| Dave Sands | |
| Realname: | David Ritchie |
| Weight: | Middleweight Light-heavyweight Heavyweight |
| Height: | 1.79m (05.87feet) |
| Nationality: | Australian |
| Birth Date: | 1926 2, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia |
| Death Place: | Dungog, New South Wales, Australia |
| Style: | Orthodox |
| Total: | 100 |
| Wins: | 87 |
| Ko: | 52 |
| Losses: | 10 |
| Draws: | 1 |
| No Contests: | 2 |
Dave Sands (born David Ritchie; 4 February 1926 – 11 August 1952) was an Australian professional boxer.
The man the Americans called the "boxer with the educated left hand" received his due when he was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1998 at a ceremony held in Los Angeles, recognised as one of the greatest boxers never to have won a world title.
Sands was the 2009 Inductee for the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame Veterans category.
He was born at Burnt Bridge Mission in Kempsey, New South Wales, the fifth of eight children of George Ritchie, a rodeo-rider and timber-cutter of mixed Aboriginal and European descent, and his Aboriginal wife Mabel, née Russell.
Sands' brothers Clement, Percival, George, Alfred and Russell also boxed, emulating their father and their maternal great-uncle Bailey Russell, a noted bare-knuckle fighter. In 1939, Percy travelled to Newcastle to train with Tom Maguire. At age 15, Sands joined Percy training with Maguire and both lived at Maguire's gym. He and his five brothers took on the Sands name, taken from train guard "Snowy" Sands who helped Percy travel fare-free to fight in 1940.
Without Maguire's knowledge, Dave fought a four-round preliminary bout in August 1941 at Newcastle Stadium, swinging his way to victory in the first round. Maguire disapproved, but quickly transformed him into a skilled boxer. By the end of 1942, he had knocked out a dozen opponents at Newcastle. On 11 August 1945, he married 18-year-old Bessie Emma Burns at St Paul's Church of England, Stockton, New South Wales.
Sands was soon boxing in twelve-round matches before excited crowds of up to ten thousand people in Brisbane and Sydney. In May 1946, he defeated Jack Kirkham for the Australian middleweight title. Three months later, he knocked out Jack Johnson in four rounds to become national light-heavyweight champion. The rematches were even more one-sided: Kirkham was defeated in five rounds and Johnson fell after 2½ minutes of furious punching. By 1948, Sands had beaten all his local opponents and most American 'imports'. His mauling of a French fighter Tony Toniolo in less than two minutes in February 1949 led the English promoter Jack Solomons to take an interest in him.Despite an enthusiastic reception from the British press, Sands began his campaign for a world title disastrously. In London on 4 April 1949, while suffering from a swollen, recently vaccinated arm, he was outpointed by Tommy Yarosz. Fifteen days later Sands won, dismally, against a spoiler, Lucien Caboche. Maguire then moved him to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where friendly locals and a promoter Joe Shepherd restored his confidence. After two solid victories, he returned to London and in July thrashed the much-fancied Robert Villemain in the 'fight of the year'. On 6 September, Sands demolished Dick Turpin in 2 minutes 35 seconds for the British Empire middleweight title.
Shortly after his triumphal return to Australia in November 1949, Sands survived a serious accident when the steering on his motorcar failed, and the vehicle somersaulted into a creek. Over the next eighteen months, he contested and won nine fights, one of them a fifteen-rounder in September 1950 in which he took the Australian heavyweight championship from Alf Gallagher. Sands had become a leading contender for the world middleweight title and Maguire vainly sought to arrange a bout with the American champion Sugar Ray Robinson. In the tricky maze of international boxing promotion, his efforts were marked by a paper chase of offers and counter-offers. Sands defeated Mel Brown in London in July 1951 in a preliminary to a title fight between Robinson and another contender Randolph Turpin. Had Maguire's negotiations succeeded, Sands would have been in Turpin's place and probably would have beaten an unfit Robinson, as did Turpin.
In October 1951, Sands won two fights in the United States. Back home, he hoped for a world title-bout, but he was estranged from Maguire. A new manager Bede Kerr reopened discussions with Robinson's connections, but the chance never came.
