Former Australian boxing champion, Max Carlos , with jubilant supporters,
fish and chips shop proprietor , Alan Curry , left, and Jack Gale ; his trainer , the legendary Ambrose Palmer , one of whose boxing troupe was world champion Johnny Famechon , in background. Mrs Palmer became one of Max's "mothers" during his boxing career, looking after him and giving him sound financial advice as well .
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The keen blackjack player in the Townsville casino, former Australian boxing champion Max Carlos , from Melbourne , drew attention , not because of his fame , but because his eyes were taped wide open with micropore surgical tape and he was slow making bets . Nonplussed security staff kept an eye on this unusual looking individual .
In hospital , with difficulty communicating because of his condition , a copy of the above article by veteran journalist Ron Reed was placed above his bed.It shows Carlos in one of his memorable clashes with Aboriginal boxer ,George Bracken , from whom he took the Australian lightweight title .
The same photograph appeared in the Townsville Bulletin earlier this year but only named Bracken , the other boxer unknown .
Mrs Carlos arranged for her husband's corneas from those troublesome eyes , about which he had received many bad cuts in his boxing career, to be donated to an organ bank . She was informed that they were examined , found to be acceptable , and two people subsequently became recipients. She and Max had discussed and supported organ donation .
The Argus newspaper of June 26, l952 ran a story about two of the Carlos boys, from "a family of fighters" , Max , 16, and Jimmy, 18 , beating opponents in a Victoria versus New South Wales competition in Sydney . Jimmy was quoted as saying brother Avian had missed out being selected for the Victorian team ; the eldest brother had boxed in the Army. Their father was said to have boxed in the " Navy ". The Carlos boys were so good in the ring that on one night they won three Victorian state titles in separate divisions .
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The keen blackjack player in the Townsville casino, former Australian boxing champion Max Carlos , from Melbourne , drew attention , not because of his fame , but because his eyes were taped wide open with micropore surgical tape and he was slow making bets . Nonplussed security staff kept an eye on this unusual looking individual .
Carlos had undergone operations for brain tumour , 23 years after his last bout, which left him with severe double vision and droopy eyelids ; he had also survived a bad car accident . During his boxing career he had received many cuts about his eyes.
Several weeks before coming to Magnetic Island for a break and another tilt at the card tables , a neurologist , after tests , had broken the bad news that it seemed the cancer was coming back. Soon after arriving on the island,there was an ominous event when Max , on an outing, complained about not being able to see in bright sunlight.
At one stage in the casino, Lady Luck seemed not be favouring him , his chips dwindled , but later on he had a pile in front of him . Elated over his win , he returned to Magnetic Island , where he and wife Yvonne , had a time share , and a son , Jason, and wife , Bev , still live and run a Mexican restaurant - Man Friday-and also cater for Full Moon parties at the XBase backpacker resort .
The day after the casino episode , Max collapsed with a brain tumour and was helicoptered off the island in a coma, his casino winnings , amounting to about $1000 , were found wrapped up in various amounts-$600 and $300 in two bundles- in his clothing . After a month in Townsville hospital , two weeks in intensive care , he was flown to Melbourne aboard a Qantas flight.
In hospital , with difficulty communicating because of his condition , a copy of the above article by veteran journalist Ron Reed was placed above his bed.It shows Carlos in one of his memorable clashes with Aboriginal boxer ,George Bracken , from whom he took the Australian lightweight title .
The same photograph appeared in the Townsville Bulletin earlier this year but only named Bracken , the other boxer unknown .
One of two nurses attending Carlos read the article and, thinking he could not hear because he was in a coma , commented," He must be an important person . Out of the blue, Carlos clearly responded , " I am a VERY important person ." He died in a nursing home on May 12 , 1996 , eight months after collapsing on the island.
Mrs Carlos arranged for her husband's corneas from those troublesome eyes , about which he had received many bad cuts in his boxing career, to be donated to an organ bank . She was informed that they were examined , found to be acceptable , and two people subsequently became recipients. She and Max had discussed and supported organ donation .
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Max's father , a Spanish merchant seaman , Domingo Carlos Santos , who went under his father's surname , Carlos , was said to have been shipwrecked on a 1920 voyage between Australia and New Zealand , rescued and brought to Sydney , where he met his wife , who at some stage may have been a cook for shearers .
A short , nuggety man , he built the family home himself after the first weatherboard house in Shepparton , Victoria , was destroyed by fire. The family lived in tents on site as he gradually constructed the replacement building in brick . There were five boys in the family and four of them took up boxing .
The Argus newspaper of June 26, l952 ran a story about two of the Carlos boys, from "a family of fighters" , Max , 16, and Jimmy, 18 , beating opponents in a Victoria versus New South Wales competition in Sydney . Jimmy was quoted as saying brother Avian had missed out being selected for the Victorian team ; the eldest brother had boxed in the Army. Their father was said to have boxed in the " Navy ". The Carlos boys were so good in the ring that on one night they won three Victorian state titles in separate divisions .
