Lester Ellis – Runnerboy22

Darcy Ritchie – One that got away

As a youngster growing up in Shepparton, I had heard many a Goulburn Valley sports fan describe Darcy Ritchie as a great boxer.

While researching this article what became clear, was not just how good he was but how good he could have been.

Naturally funny, light-hearted and as tough a concrete, Ritchie had a stellar career.

With a record of 26 wins, five losses and three draws across three decades as a professional fighter, he is widely considered as someone who should have won a world title.

Former super featherweight world champion Barry Micheal described the ex-Shepparton fighter as one of the best fighters he has ever faced in the ring. Not that they actually fought against each other but they sparred hundreds of rounds together.

“If I was sparring Darcy and I threw a left hook, he could actually catch the punch and hit me straight down the middle with a right hand before I could bring my left back to my face”, he said.

“No other fighter in the world, including Lester Ellis could hit me with that punch. He was super quick and it’s a shame he didn’t take the next step as he was as good as anyone I have seen”.

Frank Ropis, another of Australia’s boxing greats described being personally hurt that the aboriginal boy from country Victoria didn’t get the title he deserved.

“He is the first bloke you would want in the trenches with you, he is very selfless and just a champion guy”, he said.

“He had amazing reflexes and looked as if he had all the time in the world, it was just a joy to watch him fight. If they had of taken him over the America he would have blitzed them”.

High praise from two of Australia’s all-time greats, throwing weight behind the argument that in many ways, Darcy Ritchie was the one that got away.

Born in Shepparton in 1955 he was abandoned by his mother as a baby and his father died of a brain haemorrhage when he was nine years old, leaving him to be raised by his grandparents.

“I didn’t know my mother and I only knew my dad when I was really young. He fought in the boxing tents a lot, Ritchie said.

“When I started fighting as a professional, blokes would say I wasn’t as good as my father and I agreed with them”.

“Although I haven’t lived in Shepparton for 25 years but I have good memories of the town and I owe my grandparents everything”.

Now 62 years old and working for a council somewhere between Rockhampton and Alive springs, his early memories of boxing include him watching his father in the tents and seeing boxing on television.

“I like bike racing initially but at about 16 years of age boxing took my fancy”, he said.

With his mates playing football for Lemnos or Shepparton United in the Goulburn Valley Football League, he convinced local lightweight champion Max Carlos to teach him the finer points of the sweet science.

Max Carlos was a local boxing legend. The 1956 Olympian was well known for his three legendary fights against the great George Bracken in the 1950s.

“Max trained me for months and months before he even let me spar in the ring. He was a perfectionist. He taught me how to hit and not be hit and was the reason I did ok as a fighter, he said.

Fighting only seven amateur fights he turned to the professional ranks after being “robbed” in the senior state championships fighting as a junior.

“Max taught me too well, I was fighting like a pro and the officials didn’t like it, so I turned professional”, he remembered.

“I even had to get permission from my grandparents because I was under the legal age to fight professionally”.

Turning to pro boxing in 1971, he remained undefeated for 23 straight fights over 13 years, and played a major part in a boxing institution of the time, TV Ringside.

From 1966 through to 1975 TV Ringside was broadcast on channel seven from festival Hall in West Melbourne every Monday night.

“Boxing was big back then. There were a lot of fighters around and you really had to fight your way to the top, Ritchie said.

“I didn’t have a driver’s license and I was living and working in Shepparton at the time. My old pop would pick me up at work on Monday lunchtime and take me out to the drive in and I would hitch a ride to Melbourne to fight that evening”.

“Pop would write down the registration number of the car that picked me up and Max Carlos bought me back that night. I was back at work in Shepparton the next morning”.

In typical Carlos style, Ritchie was said to have a water tight defence and a toughness that couldn’t be taught.

Carlos declared to fight fans at the time that Ritchie had more natural ability than Rocky Mattioli, who won a world middleweight title.

After leaving the Goulburn Valley and Carlos, Ritchie trained with Reg Johnson in Preston. He eventually moved back to Shepparton and worked with Ray Styles. He also conceded he also had 300 tent fights just to earn an extra quid.

“I fought all the best fighters of the time when I could actually get them in the ring”, Ritchie said.

“I sparred with Lester Ellis, Barry Micheal, Rocky Mattiolli and Hector Thompson. I didn’t have any problems with them”.

“I retired a few times because nobody wanted to fight me. I got sick of it. It wasn’t just small time fighters that avoided me, fighters like Baby Cassius Austin, Frank Ropis and Russell Sands all pulled out of Australian title fights with me, often only a day or two before the fight”.

Former journalist Noel Hussey remembers Ritchie having to take fights against bigger opponents towards the end of his career just to get a pay day.

