Los Angeles herald., 1908-08-30
SOUTHERN CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT
BELITTLES RIVAL ATTRACTIONS
SP0RTSMEN MORE INTERESTED IN KETCHEL-PAPKE SCRAP
THAN IN BOTH NORTHERN BATTLES
Second Meeting Between Mddleweight Champion and Illinois
Thunderbolt, His Most Formidable Opponent in That
Division, Sirs Fans Into Enthusiasm Throughout the
Country-Both VIII Put Extra Boxing Cards
at Their Training Camps This Afternoon
BY JAY DAVIDSON

NEVER before in the history of the
globe have three undisputed
champions of the world been
called upon to defend their titles within
a period of three days, yet within the
next ten days three legitimate and un-
disputed champions will fight In the
state of California in defense of titles
that are without the slightest cloud,
and the results of these battles will
confer upon each victor the clean, clear
and undisputed honors of the several
divisions involved.
San Francisco hight promoters will
stage two of these battles-one being a
scheduled twenty y-three-round affair be-
tween Abe Attell of Los Angeles and
Owen Moran of England for the feath-
erweight championship, and the other
being a scheduled forty-fve-round bat
tie between Battling Nelson and Joe
Cans, champion and former champion
of the lightweight division-and Los
Angeles will be the scene of the third,
and most important battle, in which
Stanley Ketchel, middleweight cham
pion and the pugilistic marvel of the
age, will meet Billy Papke, the Illinois
Thunderbolt, over a twenty-tve-round
route for the title.
Despite that the eyes of the sporting
world are turned to the coast for these
battles, 1t cannot be denied in truth
that the greatest interest is manifested
in the result of the second meeting be-
tween Ketchel and Papke and that the
other two championship contests dwin-
die to the Importance of preliminaries
by way of comparison with this match
KetcheI Is Marvel
Unquestionably Ketchel is the great
est fighter in the world today, not only
in fact but In the minds of those who
figure greatness in a fighter in proper
tion to his attractiveness and drawing
powers at the gate. His rise from ob-
livion to the top rung of the pugilistic
ladder in a few months has been the
sensation of the sporting world, and
his succession of knockout victories
over the greatest fighters in the welter
and middleweight divisions in the last
fourteen months has made him the
most talked of scrapper in the harness
Until his great fight with Joe
Thomas at Marysville the afternoon of
July 4, 1907, nobody knew or cared
much about him. When he fought to
a draw with the then great native son
he startled the fight world and he has
continued this startling business ever
since. He really defeated Thomas
that day, but as Thomas was consid--
cred the Welterweight champion and
Ketchel waA unknown he was forced
to accept a draw. Since then he has
whipped Thomas three times, twice by
the knockout route. Hugo Kelly and
Billy Papke, not to mention Mike and
Jack (Twin) Sullivan, are other nota-
BILE victims of the young Montana
scrapper. Papke stayed ten rounds
with him, but he stopped Thomas,
both Sullivans and Kelly almost with
ridiculous ease.
He has grown at almost an alarm
ing rate since his victory over Thomas
in the welter division. He cinched the
title as Nelterweight champion and
then cleaned up the middleweights. all
of them of any Importance or promi-
nence as near champions. and his
fight with Papke next Labor day in
the Vernon arena probably will be his
last fight in the middleweight division,
as he is getting to be too heavy for
that division and. like Alexander, signs
for other conquests and Will go into
the middleweight division in search of
Tommy Burns scalp.
Meets Greatest Rival
Next to KetcheI in the middIeweight
division comes Billy Papke. the Illinois
ThUnderbolt, so named because he al
ways fights in hurricane style, and
been able to whip him. Papke, until
Ketchel showed up on the pugilistic
map, was regarded as being invincible
as the champion of his day and the
one great match. after Ketchel had
mopped up with all other rivals, was
that between himself and Papke. Mil
waukee got the fight at ten rounds.
and that scrap, like all other Milwau-
kee battles, leaves much room for
doubt as to the relative abilities of
the pair.
Papke has not been as meteoric in
his fight up the ladder as has been
Ketchel and he has not whipped the
same fighters or other fighters of the
same class as those notable victims OF
the champion, but he has trimmed all
other rivals so neatly and decisiveJy