The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-05-27
TELLS ABOUT DIRTY
TRICK USED TO WIN
KNOCKOUT DEFEAT
Ry FRANK G. MENKE

The d1rtleSt ring trick ever pulled /
was responsible for the only knockout
defeat of Stanley Ketchel's career" |
declares Pete Stone, known in fistic |
circles as Pete the Goat
Much stress has been laid upon the |
fact that Billy Papke once knocked i
out Ketchel. Those who do not know /
the facts in the case try to glorify !
Papke for that victory. But the real /
truth is that Papke won only because /
he used a trick that no clean fighter /
ever has used.
"At the time Ketchel and Papke !
fought it used to be customary for
fighters to run out with the first bell
and shake hands before getting down
TO business. But the happenings in
the first Ketchel Papke fight practi- |
cally killed off that practice, and, now
adays, usually shake hands after con-
ferring with the referee or not at all.
They have learned something from
what happened to Ketchell.
Tho bell rang for the first round
that night, Sept. 8, 1908, in Los An
geles. Both fighters walked forward
20 the center of the ring. Ketchel put
out his hands for shaking purposes,
whereupon Papke, with every ounce
of strength in his body, drove left
hook to Stanley's chin. Before Ket-
chel could lift his hands Papke smash
ed him on the jaw once more.
Couldn't Keep Up.
Those punches won the fight for
Papke. The champion did not go
down under them then, but he seemed
to be in a daze. l was in his corner
that night and when he came back
knew he was gone. He was out on
his feet then. He didn't know any
of US in his corner-his eyes had a
blank stare and he couldn't collect his
senses.
Yet It wasn't until the thirteenth
round that Ketchel was defeated.
Through every round up to then we
! tried with every means in our power
to get him out OF that daze, but it
wasn't any use. The brain of Stanley
| ketcheu was asleep. He fought every
round of that fight by instinct.
"Papke tried with everything he had
to send Stan down for the full count.
/ But he never succeeded. He had him
on the floor, but he couldn't keep him
there. Through the last five rounds,
! Stan was like drunken man-reelIng
and staggering. Yet his superb
physique and his marvellous fighting
| instinct kept him battling on.
Police Stop Slaughter
Tn the thirteenth the police stopped
! the slaughter and Papke was credited
with a technical knockout-and be
came middleweight champion OF the
world.
But Ketchel got his revenge.
Later that night his mind cleared.
When he was told what had happened
to him, he was silent for while.
Then he said:
LETS trick him into giving me a
return battle. Then I'll even up
things
The next day Ketchel gave to the
newspapers a story praising the great
ness of Papke. He declared Papke d
wonder Never a word was said about
the trick that Billy had used to win.
Stanley, in talking to the reporters,
led them to believe that he had enough
of Papke-that he'd fight other men
but never again would he face the ter
rife hitting Papke.
Gets Wrong impression
"Papke undoubtedly read the stuff
and gained the impression-as Stan
: hoped-that Ketchel was afraid OF
him.
"Ketchel then went to Frisco and
hunted up an intimate friend. He
asked that fellow TO go to the big
, fight promoter there and have that
, fellow bid for a return battle between
the two men. STAINS friend told the
promoter to offer Papke big sum OF
money, Ketchel guaranteeing to make
good whatever losses the promotes
might suffer if the house wasn't com
plete sell out.
The scheme worked. The offer t
Papke was irresistible. He agreed Il
) meet Ketchel. They fought at Sar
Francisco on Nov. 26, 1908, before {
: record house And what slaughter i
proved to be!
5 There was no handshaking tina
l night Ketchel tore in like mailman
With the first bell he crashed an al
most amending succession of blows
5 into the face and body OF his rival
l But he carefully refrained from smash
t ing to the chin of his foreman.
! There may have been fights in tn