Les Darcy vs Carlos Monzon

The thing is in the bodyline series Larwood hit batsmen and took wickets when England weren't even employing bodyline tactics.
Also bodyline was nothing new, other people had tried it without success, it's just they never had a Larwood.

 

"England toured Australia in 1928-29. A young 20-year-old named Donald Bradman made his debut for Australia in the first Test at Brisbane. He made an unimpressive 18 and 1 as England ran roughshod over the Australians and won by a massive 675 runs, still the largest victory margin by runs in Test cricket. The hero for England was Harold Larwood, a terrifying fast bowler who took 8 wickets for 62 in the match, and scored 70 and 37 with the bat. The match also gave Australia its first look at a dashing and aristocratic batsman who would soon go on to be named the Wisden Cricketer of the Year for 1928, one Douglas Jardine. Four years later, these three men were to play out the most extraordinary events in cricket history"

"But for the second Test at Sydney, Australia rejigged its team, debuting two more players and dropping Bradman to twelfth man. It didn't help, with England again dominating and winning by a huge 8 wickets. In Australia's first innings, one of their best batsman, Bill Ponsford, was struck on the left hand by a Larwood delivery, fracturing the hand and forcing him to sit out the rest of the match."

The injuries to Aussie batsmen occurred when Larwood was NOT bowling bodyline deliveries.

The leg theory as it was known in the UK was practised in county cricket before the Ashes series which gave it its notoriety.



Bradman is out for 8 on this footage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rybPvBa3Oc

The Aussies seemed to have a rather different attitude when it was them dishing out the bouncers Here are 3 on the trot from Lillee to Richards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t51RjEpw8E0

 

Yes he was most probably the most precocious and best 21 years old 160pounder ever.:good It's rather unfair to pit him against a seasoned, mature ,and proven great champion.

 

I do actually agree.


But same goes with the young Tyson who met Berbick or the Ali who met Liston. Experience wise they should have been thrown to the wolves but like all champions, they produced when it counted. That is the unknown. I dare say that Both fighters on those particular nights would have beat other seasoned, mature and great figthers.

This is the same with Darcy. I agree we dont know for sure, but stranger things have happened in a boxing ring. Saying that, i rate Monzon a top 5 atg, easily, and i certainly cant remember ever putting Darcy in the top 5, maybe not even if he had reached his full potential. I pick Monzon, but i do have a caution next to it.

 

Well fellas I respect all reasonable opinions....because that's just what they are...opinions. The reality is of course we'll never know the answers for sure. My humble opinion for what it's worth...Les Darcy was a young man of honour, values and integrity who I believe achieved greatness in a very short space of time and he I believe if tragedy hadn't struck would've put the cleaners through the middleweight division. His chin was granite like, his thirst for knowledge and improvement would've no doubt seen his already amazing boxing skills improve beyond measure. And no man would've ever stopped Darcy due to fatigue, Les was as fresh at the end of a fight as he was at the start....he just kept coming! It would've taken a one-punch knockout to stop him. It was said that Les often carried opponents through fights, not wanting to knock them out so the paying crowd got their moneys worth...this was his nature...and I think this is one trait that if he changed whilst in the U.S, had he developed an aggressive knockout mentality....like I previously said he would've put the cleaners through the MW division. But this was not Les's way....he was a good natured country kid just doing his best. Remarkable young man who saw the final bell way to early. As for the naysayers who will no doubt point to his failure to enlist in the war....one's duty starts at home first...after taking care of that Les would've done his part no doubt. Les Darcy was is no way a shirker, his family first mentality was correct.

 

Like the newspaperman said to James Stewart in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" - "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."