10 Facts About Dave Sands

Dave Sands 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, nee Russell.

At age 15, Dave Sands joined Percy training with Maguire and both lived at Maguire's gym.

Dave Sands was boxing in twelve-round matches before excited crowds of up to ten thousand people in Brisbane and Sydney.

Fifteen days later Dave Sands won, dismally, against a spoiler, Lucien Caboche.

Shortly after his triumphal return to Australia in November 1949, Dave Sands survived a serious accident when the steering on his motorcar failed, and the vehicle somersaulted into a creek.

Dave 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.

Dave Sands defeated Mel Brown in London in July 1951 in a preliminary to a title fight between Robinson and another contender Randolph Turpin.

In October 1951, Dave Sands won two fights in the United States.

On 11 August 1952, the truck Dave Sands was driving with 15 passengers overturned at roadworks near Dungog, New South Wales.

Dave Sands died of head and internal injuries that evening in the local hospital and was buried at Sandgate Cemetery, near Newcastle, New South Wales.