Background
Foley was born to a schoolmaster, Patrick, and his wife Mary (née Downs) in Bathurst, New South Wales on 12 December 1849.
Foley was born to a schoolmaster, Patrick, and his wife Mary (née Downs) in Bathurst, New South Wales on 12 December 1849.
He is known as the "Father of Australian Boxing" and it is often said that the English idiom "happy as Larry" is a reference to him. He was baptised a few years later on 2 May 1852 in Penrith. Aged 14 he moved to Wollongong as servant to a Roman Catholic priest with the expectation that he would join the priesthood.
This never happened and instead, he moved to Sydney where he worked as a building labourer.
He was crowned "King of the Push" after the Rocks Push street gang in Sydney. On 20 March 1879, he fought Abe Hicken bare-knuckle for the Australian championship.
Back home in Sydney a concert and subscription fund were organised for him. He retired aged 32.