El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-03-05

MARCH S, 1913, saw Frank Klaus
A'A and Billy Papke battling in
Paris for "the middleweight cham
pionship of the world" Several fans
have written for an expression of
opinion on the middleweight ques-
ton, so perhaps it will not be out of
place to take up the matter today.
Papke claimed the title on the
ground that he was the best man liv-
ing after Ketchel was murdered in
October, 1910. Papke won on a foul.
DETURNING to the. United States,
Klaus was twice slowed away by
George Chip. Chip lost to an IN
known, Al Mccoy, in one round. But
it would take up too much space to
carry out the tale. The whole thing
SINNERS down to the fact that we
have no real middleweight champion.
It is as much a muddle as when
Stanley Ketchel won the champion
ship, after the retirement of Tommy
Ryan, by simply claiming the honor
and trimming any and all who dis
puted his right to it. Jimmy Clabby,
Mike Gibbons, Eddie McGoOrty, Jack
Dillon and 'steen others all claim the
championship.
%/#
STANLEY KETCHEL was the last
recognized champion and he was
one of the greatest 15s-pounders of
all time. One fan asks that 1 COM
pare Ketchel with Bob Fitzsimmons,
George LeBlanche, Jack Dempsey
and other old timers. He asks
something that is impossible to an
swer satisfactorily. A good many
men will remember Maud s., the
trotting champion of 1ss4-1sS5,
which had a mark a. 2:o9. Horse
men of that time predicted that it
would never be beaten. But we now
have trotters with marks better
than two minutes. Modern meth
DDS of training, modern sulkies and
better tracks have told the tale. 1t
is the same Nth the boxers. When
Jack Dempsey was IN his prime, the
bare knuckle fights to a finish w-re
the style. Tommy Ryan, another
great middleweight champion, began
with the bare knuckle game and
even when gloves we're first intro
duced they were nothing more than
an ordinary glove with the finger
tips cut out. Fitzsimmons fought
in both the bare knuckle and the
early glove days.
K \
COMPARING KetcheI, Fitzsim-
- mons and Ryan in their prime,
with the present day crop Of middle
weights, I would say that they
would stow any of the bunch away.
Ryan's cleverness and wallop would
have easily taken care of all but
possibly Clabby and Gibbons. Both
these men are clever and Gibbons
gives promise of being another man
of the Ryan type Ketchel and
Fitz could wade into Dillon, Nc
Goorty, Clabby, Gibbons, Chip,
Smith and the rest of the present
day champions" trade punch for
punch and land on top. McGoorty is
possibly the hardest hitter of the
lot. Some critics will tell you hat
Gibbons has a real wallop. He hasn't
shown it to any great extent.
X
DOB FITZSIMM0NS was one of
the wonders of the ring. He
made $50 pounds for Jack Dempsey,
whom he knocked out in 10 rounds
in 1891, but it greatly weakened
him. Fitz defended the title until
1896, when he announced that he
could no longer make 1873 pounds
and would enter the heavyweight
ranks. Tommy Ryan, then welter-
weight champion, claimed the title
and was recognized as champion.
After Ryan retired in 1907, Jack
0'Brien and Mike (Twin) Sullivan
claimed the title. So did Ketchel and
because Ketchel was the best man
the title was his.