Arizona republican., 1909-10-17
Ihenthe Negro Gave the Fight
a Whir|Wind Finish
THE ASSASSIN COLLAPSED
The Champion Throughout,
Appeared to Be Holding
Himself in Until He Was
Hurt By a Fall in the
Twelfth Round


son vindicated his right to the heavy
weight title by knocking out Stanley
Ketchel in the twelfth round. The
end came so suddenly that when Ket-
chell rolled to the floor and Referee
Walsh counted him out the 10000 per-
sons crowding the arena were abso-
lutely quiet for full minute. Even
Johnson. who leaned against the ropes
half dazed by his own fall a moment
before, did not seem to know what
had happened. The climax of the
fight was crowded into thirty-four
seconds.
At the beginning of the last round
there vas little to judge from the pre-
ceding rounds. to pick the winner.
The men met in the center of the ring.
clinched and wrestled to Johnson's
corner The negro broke away, and.
posing himself. dashed at Ketchel.
who sprang to meet him. Ketchel
drove his right at the blacks lowered
head. johnson ducked and the blow
landed behind his ear. He stumbled.
fell, and stretched out on the floor.
landing heavily. Ketchel backed to-
ward the ropes with a smile glimmer-
ing on his battered. blood-streaked
face Johnson rose slowly. as though
dazed AS he Strengthened to his
knees his eyes encountered Ketchers
and with the fury of a wild beast he
leaped across the ten feet that separ-
ated them. His right fist shot to
the white mans jaw. the left crashed
to the stomach and the right swung
again with the speed of lightning,
catching Ketchels head as he reefed
back from the onslaught.
Ketchel dropped in a heap and john
son, unable to stop his rush. sprawled
across his beaten rivals legs and fell
full length himself. The negro sprang
to his feet with bound. but Ketchel
was out.
Once, as the seconds were counted
over him, Ketchel feebly moved his
arms and rolled his head. He gave
not another sign of life and his Sec
onds picked him from the floor. bare
ly conscious. Johnson was still dazed.
He chung TO the ropes and looked
about him in a bewildered way The
crowd broke into murmurings and
seemed unable to realize that the fight
was over
Ketchel won many friends by his
showing today From the time he en-
tered the ring until he was carried
out he was game to the core. Out
weighed, overreached and in every
way the physical inferior of his gigan-
tic opponent, he fought cool. we'll
planned. gritty fight. His face was
puffed and he was bleeding at the
nose and mouth before three rounds
passed. but he kept following the ne
gro about the ring. undaunted. john
son appeared to be holding himself
back all the time Three times only
did it look as though he went in to
knock his man out; once when ket-
chel landed clean hook on the jaw
that broke the skin and raised lump.
once when a similar blow caught him
from the other side. and the last time
when he ended the fight
Throughout the fight Johnson's
golden smile flashed out at inter-
walls over Ketchers shoulder in the
midst OF their wrestling bouts. This
happened whenever he picked the
smaller man off the floor and set him
down in another place. He did it fire.
quentiy and apparently without effort
Ketchel fought wariiy from the
start. He kept out at long range
avoiding many blows, by clever duck
ing. but johnson jabbed his left into
the white mans face time after time.
When they clinched the black mans
head lowered inches above Ketchefs
hair and il looked as though strip
ling were wrestling with a man. Twice
Ketchel was thrown to the floor by
the rush of Johnson's attacks. Neither
time did a. blow land. At other times
Ketchel avoided charges by skipping
nimbly to the right or left. or back
ing swiftly away They SPARED for
openings for long periods and there
was little real fighting through the
earlier rounds. For reasons known
only to himself Johnson preferred to
keep away. and when he had felt the
force of Ketchel's wicked left hook he
seemed more than ever ready to go
slow about his work.
In his dressing room after the fight
Johnson said: He is a good punch
er and a strong man. | must say
that he has given me a sorer chin
than l ever had before and he