“He called it quits a few times because he just couldn’t get anyone into the ring”, Hussey said.

“He spent months training for a fight only for the opponent to pull out. I remember him being bitterly disappointed with the sport at stages throughout his career.

As far as titles Ritchie laughs about the time he “won” the Victorian welterweight title.

“The officials came up to Shepparton and gave me a trophy. I didn’t even fight for it because they couldn’t get anybody to fight me. What a joke, so I threw the trophy in the Goulburn River”.

Hampered by a lack of fights in the ring Ritchie was also dogged by problems outside the ring that took him from the sporting back pages, to the front page.

Two stints in prison and numerous “runs ins” with the law added to the frustration of a career that could have gone anywhere.

“I got 44 months jail somewhere between 1985 and 1990 but I ended up only doing 28 months”, he said.

“I went to jail for stealing. We took a safe from a jewellery shop in Melbourne and strangely enough the police pulled us over and we got in a bit of trouble.

“I also went to prison for another smaller offence and yes I admit, I did have my troubles with the law over the years.

“I look back on it all and my only regret is for the people I may have hurt on the way through but most of it I wouldn’t change, even going to prison. I made some good friends in prison. A lot of the prisoners knew me from TV Ringside.

“I ended up becoming mates with a guy by the name of Mark Read, better known as ‘Chopper’. He was a funny bloke and he still had his ears in those days”, he laughed.

Touted as one of Australia’s best boxers, Richie sees only the positives. in a career that didn’t quite reach the heights that others expected.

“I have done ok with my career and do you know what, I would change anything”, he said. “I would do it all the same again if I had the chance”.

“I didn’t win an Australian title, but I am not punch drunk and broke like a lot of ex- fighters who did a lot better than I did. I am broke but at least you can talk to me”, he said matter- of- factly.

“I don’t live for the fight game anymore, in fact there is nothing related to boxing in my house – no photos, no gloves, nothing”.

“I look forward now and its one of the reasons I don’t go to the fights anymore, I don’t want to talk about the past. I live for now, the past is past”, he adds with no hint of bitterness.

Retiring from the fight game in 1994, and with plenty of funny stories to tell, the larrikin Ritchie now watches the career of his son from afar.

Now 15 wins with only one defeat, Dwight Ritchie is a star on the rise.

“He’s a good boxer, he still needs some work but with time he could win a big title”, Darcy Ritchie said.

“I hope he stays out of trouble, works hard and with a bit of luck maybe he can win the title I couldn’t.

My advice to him though is make sure he keeps a job and gets a trade away from the ring because it’s a tough sport and not many make it”.

Boxing Observations and Andy Broome

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I love boxing but I have never boxed a ‘round’ in my life. To those that have, I am nothing more than a groupie.

On refection, I probably enjoy the sport simply because I couldn’t do it. You could say that it’s not ‘in me’.

I would win a fight by the length of the straight. I laugh about it now, reminding myself that athletics was more my go anyway.

This may sound strange but I wish I did have it ‘in me’. I wished I was as tough as the blokes that stepped in the squared ring. Tough enough to train hard, tough enough to take a punch and tough enough to come back from it.

When it’s all boiled down, I liked the physical, brutal application of man versus man. A physical toughness that you either have, or you don’t.

Boxing doyen Gus Mercurio summed it up best when he suggested, ‘some people won’t do it and can’t do it’.

I grew up in a town called Shepparton in country Victoria. The local boxing hero in the 70s and 80s was a bloke by the name of Darcy Richie. He was one tough ‘hombre’ but a nice enough bloke just the same.

Better judges than me thought Darcy was a world champion in the making. In his heyday nobody wanted to fight him. Unfortunately for ‘Darc’ a couple of stints in prison didn’t help his cause.

One day, in a fit of blind stupor, I went to Darcy to learn how to fight. The consensus after a session was simply that ‘you can’t turn a pig’s ear into a silk purse’.

So with my boxing career clearly behind me, I became an avid fan of both the sport and those that inhabit it.

Drilling down further, my liking for the sport started specifically in 1985. I was 15 years old and it was a banner year for Australian boxing.

In February of ‘85, 19 year old Melbourne fighter, Lester Ellis won the International Boxing Federation Junior Lightweight title by beating a Korean with the rather crazy name of Hwan Kil Yuh.

Five months later, veteran Barry Michael took the title from Ellis, in a 15 round war roundly acknowledged as one of Australia’s greatest fights.

In the same year, and in only his 7^th professional fight, Sydneysider Jeff Fenech, affectionately known as ‘The Marrickville Mauler’, was on the way to becoming a legend of the sport by beating Japanese fighter Satoshi Shingaki to win the IBF Bantamweight crown.

It was a grandstand year for Australian boxing, and personally the start of a lifelong love affair with the fight game.

