Montana oil and mining journal., 1940-03-30
By JOE Z. MARKHAnf


time, kayOed Is opponents and
fought one draw. All OF the bouts
we're staged in Montana. Seven
kayOes, one exhibition match and
2O-r0und draw was KetcheTs
1906 record. 1t Is this 2O-round
draw-fought In Butte-with Mon
tana Jack Sullivan, that this ar
ticle win deal with. The match
occurred on the night of Feb
Ketchel had resided in Butte for
several years. The match had intercity
flavor as the Polish boy, Ketchel. was
billed from Butte, while Montana Jack
resided IN Anaconda. For MANY years
Jack was resident of Butte, but
in his early boxing days he was the
pride Of Anaconda.
Any opponent of those days, no
matter how good, usually turned out
as a setup for Ketchel The Poles
rushing tactics, ring style and man
neriSm, however, failed to BATTLE Sulli-
van, who was able to earn a draw
after 20 rounds of fast mitt singing.
During his career Ketchel had only
six bouts that were prolonged to 20
rounds or more.
only two bouts went beyond that
distance-one of them at "a rounds.
Ketchel won by q knockout against
O1Q AAd4O1AtAoCs OOY VINO
was handy with his dukes; the other
was against Joe Thomas, held In San
Francisco in 1907, Ketchel kayoing his
opponent in 80 rounds.
Both Were Kid Corners
The Sullivan-Ketchel match was held
at the Broadway theater. Ketchel was
the favorite, despite 6-pound weight
advantage held by Jack. The verdict
was popular Dune Mcdonald was the
ar1d xrr1,fTa
Ketchel had slight edge on points,
it was not sufficient to earn him more
than a draw
The Standard sports writer, in sum-
ming up the bout, declared, 1T was
hummer" It was give and take, ham
mer and tongs, from start to finish.
The crowd of 1000 or more felt that
they were well repaid. Wagers were
many and heavy Thousands of dol
no previous match held in Montana
created as much two-ply interest
namely, attendance and betting. Both
youngsters were climbing the pugilistic
ladder at a fast pace, and conner"
was the label applied to each.
Sportsmen Travelled from all parts
of the state to see the bout It was
considered so big an attraction that
the promoters scheduled only one
-
The main event. however, made up for
this.
Speed Saved KetcheI
Ketchel never showed to better ad-
vantage. His speed was a surprise and
he used both hands well Repeatedly
he was able to get out of the way
of many a haymaker thrown by the
kid from Anaconda. He always rushed,
his opponent, but Sullivan was canny
in his blocking.
Montana Jacks tactics were to lead
with his left and jump back, or, If he
saw an opening, follow with a right
to the body. Ketchel tried left and
right uppercut freely, and planted
many a right jolt on Sullivan's head.
The rain of blows failed to bother
Jack, who ducked constantly, and
The hard SmaSheS were blocked, but
Jack would permit the light blows to
slip through his defense. Ketchel
poured out many vicious uppercut,
but none of these dynamic blows
reached home or button.
Started Cautiously
The first round was slightly Ketch-
els. Sullivan led awkwardly with his
left a number Of times, attempting
cautiousneSs. The only blows of con-
sequence in the first round were hard
W ldlC 4dCE ld1lQCU ny hCLN1lCAs
Ketchel took decided lead in the
second. He repeatedly landed lefts to
his opponents face, tapping Jacks
claret fount. 1t was in this round that
Sullivan caught Ketchel off balance
with straight right that sent Stanley
to the floor. Like a flash he was ur
and Sullivan was caught with
straight left that sent him sprawling.
The spectators rose to their seats and
all 1rs1 Irxs41 4k4w~n
was intense as the gong sounded.
Many believed that had the round
gone minute longer, Ketchel would
have scored a knockout.
Sullivan Rallied StOutly
Montana Jack staged a great come
back IN the third and landed as often
as his opponent. He held Ketchel even
in the fourth. The fifth was also even,
Sullivan, In this round, landing a hard
right to the face, his best blow up to
that point. Ketchel indicated that 1t
hurt plenty. The sixth was round
of fierce fighting In the clinches, both
showing effects of the fast pace. In
this round Sullivan tapped Stanley's
schnOzzle and the red fluid poured
freely. Sullivan copped his first round
here. The next two went to Ketchel.
A fierce exchange of rights, at close
range, sent both their heads back. The
u1ubu ana 1OI0 were even, Win Tie
boxers showing letup signs of the fast
pace. In the 18th Sullivan took re-
peated rights on the head and was
punished severely, but he always came
back for more Sullivan won the 18th,
once jolting his opponents head back
with q fierce left straight from the
shoulder. The 18th was even, and
Ketchel had a slight edge in the 14th.
Sullivan kept a set grin on his face.
The next rounds we're rated as even.
Sullivan's showing In the 17th was
a surprise. He was 50 strong 1t ap-
peared he had been playing poSsum.
Sullivan also captured the next stanza-
The 18th was even. The last round was
a fitting climax to such a grueling
fight. 1t was of the whirlwind order,
both men swinging with all the
strength that was left whether they
saw an opening or not. The going was
even for the first two minutes, but in
the closing seconds Ketchel was land
ing rights and lefts repeatedly. Both
men seemed glad when the bell sound
ed. They we're in their corners for
inst a brief period, when Dune Nc
Donald motioned for them to come to