DAVE SANDS
World famous Indigenous Australian boxer Dave Sands, birth name David (Dave) Ritchie was born Feb 24, 1926, at Burnt Ridge, near Kempsey, New South Wales. Dave was the fifth of eight children. Along with his 5 brothers, Clement (Clem), Percival, George, Alfred (Alfie) & Russell all professional boxers they established themselves as Australia’s greatest boxing family, renowned as ‘The Fighting Sands Brothers’ all wore green satin shorts with a white star emblazoned on the left leg. Dave was the best of them all.
Aug 16,1941, Dave just 15 won his first recorded pro fight against Leo Con Corrigan by first round knockout. As his reputation grew, larger and larger crowds turned out to watch his fights. On May 11, 1946, Dave defeated Jack Kirkham, TKO 12/15 in Sydney Stadium to win the Australian middleweight title. Kirkham had been on the canvas 7 times en-route to the stoppage. After making even shorter work, KO 5/15, of Kirkham three weeks later, Sands in his 50th fight challenged Jack Johnson, Aug 24, 1946, for the Australian light-heavyweight title. Sands defeated Johnson TKO 4/15 to become dual Australian champion & just like with Kirkham he dispatched Johnson in even more brutal fashion TKO 1/15, 6 weeks later in his first defence of the light-heavyweight title.
On Aug 16,1941, Dave, just 15, won his first recorded pro fight against Leo Con Corrigan by first round knockout. As his reputation grew, larger and larger crowds turned out to watch his fights.
On May 11, 1946, Dave defeated Jack Kirkham, TKO 12 (15) at Sydney Stadium to win the Australian middleweight title. Kirkham had been on the canvas seven times en-route to the stoppage. After making even shorter work, KO 5 (15), of Kirkham three weeks later, in his 50th fight, Sands challenged Jack Johnson for the Australian light-heavyweight title (Aug 24, 1946) . Sands defeated Johnson TKO 4/15 to become dual Australian champion and, just like with Kirkham, he dispatched Johnson in even more brutal fashion TKO 1 (15), six weeks later in his first defence of the light-heavyweight title.
Following his trilogy against American middleweight, Emory Jackson, Sands met his first Kiwi opponent, former NZ middleweight champion, George Allen; who at the time was campaigning in Australia. Coming off wins against Max Cameron and Jackie Marrand a loss against Emory Jackson, Allen and Sands met in the first of their three bouts, May 31,1947, in West Melbourne Stadium. Sands won by TKO when Allen sustained a badly cut eye in the first round. Their second fight, Nov 24, in Sydney, Sands won via stoppage in nine. He made it three-zero on June 26, 1948, another stoppage in six. George Allen retired post-fight.
Wedged between the second and third Allen bouts, Sands made the first of two visits to New Zealand. The Hutt Valley Boxing Association had renewed a previous offer made to Sands of two contracted bouts in NZ, one against Doug Rollinson the other against NZ middleweight champion, Roy Stevens. The Association held out the prospect of further bouts if Sands and his Manager, Tom Maguire were agreeable to them. Having accepted the revised terms Sands arrived in Wellington a short while after his four-round defeat of, Alabama Kid (Feb 7,1948).
Once in New Zealand, two fights became four with the added addition of two exhibition bouts. First up, at the Petone Recreation Ground (Mar 6,1948) former NZ light-heavyweight champion Doug Rollinson was knocked out in the first round. Three weeks later at the same venue Sands won the first of two NZ engagements against fellow Australian Jackie Marr, barely breaking a sweet in taking an easy 12 round decision. Again, at Petone, April 10 this one against, Don Mullett, Sands, despite conceding, 13.6 kgs, (30 lbs) in weight and 10.16 cm, (4 ins) in height, outpaced and out-manoeuvred ‘Big Don’ en-route to another easy 12 round decision.
In Wellington Sands worked out at the City Mission Gym on Taranaki Street. He got along well with the City Mission manager, the Rev Harry Squires. A former amateur boxer himself Squires had established a thriving boxing gym where he trained a lot of young lads.
The last fight of Sands’ NZ campaign the return contest against, Jackie Marr took place in the Auckland Town Hall (April 19,1948). A lacklustre affair, Referee Eric Armishaw called a halt to proceedings in round 7, ruling NC; he felt Marr was over-matched. It was another example, exhibited many times in his career, of Sands unwillingness to inflict unnecessary punishment on his opponent. Prior to his return home, Sands journey to Wanganui where, on April 22, he boxed exhibition bouts against, Noel Dornan and Frank Hubbard.
Around this time, there was interest in the prospect of matching Dave Sands with Empire Middleweight Champion Bos Murphy. Discussions were held between Sands’ manager/trainer, Tom Maguire and Len Stewart; chairman of the Hutt Valley Boxing Association. Murphy’s manager, Percy Galvin made it clear to, Len Stewart, that Murphy was prepared to fight, Sands. Maguire was adamant that, Sands would go ahead with such a contest; irrespective of whether Murphy retained his Empire Title or not. These discussions were held at a time when Sands had received offers for fights in America and England, but the terms on offer were not to his team’s liking. With nothing else set in stone, Sands was definitely open to the idea of a fight with the New Zealander.
Eventually, interest in a, Sands Vs Murphy fight faded away. No doubt due to the fact that, Sands kept on winning and Murphy did not – having lost his Empire Title on May 18, 1948 by way of a devastating first round knockout against Dick Turpin, and subsequently losing as many as he won.
