The Washington herald., 1918-01-16
STAKED ALL0N
STEVEKETCHEL
Stanley sHandlerBet Every
thing His Man Would
Beat Thomas. =.

A bunch OF old-time fight fans
gathered at New York recently. They
told many interesting stories Of the
good old days" when managers and
boxers were not afraid TO bet" Billy
Roche, who refereed many great fignts
on the Pacific coast, told the follow
ing story:
Fighters or managers don't bet as
they used to. They don't seem to have
the confidence the fighters OF the past
generation had. Say, i remember the
best betting fight-that Is, from a prin-
cipafs standpoint-that was ever de-
cided, and IL turned out TO be one OF
the greatest contests ever held, too. II
was even better thar the one between
Kid Lavigne and Joe WGlcott that
many New Workers still talk about.
Il refer TO the second bout between
Stanley Ketchel and Joe Thomas In
San Francisco in 1907. was match
maker and referee for Jim Cofiroth In
those days 1 had arranged q bout
between Packey Mcfarland and Dick
Hyland. but Packey withdrew and we
were left fiat for an admission day
card. II suddenly occurred TO me that
Ketchel, who was then very little
known. go little, in fact, that passed
him along a few weeks before with q
promise of a fight some time later
on, had just fought a great twenty
round draw with Joe Thomas. ] wired
Ketchel to come on, already having
the promise Of Thomas 10 go through
with the match.
I'm a few hours a slouchy looking IN
dividual blew into the office ad ASKED
me IL wanted Ketchel. He furnished
proof that he was in authority 10 ACT
for Stanley. He said his name was
O'Connor.
Got 500 to put up for Forfeit ]
inquired.
Sure said he.
Then set a date for the rpeesing
at which the match was TO be mace
Ketchel. O'Connor. Thomas. Jim Cof-
froth and were there.
We'll. you will have 20 put u7 80.
for weight and 500 for appearance
said. Now what weight do YOU want?
Zone hundred and fifty pounds FIVE
hours before the fght.' said Thomas,
IAN right said O'Connor. If you
mean that Ketch can weigh under lS'
pounds II he wants to-
Purse must be cut - per cent to
winner and 3 to loser said Thomas.
"All right" said O'Connor.
1T was the easiest match ever ar
ranged" declared Roche. when we
were through o'ComeC came to me
and said, Now, can / bet on this
fght7-
Certainly I said. How much dc
you want to bet?'
"T have 1850 here I will bet re-
turned o'Conlor. How muS& 90 lou
figure the Hgh i -; will draw
About $1,000 said
Were getting 50 per cent, ehl
The losers end would be about sl.2Oo
wouldn't Il? Well. ccn ! get an l.
o. L. for that much from your"
Il assured him that he could and
then ne asked me to bet the 81. .50C
he had left and the losers end at the
prevailing Odds. which I did Tbs
odds were to I on Ketch. He wasn't
satisfied with that either
Can / get an advance for my
u,o0O forfeit?" said O'Counor.
Il gave him that and he let it the
same way. When the day OF the fight
arrived the house ran up to about HS.-
600. O'Connor saw it and asked for
the losers share OF the extra s..
got it for him Snd wens {" the
betting booth W 7GpE ard started to
lay that.
"'wait a minute"r yelled o'Con-
nor. Bet that money that Ketch
knocks him out"
II did and got something like J.:
to ] for the money. O'Connor and
Ketchei had bet everything they had
in the world on that fight. II was the
greatest display Of confidence / ever
saw in a figher and his mana ger.
Had they lost that fight they would
have been buns, pure and simple.
"As ] said before It was the great
est fight ever staged. There were
knockdowns galore. The fight was
such a see-saw affair that Nat Good
win, who was there at the ringside,
kept hedging in each round. from one
fighter to the other.
ct looked au over with Ketch In
the twenty-ninth round, when he
went down for the count. He got
up and was saved by the bell. In the
thirty-first round, just at the finish.
he shifted on Thomas and nearly
put him out So badly was Thomas
hurt that he came up groggy for the
thirty-second. and Steve rushed him,
worked his shift again. landed his
left. then his right. and Thomas hung
on the ropes.
HE was out, but didn't hit the
ground. His chief second. Harry
Foley. stepped into the ring and
grabbed his man and pushed Ketchel
away; That's how that fight ended,
and not the way Thomas told some
body il did. by a ''ten-second count.
[ did not count even one over him
n that final period. II was that fgh: