MICK DOOLEY’S CAREER

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 9 March 1935, Page 13

MICK DOOLEY’S CAREER

DEFEATED 808 FITZSIMMONS

PASSING OF “BERT” OLDS

GRAND SWIMMING INSTRUCTOR

(By “Physical Culturist.”)

Mick Dooley, whose death at Perth at the ripe age of 76 is recorded, was probably the most scientific heavyweight boxer, or more particularly speaking, “bare-fist” fighter the world has ever seen. Tall any rangy, weighing list 121bs, he was just too heavy for a middle-weight and too light for a heavy. In those days there was no such thing as a welter and all above middle fought all above that weight, sometimes against almost the size ot Carnera. When I say that Dooley de-

feated Fitzsimmons four times, and among his victories was a knock-out over the “Freckled Freak,” it may be taken for granted he was scientific. The following is what the “Auckland Star” has to say: “Mick Dooley, who died at Perth on February 13, aged 76, was one of the

• outstanding pugilists of last century. He was never beaten with bare fists. “What made his record all the more remarkable was that he was slim and light, and that almost invariably he had to concede a big weight handicap. Despite his physical inferiority, Dooley | carried the punch of a real heavyweight. A noted early feat was to stop in two rounds Jim Fogarty, (known as the ‘jaw-breaker.’

“When Peter Jackson left Australia, F. P. . Slavin claimed the title, and ; one of his first challengers was Dooley. Weighing only 11.8, he gave Slavin a boxing lesson for nine rounds, but could not concede 161 b, and experience, and was beaten in the tenth. Nearly two years later Dooley was stopped in two. “One of Dodley’s best efforts was to stand up to the much heavier and stronger Joe Goddard, the man who twice stopped Choynski in four rounds. Four months later, at Melbourne, however, Goddard did the trick in

g seven. “The title came to Dooley after t Slavin and Goddard had left Austral lia. Although far from his previous : condition, he beat Peter Felix and Bill * Doherty in 1896. Three years later . Doherty won the title from him in ’ | West Australia, only to lose it in s. _ return; but at Sydney, in. 1960, Doherty once more triumphed, and Dooley t dropped out of the picture.” t It was Dooley whom I had in my mind’s eye when I wrote to the late W. F. Corbett in 1903 and left it to * his judgment to send me whom he thought best, which negotiations finally ended in him sending Jack Fuller across, and to his influence this Coast owes its science at the present ’ day. Jack was a god teacher of boxing. In fact, if Dooley had come ' across it is doubtful if he would have achieved better results, good teacher and all as he was. While on the subject of boxing I regret that Fred Olds, “Sou” Diego’s popular swimming instructor, has passed away. “Bert” was the father of Buster Olds, California’s swimming | prodigy. Bert was the custodian in charge of the public baths in Wanganui at the time of Dick Cavill and Freddy Lane's visit to Wanganui, when Cavill introduced the crawl stroke, swimming half a mile in what was then a record time. Bert Olds then took up diving, at which he became an expert, after which he took over the custodianship of the Dunedin tepid baths, where he taught many to swim. He was not only a swimmer, but also a keen physical culturist and a fair boxer, and what is more, had plenty of pluck. 1 fancy I see him now fighting Bobby Marks for the light-weight championship at the first annual championship meeting of this Coast, held at Wanganui. If ever a man was “punch drunk,” Bert was that night, as he staggered about the ring. While he had a leg to stand upon ho wouldn’t give in, but Marks had an easy wm. However, the audience was with Olds, who showed such pluck. Olds never forgot that he was a New Zealanders. Stan Lay told me that he met Bert at Hamilton, Ontario, and was congratulated by him : when he won the javelin championship of the British Empire Games. Now ' he will teach no more. *