Barry Michael remains a constant in the sport these days, now 60 years of age the former world champion promotes regular shows around Melbourne. He also manages a few fighters including world rated Super Middleweight, Zac Dunn.

It was at one of Barry’s promotions at the Melbourne Pavilion early in November that I met Andy Broome and learned a bit about the fight game.

Andy had 54 professional fights across 11 years as a pro. He finished with a solid record of 31 wins, 16 losses and 7 draws and won the Australian Super Lightweight title in 1981.

The Melbourne Pavilion is a nice venue and Andy Broome is an even nicer bloke. I didn’t know him at all before he introduced himself and other than his beaming smile he grabbed my attention when he explained that he lost a fight to Barry Michael a few years ago.

Over the load music and crowd noise, Andy explained that Barry beat him in a Victorian Lightweight title fight way back in ’75. To his credit he also said that he was beaten fair and square. Respect is carved in stone with older fighters and I wondered if modern day fighters are the same.

Former Australian champion Frank Ropis described Andy as a good bloke, a gentleman and an exceptional fighter plying his trade in perhaps the toughest era of Australian boxing. High praise from one of the greats.

In an interesting side note, Andy fought Frank four times for three losses and a draw.

Other than his Australian Super Lightweight title, perhaps Andy’s biggest win came against Ghanaian David Kotey in 1972.

The undefeated Kotey took on Broome at Melbourne’s festival Hall and in a surprise upset, the Aussie gloveman came away with a clear cut point’s victory.

Kotey eventually won the World Boxing Council Featherweight title in 1975 by beating the great Mexican fighter Ruben Olivares. Most Australian boxing fans would know Olivares as the fighter that dethroned our own Lionel Rose.

Andy Broome is an easy going, jovial guy and he spoke of the old days and how boxing used to be. He rarely attends ‘the fights’ these days but remembers fight nights on every single week back in his day.

In the ‘50s,‘60s and early 70s there were bouts on each Friday night at Festival Hall, then known as the West Melbourne stadium. There were also fight nights on Wednesdays and the wrestling on Saturday night which included boxing. These days we might be lucky to see one fight night per month.

Sitting next to Andy was like being mentored. He commented on the crowd, the fighters themselves and provided general analysis on what was going on. In most bouts he could pick the winner only minutes after the start of the first round and he seemed to have a knack for picking up the ‘holes’ in a fighter’s technique. He even called a knockout moments before it happened. Good fighters who have been well schooled know about the fight game.

During the evening two boxers fought for a Victorian title, both having fought less than a handful of times each. When Andy fought for the Victorian title 40 years ago, he had racked up 28 fights. In his mind it’s a sign of the times. Who wants to fight, there are plenty of easier things to do. Back in his day that’s all there was to do.

On this night, names like Bilal Akkawy, Ismael Kerra and Abdullah Hamden are dotted throughout the program. With origins in faraway lands it’s certainly a long way from names like Broome, Fenech, Michael and Ellis. Again it’s probably a sign of the times and multicultural Australia.

What is interesting is the fact that both Barry Michael and Lester Ellis were born in England and Jeff Fenech is of Maltese decent. As much as boxing changes, it stays the same.

Boxing is strewn with tough men who have laced on the gloves for pay. Blokes that were tough enough to train hard, tough enough to take a punch and tough enough to keep coming back.

Andy Broome was one of those guys and I watch from afar in admiration of the sport and fighters like Andy, the real fighters, the blokes that had it ‘in them”.

Boxing – Scott Brouwer.

The Gentleman of Australian Boxing

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Famous for its violence and savagery, boxing sits comfortably as the world’s most aggressive sport.

Populated by tough, brutal athletes and amongst the broken noses, scar tissue and testosterone of Australian boxing, one individual stands alone.

Scott Brouwer is perhaps best described as a contradiction. With a middle class upbringing in the Melbourne suburb of Mornington, and with little or no DNA lending itself to a career as a fighter, Brouwer seems out of place in the rough and tumble world that is professional boxing in Australia.

Like a feint, appearances can be deceiving, and put simply, Scott Brouwer was a fighting machine. A speed demon with lightning reflexes, silk in both hands and a rare level of toughness.

The 46 year old financial planner and father of two, is a quietly spoken, well-groomed, clean cut guy. Comfortable in a suit and tie, he doesn’t appear to fit the mould of a fighter.

Possessing a whip like jab, the winner of 20 professional fights from 1987 through to 1993, Brouwer was world ranked in his heyday.

Described by well know boxing trainer Keith Ellis, as the most courageous fighter he has ever seen, these days Brouwer can be seen sitting ringside, in his role as the Combat Sports Board representative.

The humble former gloveman is responsible for not only a fighter’s safety but also for ensuring bouts and promotions are run in accordance with government regulations. In a sport well known for back room dealings and tricks, it’s a tough gig.