Max began work as a tailor when he was 14 and was selected to represent Australia at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne , having fought some 55 amateur bouts , only losing two . It was a proud moment for the 20 year old. A week before the Games, however, he injured a disc in his back and his first bout was with the fighter favoured to win the gold medal in the division , American Joe Shaw.
It was a tough encounter, Shaw won on points , but Carlos broke one of Shaw's ribs and inflicted a bad cut about an eye which forced the American out of the tournament .The night of the finals , Carlos was sitting ringside when he was tapped on the shoulder by Shaw , who reportedly said ," Hey , Maxie, look at these two bums fighting for our medals ."
Max finished his tailoring apprenticeship at Shepparton then moved to Footscray to train as a professional under Ambrose Palmer , the official trainer for the Olympic squad .
Carlos became one of Australia's most popular boxers. His epic battles against George Bracken in 1957, l958 and 1959 in Melbourne's Festival Hall , nicknamed the Hall of Pain , were a sell out . Carlos won the first two , Bracken the third . While boxing , he was also employed by the well known menswear firm Roger David for six years and would often turn up for work nattily attired, showing physical signs of a tough time in the ring .
Max finished his tailoring apprenticeship at Shepparton then moved to Footscray to train as a professional under Ambrose Palmer , the official trainer for the Olympic squad .
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Carlos on cover of Ring magazine after winning title .
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On a recent visit back to Magnetic Island , Mrs Yvonne Carlos, above, who had been a shorthand typist , told of her life with Max . She recalled that while Max was training in Melbourne with Palmer and she was in Shepparton , he used his Olympic jacket, of which he was most proud , to hitchhike to see her...dubbing it his " hitchhiking jacket". Melbourne motorists, it seems , did not hesitate offering a lift to a man in an Australian Olympic Games jacket .
His parents moved from Shepparton to Pascoe Vale and ran a milk bar,his father's hamburgers popular . Max's mother took advantage of her son's fame and renamed the business after him , displaying some of his photos and trophies .
Max reluctantly gave up the ring after a fight in which his eardrum burst and he was hammered . Before the bout , he had experienced a sore ear and his mother had tried to ease the pain by getting him to hold his head over a steaming bowl. Instead of withdrawing from the event , he went ahead. His balance affected, he had little memory of the fight , except he seemed to be floating and he was belted around the ring . His wife was ringside and said it was a horrible sight as he had blood coming out his ear . A newspaper headline subsequently announced CARLOS QUITS , a major event as he had a big following throughout Australia , regarded as a skilled and clean fighter .
After his retirement from the ring they ran a successful menswear store in Shepparton and Max was a fight referee for TV Ringside , a popular show, hosted by Ron Casey and Merv Williams . Max wore the latest fashion and Williams once said he only wished they had colour TV as " Maxie" was wearing mulberry shade trousers and a raspberry coloured shirt .
Fight fans would come into the shop , argue about his decision in fights and often leave with some trendy clothing , which was good for business . Another venture was a motel .
Fight fans would come into the shop , argue about his decision in fights and often leave with some trendy clothing , which was good for business . Another venture was a motel .
With their four children , they went on an overseas trip in 1977 and while in Spain tried to find out anything they could about Max's father , born in 1891, having very few leads .
When asked where he came from in Spain , Carlos senior had said a place which sounded like Huon , which Mrs Carlos seemed like the Tasmania timber . In Barcelona , a man said there was a place ,Gijon, in the principality of Asturias , which was pronounced this way .
Following this up , they made contact with a number of people , including a lawyer , and were met with open arms by a helpful family. Mrs Carlos and daughters recently made a trip to Spain, Italy and France.A fireman near Pamplona , Spain , has produced a family tree and there are Carlos links with Argentina .
The above photograph is a close up view of the rare crocodile skin Australian Lightweight Champion's belt Max received for beating George Bracken in l958. Bracken , born on Palm Island , of an Aboriginal mother and Indian father, first fought in the Jimmy Sharman travelling boxing troupe in Townsville. Over the years he spoke out against imprisonment of Aboriginal people in settlements and missions and exploitation of Aboriginal boxers .
In one of the matches between the two, Carlos wore a Footscray jumper into the ring under his robe and Bracken sported one for Geelong , having been trained by Kid Young , with whom he boarded in Geelong .Carlos quipped that he had to cut off a leg and not eat or drink for 12 hours to get down to the 9 stone 9lb professional lightweight limit to fight Bracken . Mrs Carlos laughingly added he also said he would have to get her to cut his hair and fingernails to get his weight down .
In one of the matches between the two, Carlos wore a Footscray jumper into the ring under his robe and Bracken sported one for Geelong , having been trained by Kid Young , with whom he boarded in Geelong .Carlos quipped that he had to cut off a leg and not eat or drink for 12 hours to get down to the 9 stone 9lb professional lightweight limit to fight Bracken . Mrs Carlos laughingly added he also said he would have to get her to cut his hair and fingernails to get his weight down .
FOOTNOTE : Mrs Carlos revealed she had firmly believed that Lindy Chamberlain had been innocent of killing her baby , Azaria , at Uluru in the Northern Territory. It had shocked her that so many people vehemently declared that the Chamberlains had conspired to kill their beautiful child .
