The New York herald., 1922-02-12
THEY WERE CHAMPIONS
STANLEY KETCHEL

This is the second of q series Of
articles on sport cham pions Of the
past. men tcho made their marks in
baseball. in the ring. in athletics, ten
mis- and other branches of professional
and amateur endedUor
BY DANIEL.
The heart of a lion, the physique OF
bull, the indomitable spirit of a true
Titan-these made Stanley Ketchel
champion of the middlcweight division
and one of the most picturesque and
colorful luminaries in the history OF
American boxing.
Ketchel was a boxer of no mean
ability, but it was his rushing tactics
and his fighting fury which made him
stand out so brilliantly. There are two
striking indices to his qualities, first.
his ability to come back and regain
the title after he had lost it TO Billy
Papke by a knockout-regain it by
stopping Papke just one round sooner
than Papke stopped him; second. his
going into a ring with Jack Johrson,
then heavyweight champion Of the
world-Johnson scaling 200 pounds
and Ketchel $50. The black beat down
the game white man, but Ketchel in
defeat was greater than Johnson in
victory. That was one match which
was a mistake for Johnson.
Ketchel led a turbulent life in the
ring and he passed out turbulently.
While still holding the middleweight
honors he got into an alteration with
one of the hands on his farm at Con-
way, Mo-. on October 10, 1910, a
man by the name of Dipley. Ketche
was shot and killed. Ketchel, by the
way, was not the fighters real name.
He was Stanislaus Kiecal. and was
born of Polish parents at Grand Rap
ids. Mich, on September IA, 1887.
Very rare indeed is the case OF
champion who having been Knocked out
is able to stop his conquerer and regain
the laurels. We do not remember an
other But Ketchel turned the trick
and turned IL in most impressive style.
It was on September z. 1908, that
Papke, the Thunderbolt, and consider
able socker on his own account. stopped
Ketchel, the champion. in twelve rounds
velopment for the Pole and his adher-
ents. But Ketchel was undaunted.
On November 26--only eleven weeks
later-at San Francisco-ketchel came
back with terrific fury. He battered his
erstwhile conquerer and stopped him in
eleven rounds. Ketchel had retrieved his
crown. On July 5, 1909. in the ring at
Colma, Cal. Ketchel and Papke met
once more. Each was determined. Each
had knocked the other out. Each threw
everything he had into the effort--and
out of the combat came n Ketchel again
triumphant After the death OF ketchel
Papke claimed the title. and when he
knocked out Willie Lewis In three
rounds in Paris the fistic world sat up
and again recognized the Thunderbolt.
Ketchel's Homeric battle with John
son was fought on October 16. 1909. at
Colma. and what scrap the smaller
man put up Johnson bigger. more
clever and quite a hitter. had the fight
we'll in hand most of the way, but he
knew he was In n terrific tussle. Ketch-
el kept coming in for more all the time,
boring in. In spite OF the great pun
ishment which he was receiving. In the
twelfth. though the spirit was willing.
the flesh and the senses called a halt
and Ketchel was knocked out. But
what a hght-1eO pounds to 9O0l
ketchcl scored forty-four knockouts
Twcnty-one Of these came in succession
His string of knockout triumphs was
snapped when he ran into Joe Thomas
and n draw I'm twenty round battle at
Marysvillc. Cal. on July 4, 1907. In
September he knocked out Thomas at
San Francisco i'm thirty-two rounds
and they still are talking about that
brulsing. furnishing mill out there.
Copyright 1893. bv THE New YoRK HERALD.