Worth a look. http://www.boxing.com/the_great_forgotten_tommy_west_and_his_wars_with_the_barbados_demon.html
I have tried repeatedly to find information about Tommy West's life before boxing, and have so far drawn a blank.
He may have been a Norwegian. He certainly appears to have found his way to Norway at some point. The question seems to be, was he in the Navy or the Merchant Navy first? He did sign every single document he ever signed in the States as though he were from Wales...apart from one or two where he signed himself as English. That interested me as it was not the type of thing a Welshman would tend to do. But. Most likely he was Welsh and there just isn't much out there.