Slow down. Take a deep breath.

That's what I constantly felt like telling PeterFitzSimons as I went through this book. It all feels so rushed.

Of course, Les Darcy was rushed himself. A child of a large Catholic family in Australia, he started boxing serious at age fifteen, was probably the best in Australia within five years, by 1916 was looking for a way to get to America to fight even though World War I was raging, managed to get there by sneaking out of Australia on a freight-carrier, couldn't manage to arrange a fight in America, and died of disease in Memphis in May 1917.

Before he died, his patriotism was questioned, because he didn't volunteer for the Australian army -- but after his death, he became an Australian hero. There were several books, and at least a couple of songs, including one that made it pretty firmly into Australian tradition ("In Maitland cemet'ry Lies poor Les Darcy"). It was the song that got me interested -- I assure you I am not interested in boxing!

Darcy's early death raised two questions: What did he die of (he was only about 22, after all!), and just how good was he? The Darcy song claims the Americans poisoned him because he was too good and would beat anyone he faced. In fact, he seems to have died of pneumonia and sepsis, which came about because of an injury he took in a bout before he flew to Australia. And we really don't know how good he was, because he had few opportunities to fight the world's best boxers -- but the fact that he occasionally had trouble with lesser mortals makes it unlikely that he was in fact the world's best.

This book doesn't go to the extremes of the folk songs (e.g. it accepts the American death certificate), but it's always pumping up Les, the friendly, guileless kid who just wanted to beat the stuffing out of people. (And marry his girlfriend Winnie O'Sullivan, even though they were both very young.) The picture it paints is, frankly, of a rather foolish young man with fast fists. Is that right? Once again, I don't know, because it's all so breathless.

I don't know if a true biography of Darcy can be written at this date. Everyone who knew him is dead, and most of those who wrote things about him were Darcy fans; it's hard to find balance. This seems like a panegyric. (At least it's a readable one.) But it also left me constantly wanting to shake sense into Darcy. A very peculiar mix -- but at least better than the folk songs. ( )

A good telling re his relationship with his mother, girlfriend, trainers & managers. The politics of the time re the war, its slaughter his loosing of his best mates. a great fighter who thru no fault of his own didn't get a chance to be world champion. ( )

Sad tale of the gifted boxer who became famous at the same time as the conscription debate of 1915. He wanted to box on for a while, including in America, to financially set up his family, but became the target of abuse for not volunteering for service – white feathers and all. He stowed away for America, but was prevented from boxing by influence from Australia. He died in Memphis, at 21, of septicaemia – no antibiotics! Read November 2007 ( )