On 11 August 1952, the truck Sands was driving with 15 passengers overturned at roadworks near Dungog, New South Wales.[1] Sands died of head and internal injuries that evening in the local hospital and was buried at Sandgate Cemetery, near Newcastle, New South Wales. His wife, and their son and two daughters survived him; their third daughter was born in November. Sands had earned about £30,000, but it went on manager's fees, travel costs, tax, family expenses and generosity to his kin. A public appeal raised more than £2500, sufficient to pay off his Stockton home and create a trust fund for his family.
| Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Age | Location | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | Win | 87–10–1 | Jim Woods | KO | 4 (15), | Jul 9, 1952 | |||
| 99 | Win | 86–10–1 | Al Bourke | KO | 5 (15), | May 9, 1952 | |||
| 98 | Win | 85–10–1 | Chub Keith | TKO | 14 (15), | Mar 31, 1952 | |||
| 97 | Win | 84–10–1 | Ron Toohey | TKO | 10 (12), | Feb 8, 1952 | |||
| 96 | Loss | 83–10–1 | Yolande Pompey | TKO | 7 (10), | Nov 13, 1951 | |||
| 95 | Win | 83–9–1 | Henry Brimm | KO | 10 (10), | Oct 30, 1951 | |||
| 94 | Win | 82–9–1 | Bobo Olson | UD | 10 | Oct 3, 1951 | |||
| 93 | Win | 81–9–1 | Doug Miller | PTS | 10 | Aug 20, 1951 | |||
| 92 | Win | 80–9–1 | Mel Brown | PTS | 10 | Jul 10, 1951 | |||
| 91 | Win | 79–9–1 | Henry Bray | TKO | 7 (12) | Feb 10, 1951 | |||
| 90 | Win | 78–9–1 | Irvin Steen | PTS | 12 | Feb 5, 1951 | |||
| 89 | Win | 77–9–1 | Boy Brooks | PTS | 12 | Jan 12, 1951 | |||
| 88 | Win | 76–9–1 | Don Mullett | PTS | 12 | Dec 14, 1950 | |||
| 87 | Win | 75–9–1 | Alf Gallagher | PTS | 15 | Sep 4, 1950 | |||
| 86 | Win | 74–9–1 | Henry Brimm | TKO | 2 (12), | Aug 8, 1950 | |||
| 85 | Win | 73–9–1 | Boy Brooks | UD | 10 | May 12, 1950 | |||
| 84 | Win | 72–9–1 | Boy Brooks | DQ | 4 (10) | Apr 21, 1950 | |||
| 83 | Win | 71–9–1 | Bobo Olson | PTS | 12 | Mar 20, 1950 | |||
| 82 | Win | 70–9–1 | Pete Mead | PTS | 10 | Oct 11, 1949 | |||
| 81 | Win | 69–9–1 | Dick Turpin | KO | 1 (15), | Sep 6, 1949 | |||
| 80 | Win | 68–9–1 | Robert Villemain | PTS | 10 | Jul 5, 1949 | |||
| 79 | Win | 67–9–1 | Jan de Bruin | PTS | 10 | Jun 3, 1949 | |||
| 78 | Win | 66–9–1 | Jackie Jones | TKO | 1 (10), | May 16, 1949 | |||
| 77 | Win | 65–9–1 | Lucien Caboche | PTS | 10 | Apr 19, 1949 | |||
| 76 | Loss | 64–9–1 | Tommy Yarosz | PTS | 10 | Apr 4, 1949 | |||
| 75 | Win | 64–8–1 | Antoine Toniolo | TKO | 1 (12), | Feb 18, 1949 | |||
| 74 | Win | 63–8–1 | Tommy Prince | KO | 3 (12) | Dec 17, 1948 | |||