He is well liked, polite, unassuming and goes about his business on fight night, with little fuss or fanfare.

As a fighter, he fought for the WBC International lightweight title when it meant something, and the only blemishes on his boxing record, were four losses and a draw.

The subject of a 60 minutes story in the 80s, Scott Brouwer wasn’t a household name, but he could have been.

Former trainer and mentor Leigh Thomas, saw him as a world champion in the making.

“He had all the tools. He was quick and he could take a punch. There is no doubt he was world class”, Thomas said.

“He sparred with Lester Ellis, Barry Michael, Graeme Brook, Wilf Gentzen and Tony Miller. He sparred Jeff Fenech a lot and didn’t have any trouble with him. When he sparred these guys he did very well”.

“In hindsight, sparring these high quality fighters was probably his downfall. After all these guys finished their careers, his sparring wasn’t to the same level. As he increased the quality of his own opponents, his sparring level dropped. I truly believe this was the reason he didn’t win a world title.”

As a fighter Brouwer had good footwork and moved well. He sometimes kept his hands low but was good enough to slip a punch and launch a counter attack in between heart beats.

Thin and wiry, he was built like his hero, former IBF Junior Lightweight Champion Lester Ellis.

“Lester was my idol. We trained together and we became mates and probably sparred 1000s of rounds together. In Lester, I saw a similar physique to myself and it gave me a little bit of hope”, Brouwer said.

After a short 13 fight amateur career, he turned to the paid professional ranks.

“I turned pro in 1987 because as an amateur it was difficult to get fights. Sometimes I had to travel all over Victoria doing exhibition bouts and I would prefer to win money than win an egg cup”.

In 1988 and at only 18 years of age, he won the Australian Super bantamweight title in his seventh professional fight. By 1992 had built a record of 18 wins with a couple of losses and a draw, and his attention turned to offshore riches.

Looking for a shot at the big time and a potential world title, he travelled to England and took on a hard punching, undefeated British fighter by the name of Michael Ayers.

Fighting for the WBC International title and a top 10 world ranking, Brouwer was stopped in four rounds.

“The Ayers fight was my biggest disappointment. I really wanted it. I wanted to earn respect and be world champion”, Brouwer said.

Whilst the loss to Ayers put a world title beyond reach, it came as a surprise to learn that his personal highlight was actually a fight he didn’t win.

“Ken Carter and I actually had two fights. We drew the first one and I will never forget it. It was an amazing experience. We both didn’t take a backward step”.

Held on Valentine’s Day 1990, the fight with Carter was roundly acknowledged as fight of the year, and those in attendance still talk about it.

Carter (18 wins and five losses at the time) and Brouwer, went ‘at it’ for 10 rounds, in what has been called one of Australia’s greatest fights.

Radio Commentator and boxing aficionado Bruce Eva, described the fight as one of the best he has ever seen.

“Everyone thought Scott would box. Ken Carter was a nuggetty puncher type, and Scott was a thin, rangy, slick boxer. Scott decided not to box and he went toe to toe with one of Australia’s most fearsome lightweights at the time. It was one of the best fights I have witnessed”, he said.

Reflecting on the night, Brouwer remembers it fondly but admits it was the start of the end.

“We stood toe to toe for 10 rounds. In reality we both weren’t the same after that fight. It was gruelling. You can only have one or two of those fights in your career”.

“For me that was the highlight, I had nothing left. I left nothing in the ring and that’s why it stands out for me”.

After the intensity of the first fight, the rematch was almost an anticlimax, with Brouwer stopping the tough Carter in the ninth round.

He retired from boxing in 1993 after being knocked out in New Caledonia, and only 11 days after his son was born. Finishing with a career record of 20 wins, 4 losses and a draw, like most new fathers his priorities had changed.

With a wife of 22 years and two adult kids, Brouwer takes his position as the combat sports board representative seriously. Whilst passionate in the ring as a fighter, he is even more passionate outside it.

“We licence all combat sports in Victoria and ensure everything runs smoothly in accordance with regulations.

With many ‘a corner cut’ in boxing, he plays a vital role in maintaining a sport that has a history of controversy.

“We keep an eye on the alcohol, the taping under gloves, medical tests and ensure the fighters are being looked after the correct way”.

“The sport is rolling along and things are looking good. We have about 30 shows a year across Australia. The matches are getting better and we have some really good fighters coming up”.

In a sport littered with dark tales and controversy, the story of Scott Brouwer is a highlight and one that shouldn’t be dismissed or forgotten.

There is an old saying in boxing, that the final measure of a boxer is what kind of shape he is in when he leaves the ring for good.

Scott Brouwer is in good shape and so is the sport he loves.