Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-01-14

No, they never come back. The his
tory OF the rings holds just one
example of a knockout champion who
fought his way right back to the title
he had lost. The one exception to the
rule was the dauntless Stanley
Ketchel miracle man Of middle
weights, who wouldn't have known in
decision or fear of defeat at the
muzzle of machine gun.
Stanley Ketchel was caught by one
of Thunderbolt Billy Papke's tremen-
dous right handlers in the first round
Of their battle in Los Angeles, was
knocked down and nearly out, came
pagan and again to show almost
superhuman courage and endurance,
and was at last knocked out. The
event aroused such tremendous inter-
est that the men were matched over
and over again, to fight at San Fran
CISCO Ketchel, undaunted by his for
mer defeat, fought at furious pace
that was too much for Papke's nerve
and won back his title.
Fitz Nearly Did Stunt.
Another champion who came near a
sensational comeback was Bob Fitz-
simmons. Knocked out by young Jim
Jeffries in II rounds, he fought Jef1-
ries again three years later. and made
! heroic effort to turn the tables. He
gave Jeffries a fearful hammering I'M
! til his hands were smashed and splin-
tered, when he was knocked out for a
second time. He did all that was hui
manly possible Jeffries was then in
his prime and the most powerful man
who ever held the heavyweight title.
But see how others failed, no mat
ter how great the class they showed
while listed among the champions.
Featherweight Champion Terry Nc
Govern was invincible until he
met Young Corbett and was knocked
out. After that one defeat Terry
fought in sensational style until he
met Corbett again in San Francisco
McGovern hadn't trained for the first
| tight-this time he was trained to the
minute of entering the ring.
McGOvern a Tough Boy.
Corbett was an ice cold PROPOSE
ton. He knew that McGovern was
! likely to knock him out His bes
chance lay in making Terry lose his
head, for Young Corbett was a heav!
walloper in mixup.
| In the fight he talked to Terry fol
round after round But Terry seemed
talk proof. He had been schooled tt
/ pay no attention to Corbett's vile
abuse He grinned and said: III
whip you now, and III 'lick you latel
| for that" He was having the bette.
OF the fight. Corbett was weakening
And then Corbett uttered the ulti
mate insult-the. foulest insult tina
his imagination could invent. Will
blazing eyes and furiously swinging
fists, utterly regardless of everything
but a desire for immediate revenge
Terry rushed wildly in. And Corbet
crossed him and knocked him out.
Britt Won From Corbett.
Young Corbett in turn never
came back" when he had been out
gained and outfought by Jimmy Britt
Britt was wonderfully game fel
low. He upset the dope little wheI
| he came back from a knockout b!
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the ropes at the end of desperate 20
round fight. But Britt wasn't cham
pion. The fight he didn't come back
in was the fight in which he lost tt
Joe Cans.
Going back over the lightweight
list, kid" Lavigne never came baci
from the beating given him by Welter
weight Champion Billy Smith. Franl
Erne met Levigne soon afterward ant
won the lightweight title from him
and that was the last of Lavigne as ;
greatr fighter.
Erne in turn came to the end o
his fighting days when he made an i'm
possible weight for McGovern, sappet
his stamina beyond all reason. ant
was stopped in couple of rounds
Later he tried for the welter crown
and was stopped by RUDE Ferns ant
still later was knocked out in on
round by Joe Cans.