| 73 | Win | 62–8–1 | Len Dittmar | TKO | 5 (12) | Oct 9, 1948 | |||
| 72 | Win | 61–8–1 | Doug Brown | TKO | 1 (12), | Sep 27, 1948 | |||
| 71 | Win | 60–8–1 | Billy Meyers | PTS | 12 | Aug 27, 1948 | |||
| 70 | Win | 59–8–1 | George Allen | TKO | 6 (12) | Jun 26, 1948 | |||
| 69 | Win | 58–8–1 | Billy Myers | PTS | 12 | Jun 12, 1948 | |||
| 68 | NC | 57–8–1 | Jackie Marr | NC | 7 (12) | Apr 19, 1948 | |||
| 67 | Win | 57–8–1 | Don Mullett | PTS | 12 | Apr 10, 1948 | |||
| 66 | Win | 56–8–1 | Jackie Marr | PTS | 12 | Mar 27, 1948 | |||
| 65 | Win | 55–8–1 | Doug Rollinson | KO | 1 (12) | Mar 6, 1948 | |||
| 64 | Win | 54–8–1 | Alabama Kid | KO | 4 (12) | Feb 7, 1948 | |||
| 63 | Win | 53–8–1 | Alex Buxton | PTS | 12 | Nov 29, 1947 | |||
| 62 | Win | 52–8–1 | George Allen | TKO | 9 (12) | Nov 24, 1947 | |||
| 61 | Win | 51–8–1 | George 'Wildcat' Henry | PTS | 12 | Oct 13, 1947 | |||
| 60 | Win | 50–8–1 | George 'Wildcat' Henry | PTS | 12 | Sep 8, 1947 | |||
| 59 | Win | 49–8–1 | George Allen | KO | 2 (12), | Aug 5, 1947 | |||
| 58 | Win | 48–8–1 | George Allen | TKO | 1 (12) | May 31, 1947 | |||
| 57 | 47–8–1 | Emory Jackson | NC | 7 (12) | May 3, 1947 | ||||
| 56 | Win | 47–8–1 | Emory Jackson | PTS | 12 | Apr 14, 1947 | |||
| 55 | Win | 46–8–1 | Art Lind | TKO | 7 (12) | Mar 24, 1947 | |||
| 54 | Loss | 45–8–1 | Emory Jackson | PTS | 12 | Feb 24, 1947 | |||
| 53 | Win | 45–7–1 | Alf Gallagher | KO | 3 (15) | Nov 30, 1946 | |||
| 52 | Draw | 44–7–1 | Jackie Marr | PTS | 12 | Nov 23, 1946 | |||
| 51 | Win | 44–7 | Jack Johnson | TKO | 1 (15) | Oct 12, 1946 | |||
| 50 | Win | 43–7 | Jack Johnson | TKO | 4 (15), | Aug 24, 1946 | |||
| 49 | Win | 42–7 | Jack Kirkham | KO | 5 (15) | Jun 7, 1946 | |||
| 48 | Win | 41–7 | Jack Kirkham | TKO | 12 (15) | May 11, 1946 | |||
| 47 | Win | 40–7 | Jimmy Brunt | TKO | 1 (12), | Mar 2, 1946 | |||
| 46 | Win | 39–7 | Alex Buxton | PTS | 12 | Jan 26, 1946 | |||
| 45 | Win | 38–7 | Tommy Colteaux | RTD | 2 (12) | Dec 27, 1945 | |||
| 44 | Win | 37–7 | Al Walker | PTS | 12 | Nov 24, 1945 | |||
| 43 | Win | 36–7 | Max Cameron | TKO | 11 (15) | Oct 20, 1945 | |||
| 42 | Win | 35–7 | Billy Myers | KO | 5 (12) | Aug 11, 1945 | |||
| 41 | Win | 34–7 | Tom Laming | KO | 2 (12) | Jul 7, 1945 | |||
| 40 | Win | 33–7 | Herb Broom | KO | 3 (12) | Jun 16, 1945 | |||
| 39 | Win | 32–7 | Max Cameron | RTD | 6 (12) | May 10, 1945 | |||
| 38 | Win | 31–7 | Al Walker | KO | 7 (12) | May 5, 1945 | |||
| 37 | Win | 30–7 | Max Cameron | PTS | 12 | Mar 29, 1945 | |||
