Jimmy Darcy

 

 

 

 

 

Jimmy Darcy (Valeri V. Trambitas) was the Former Middleweight Champion of the Pacific Coast and World's Contender 1919-1924. During his career Jimmy earned over one hundred thousand dollars in the fight game. Jimmy had 2 brothers who also boxed, Alex Trambitas and Train(Johnny) Trambitas.

Jimmy Darcy fought for the World Middleweight Championship against Harry Greb on October 4th, 1923. He fought Harry Greb a total of three times.

Jimmy got married to his first wife when he was around 19 years old, but she passed away around a year later due to an illness. His second marriage was to 17 year old Mary Elizabeth Finley when he was 21 years old. She was born in 1902 in Watertown, South Dakota. They lived in New York and had a farm in Portland for awhile. Jimmy Darcy had 2 boys from his second marriage, Larry and Jack Trambitas. Jimmy raised the boys when he and his wife got seperated. Jimmy's son Larry went on to be a boxer also.

Later in life, as a grandfather in 1946, Jimmy Darcy wrote an autobiography. He turned into a very religious man and the book focus on how to lead a healthy and happy life with jesus, god, faith and the church.

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-the following are sections from Jimmy Darcy's 1946 autobiography titled "Health and Happiness Now and Forever" by Valeri V. Trambitas (Jimmy Darcy).

Short autobiography of Visarion Valeri Trambitas, known professionally as Valley Trambitas and Jimmy Darcy.

"I was born in Bucharest, Roumania, on June 6, 1898, of a long ancestral line. Over six hundred years ago, as recorded in the family Bible in Roumania, the Trambitas family acquired its name.....

.....About this time (1913 at age 15 selling newspapers) I joined a Newsboys Club, got myself a manager, and started learning all I could about boxing. I won my first fight--a four round decision-- at a picnic. I also won the Newsboys Championship at the Newsboys Club. From then on I boxed a great deal for 4 years, before I started earning enough in the fight game to earn a living. My brother Alex started (boxing) about a year after I did, and my brother Traian (known as Johnny) started three years later. They too, made good, but with the life they lived, they could not save money.

In 1917 I went to San Francisco to try my fistic powers. There I met Jack Dempsey for the first time, little dreaming that Dempsey was the coming Heavyweight Champion, and that some day I would fight him. I boxed with success the following five years on the Coast, winning the Pacific Coast Middleweight championship from Battling Ortego at Seattle in 1920, with a technical knockout in two rounds. In 1921 I recieved train tickets for my brother Alex and myself from Jack kearns, manager of Champion Jack Dempsey, and was told to use them to come to New York under his management".

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- the following is a section from a Tommy Loughran article title "Champion" in a 1930's issue of "Fight Magazine".

THE TERROR FROM THE WEST

Because of his fine showing against Lopez, Loughran was brought back several weeks later against Jimmy Darcy. This fellow was a tough one. He had a reputation of knocking big men bow-legged in the Pacific Northwest, and had an unassailable belief that he was going to right-hand his way into the middleweight championship. So far as darcy was concerned, the pale-skinned and good-looking Loughran was just another local idol to be dropped with a punch.

Tom was getting into his trunks and fighting shoes when the Terror from the West banged into the adjoining dressing-room and began talking in a high and dangerous voice about what he intended doing to young Thomas patrick loughran. Since there was only a thin wall between, the Philadelphian could hardly fail to hear every word.

"I want to get that eleven o'clock train back to New York," growled Darcey, "and the only way to do it without breaking my neck is to knock this Loughran stiff in the fiirst round. Watch me do it!"

Tom looked quizzically at Joe Smith and elevated his eyebrows. That line was supposed to frighten him. wasn't it? Strangely enough he didn't seem in the least alarmed. Of course he had heard all about Darcy's right hand, but he had also absorbed Jim Corbett's theory which stresses the idea that only a sucker is ever hit with the right.

Anyway, Tommy started to step around the caveman with a whirlwind of beautifully timed jabs. Darcy knew only one way to fight. That was to plow in and keepfiring his starboard guns. Bang! Bang! Like that, you know. Shoot a million. If one lands, it's enough.

Jimmy missed about twenty in a row, and then--zowie! He cracked one on Tommy Loughran's chin and the Adonis was down on his hands and knees, an astounded look on his face.

Jimmy said: "It looks like I'm going to get that eleven o'clock train, all right." And he said it loud enough for the words to penetrate Loughran's slightly fuzzy brain.

"Oh, he is, is he?" thought Tom, the resin scraping his knees and his head feeling like a balloon. Darcy thought the fight was over now. It wasn't. It hadn't even started.

The referee counted. Tommy settled himself on one knee and listened as a boy might to the admonition of a school teacher. He intended taking all the time allowed him. A knockdown is a knockdown, and it counts just as much against you if you take five or nine.

When he stood upon his feet at last, he was cool and in full possession of his faculties. The smile had gone from his lips though. They were hard and tight and it made him look much older than his nineteen years. Darcy rushed, scowling. He was ready to add the finishing touch, and was certain that it would be accomplished with ease. He swung his right. Instead of landing, it sailed into the air, and his own head bobbed back under the impact of a Loughran jab. A half dozen more jabs followed in quick succession and a touch of crimson appeared on Jimmy's nose and mouth. He became infuriated at his lack of sucess. He fought harder and more wildly than ever.

They had eight-round fights in Philadelphia in those days. For the next seven the nineteen year old Mr. Loughran outclassed his tough and burly foe. Tom's pride had been hurt by that trip to the canvas, and he was grimly set to making Darcy pay for the ignmary. He increased his lead with every passing second. he fought with coolness and judgement far in excess of his age. It might have been expected of such a kid that success would make him careless, but Tom had learned a lesson. He knew that Jimmy Darcy could hit, and he saw no good reason why he should let the Westerner land on him again.

They went into a clinch at the beginning of the final round, and Tommy said: "It looks like your going to miss that eleven o'clock train, Jim."

Darcy snarled, tore himself loose and let go a right-hander that barely missed the target.

After the fight, when Loughran was in his dressing room, Jimmy came in and shook hands. "You're the greatest prospect I ever saw, kid." he said. "Darned if you didn't give me a boxing lesson tonight."

"Thanks," said Tommy. "For a minute it did look as if you would get back to New York on time.

 

 

CLICK HERE FOR HIS FIGHT RECORD

-special thanks to Jimmy's stepgrandson, Bud Marsh, for some of the family history. Bud is Larry Trambitas' stepson.
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