Palomino. Others included
George Pimentel, Calvin Anderson and Steeples.

Two MEMBERS OF THE TEAM THAT were not on the plane included Johnny Bumphus and Bobby Czyz.

For USA Amateur Boxing it was the first of two knockout blows. The second was the USA 1980 boycott of the Moscow Games over
Afghanistan. And look at us now, the USA, Canada and other countries
are tangled-up in Afghanistan.

HOLMAN WILLIAMS died as a result of a fire.

Considered by some to be one of the "uncrowned champions".

If you look at the record of Jake LaMotta for 1946 it shows a 10 round decision over Williams, but according to some the decision resulted in a riot.

Holman died in Ohio in 1967.

it has been awhile since we touched on the losses.

Not mentioned yet that added to a sense of confusion about boxings future in the 1960s was the death of Alejandro Lavorente.