| 36 | Win | 29–7 | Al Walker | PTS | 12 | Mar 3, 1945 | |||
| 35 | Win | 28–7 | Jack Brander | KO | 2 (12) | Feb 3, 1945 | |||
| 34 | Win | 27–7 | Jackie Marr | PTS | 12 | Dec 16, 1944 | |||
| 33 | Win | 26–7 | Jimmy Grey | KO | 8 (12), | Dec 1, 1944 | |||
| 32 | Loss | 25–7 | Jackie Marr | PTS | 12 | Nov 18, 1944 | |||
| 31 | Win | 25–6 | Max Cameron | TKO | 3 (12) | Oct 21, 1944 | |||
| 30 | Win | 24–6 | Tom Laming | KO | 7 (12) | Sep 23, 1944 | |||
| 29 | Win | 23–6 | Jackie Day | TKO | 5 (12) | Sep 2, 1944 | |||
| 28 | Win | 22–6 | Jimmy Grey | PTS | 12 | Aug 5, 1944 | |||
| 27 | Win | 21–6 | Bob Coughlan | PTS | 12 | Jul 15, 1944 | |||
| 26 | Win | 20–6 | Dal Conway | TKO | 4 (12), | Jun 30, 1944 | |||
| 25 | Win | 19–6 | Bill Bayliss | KO | 2 (12), | Jun 2, 1944 | |||
| 24 | Loss | 18–6 | Doug Brown | PTS | 12 | May 13, 1944 | |||
| 23 | Loss | 18–5 | Doug Brown | PTS | 12 | Apr 15, 1944 | |||
| 22 | Win | 18–4 | Jack Mitchell | TKO | 12 (12) | Apr 1, 1944 | |||
| 21 | Win | 17–4 | Jack Buchanan | KO | 2 (6) | Feb 25, 1944 | |||
| 20 | Loss | 16–4 | Jack McNamee | PTS | 12 | Feb 5, 1944 | |||
| 19 | Win | 16–3 | Bobby Clarke | KO | 6 (12) | Jan 22, 1944 | |||
| 18 | Win | 15–3 | George Cook | PTS | 12 | Dec 18, 1943 | |||
| 17 | Loss | 14–3 | Billy Myers | PTS | 12 | Nov 27, 1943 | |||
| 16 | Win | 14–2 | George Cook | PTS | 12 | Nov 20, 1943 | |||
| 15 | Win | 13–2 | Bobby Rivers | TKO | 9 (12) | Oct 23, 1943 | |||
| 14 | Win | 12–2 | Cliff Bowen | TKO | 2 (12) | Sep 11, 1943 | |||
| 13 | Win | 11–2 | Ken McDermott | KO | 1 (12) | Aug 21, 1943 | |||
| 12 | Win | 10–2 | Ken McDermott | RTD | 10 (12) | Aug 14, 1943 | |||
| 11 | Win | 9–2 | Eddie Truxel | PTS | 6 | Jul 17, 1943 | |||
| 10 | Win | 8–2 | Bill Warren | PTS | 6 | Jul 3, 1943 | |||
| 9 | Win | 7–2 | Snowy Stevens | PTS | 6 | Jun 19, 1943 | |||
| 8 | Win | 6–2 | Len Baker | KO | 1 (4) | Jun 12, 1943 | |||
| 7 | Loss | 5–2 | Gunner Wilkinson | TKO | 4 (4) | Nov 25, 1941 | |||
| 6 | Win | 5–1 | Cec Burr | KO | 2 (4) | Sep 23, 1941 | |||
| 5 | Win | 4–1 | Eddie Roebuck | PTS | 4 | Sep 20, 1941 | |||
| 4 | Loss | 3–1 | Eddie Roebuck | PTS | 4 | Sep 16, 1941 | |||
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Eddie Roebuck | KO | 4 (4) | Sep 13, 1941 | |||
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Paddy Chapman | TKO | 4 (4) | Aug 26, 1941 | |||
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Leo Con Corrigan | KO | 1 (4) | Aug 16, 1941 | |||
Pictures held and digitised as part of the Arnold Thomas boxing collection by the National Library of Australia