DARCY THE WINNER.

NZ Truth, Issue 510, 27 March 1915, Page 10

DARCY THE WINNER.

Too Fast for Fritz Holland. Enormous Crowd and Great Enthusiasm (By "Boxer-Major.") . . X<es Darcy, the young blacksmith's apprentice, of East Maltland, released from his indentures m order that he might follow his natural bdnt,' the boxing ring, under more advantageous circumstances than ten hours' daily toil and strength-Happing night-train-ing, won the desire of his heart at Rushcutter Bay Stadium, on Saturday, 13th inst. .It was on September 12 last that -the pair met m a return match; and this time Darcy looked a very likely winner till he accidentally struck a foul blow, m the eighteenth round and lost again. He was greatly cut lip at the untoward happening; and had kept the idea of a third match before his mind's eye; and when he became conscious of his great improvement as a boxer since Dave Smith took him m hand, it grew, till his chief wish was to try and make good "with Holland. , It is , quite true that "it is an ill wind that blows nobody any good." The wind that was foul for Mick King blew Darcy into the haven of his desire. King contracted a very heavy cold, and instead of training at Katoomba for a match with Les for the middleweight championship, he had to

lie there, a sick man. So Holland was asked to fill the date with the Maitlar.der. Win or lose it meant a few hundreds added to his bank account, and lie still reckoned that Les was pie for him. The Stadium, owing to the young Maitlander's popularity both as a fighter and a man, was filled when Darcy and Holland put up their daddies for the third time m opposition. There was again a large delegation from the Hunter districts, and they greatly helped to fill the ten bob chairs around the ring. Darcy's weight was list 3% lbs; Hollands 1 weight was list 3% lbs. Mr. Harald Baker was referee. : It was made evident from the start that Holland intended to try and fluster him and knock him out m short order. They had hardly dropped into position ere the Californian shot a stiff left to the nose and a right follower, a very heavy- punch landed on the cheek and eye, reddening the skin and making Les blink. Les rushed to get even, but Fritz danced m and out and from side to side before him m a way calculated to make a cooler boxer than Les Darcy get wild and lose command of himself, but, after finding that he was only beating the air, he got on to Holland's curves, and coolly blocked several terrific right leads at the jaw, intended, any, of them, to end the quarrel. Finding " the guard upstairs impervious, Holland smashed a terrible rigth to the short ribs, and got away without a return, on those elastic shanks of his. Les followed, raining blows at the grinning, bobbing head. Parted at centre, Holland twice threw the right, with all his heart and muscle, at the jaw, and twice Darcy neatly back-moved it. Holland went intd a clinch and Darcy was digging both hands into . him when the bell rang. The round was Holland's. Darcy, counselled by Dave Smith to control himself and not try to mow so clever a man off the stage, fought with veteran judgment m the second round. He waited his chance, and took openings with the speed of light; with the consequence that he clearly placed the second and third rounds to his credit. Tho fourth and fifth were about even, but Les won the sixth by a big margin. Holland evidently felt that the boy was going away from him; and he also recognised that the terrible heat was affecting his stamina; so he set about to make the best of it while it lasted. He made the seventh very fast indeed, and as Darcy. met him' whole-heartedly it sure was ' a ripsnorter, and Holland sat down the winner of that session. f Up to now there had been see-saw to it; but from the eighth Darcy won every round but the fourteenth, which was even. In the /eleventh the Honeßt Blacksmith' gave the man from the Golden State a torrid time, and Holland sat down looking very tired and limp. From that till the end, bar the even fourteenth, \Darcy was always a winner. He fought with steady perslsti ence and perfect self-control. His best scoring punch was a stiff left hook, and his straight left to the dial w.asn't far behind. .

The twentieth had a sharp spice of sensationalism. Throughout the whole trouble no claret had been spilled, if we except what Holland blew from his nose or spat out with the water, m his chair. But the last round had not been m action twenty-five seconds before a violent butt from Holland's head opened the old cut on Darcy's left eyebone, and the ruby ran into his eye and down his face and neck m streams.

He only smiled, however, and fought the harder, as he had throughout whenever hit hard, and Holland was dead tired when, at the end of around during whioh he had manfully endured heavy punishment, the referee placed his hand on Darcy's head, acclaiming him victor. The cheering was tremendous, prolonged, and unanimous.