Following a run of wins in Australia, Sands boarded ship for the UK. Shortly after disembarking, and not having properly regained his land legs, Sands was defeated over10 rounds by American, Tommy Yarosz at Harringay Arena (April 4,1949). The cobwebs gone, over the next six months Sands won six from six; defeating such names as, Jan de Bruin, Robert Villemain, Dick Turpin, and Pete Mead.
On Sept 6,1949, Sands knocked out, Dick Turpin in the first round to win the Empire Middleweight Title. Turpin, down three times, had lost the title in the same devastating fashion he had won it from, Bos Murphy 16 months prior.
At the conclusion of 1949 Sands was ranked by Ring Magazine at #2 in the middleweight division behind champion, Jake LaMotta with, Sugar Ray Robinson at #1. Sands’ first outing of the new decade was against, Carl Bobo Olson at Sydney Stadium (March 20,1950). Both men had been hurt during what turned out to be a rather slow fight. The decision, awarded to, Dave Sands after 12 rounds, was greeted with a mixed reception by many in the crowd.
On Sept 9,1950, following a visit to Singapore where he won back-to-back fights against Filipino, Boy Brooks, Sands defeated, Alf Gallagher over 15 rounds to win the Australian heavyweight title.
Back in New Zealand, Sands defeated Don Mullett a second time at the Town Hall in Wellington (Dec 14,1950), before going on to spend the second half of 1951 away from home. In the UK he defeated, Mel Brown (USA) and Doug Miller (SA); both via decision over 10 rounds. The Brown fight, at Earls Court Arena in London, was the main supporting bout to the, Sugar Ray Robinson Vs Randolph Turpin World Middleweight title fight. In addition to winning the title, the ‘Leamington Licker’ received 11,000 pounds for his night’s work; promoter, Jack Solomons made four times that figure. Dave Sands picked up a measly 70 pounds for his effort; it was the closest Dave would get to a world title fight.
In Chicago Stadium, Oct 3, in a rematch with, Bobo Olson, Dave won the decision over 10 rounds. It was the first boxing fight televised coast to coast in the United States. Four weeks later, in what would be his last fight in America, Dave defeated, Henry Brimm via a KO in 10. He returned to London’s Harringay Arena on Nov 13, to face, Yolande Pompey, in what would be his final overseas fight. He’d gone 19 fights without loss dating back to the, Tommy Yarosz fight at this same venue. Against, Pompey, Dave was comfortably ahead when he sustained a bad cut over the left eye in round six. As blood streamed from the cut, Pompey’s spirits lifted, and he landed a barrage of punches in the seventh, pinning Sands on the ropes and prompting the referee, Captain C Davidson, to stop the fight.
Back in Australia, Sand’s stopped, Ron Toohey in 10 rounds (Feb 8,1952). In what turned out to be his last international bout, Sands faced over-matched Kiwi, Chub Keith, for the Australasian Light-heavyweight title ( Mar 31,1952). Just the previous month, Keith – in what was only his 10th professional fight, relieved Don Mullet of his NZ Heavyweight title.
Sands and Keith were friends, Chub had acted as Dave’s sparring partner prior to the first, Mullett Vs Sands fight back in April,1948. Sands and Keith met at Sydney Stadium in front of a crowd of 13,000. It was not in Dave’s nature to inflict unnecessary hurt on his opponents and the, Keith fight was a classic example of Dave fighting at less than full throttle; while just doing enough to win. During the bout the referee had continually implored, Sands to “hurry it up Dave” and “you can do better than this Dave”. The referee eventually stopped the one-sided affair in round 14.
After successfully defending his Empire & Australian Middleweight titles against, Al Bourke in Melbourne on May 9th Sands had just one more fight before tragedy struck. That last fight, a defence of his Australian Heavyweight Title against, Jim Woods, took place in Wagga Wagga, NSW (July 9,1952). The location of the venue provides yet another example of, Dave’s generous nature. Previously, Dave had been scheduled to attend a charity event in Wagga Wagga but, en-route, he was unavoidably delayed due to heavy flooding. Determined to make amends to the local organisers for his non-attendance, Dave promised to return and fight at the local stadium. The fight against Woods was Dave keeping his word to the people of Wagga Wagga.
On August 11th,1952, Dave Sands, aged 26, was killed in Dungog, NSW, when driving a truck carrying 15 passengers, mainly family members, overturned at roadworks, Sands died of head and internal injuries later that evening; he was the sole fatality. Dave was survived by his wife, a son, and two daughters; a third daughter was born after his death.
Dave Sands won five titles during his career: Australian Middleweight, Light-heavyweight & Heavyweight. Empire Middleweight & Australasian Light-heavyweight. He held all these titles at the time of his death. Dave’s ring earnings amounted to 30,000 pounds – approximately $1,320,000 (AUS) today. Manager’s fees, travel costs, taxes, family expenses and generosity to his kin, left him penniless at the time of his death.
Dave Sands was laid to rest in Sandgate Cemetery. Newcastle, Newcastle City, NSW, Australia (PLOT: Anglican N0 3, Section187, Lot 62).
Ring Record: 100 Bouts: 87 – 10 – 1 – 2 NC.
Record in NZ: 5 Bouts: 4 – 0 – 0 – 1 NC.
NZ Opponents:
George Allen: 3 – 0
Doug Rollinson: 1 – 0
Don Mullett: 2 – 0
Chub Keith: 1 – 0
MP 2024.