Stanley Ketchel

Boxer

• Born: September 14, 1886
• Birthplace: Grand Rapids, Michigan
• Died: October 15, 1910
• Place of death: Springfield, Missouri

Sport: Boxing

Early Life

Stanley Ketchel was born Stanisław Kiecal on September 14, 1886. His father, Thomas, of Polish heritage, was born in Russia and immigrated to the United States. He married Julia, a Polish American woman. They farmed in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Stanley grew strong by performing daily chores. However, the monotonous nature of life on a farm was not for him. At the age of twelve, he ran away from home, heading west. For several years, Stanley joined a group of miners traveling from boomtown to boomtown. He worked at odd jobs. His body became lean and hard. He became expert with a pistol and learned to use his fists in the turbulent environment of the mining camps. By the age of seventeen, Stanley had settled in Butte, Montana. There, he worked regularly as a saloon bouncer. However, he made more money as a boxer. At night, Stanley was house champion at a local casino. For $20 in weekly wages, he took on all challengers.

The Road to Excellence

Within a year, Stanley had fought in about 250 amateur boxing matches. Though he had no formal training, Stanley gained valuable experience with each fight. He also developed a winning tactic. At the opening bell, he rushed out of his corner to throw a flurry of hard punches with both hands. His attack never abated from round to round. His brawling style bewildered opponents with a constant barrage of leather. Stanley piled up knockout victories and earned the nickname the “Michigan Assassin.”

Stanley turned professional in 1904. In his debut, he knocked out “Kid” Tracy in the first round. During his first year as a professional, Stanley was 13-2, with 12 knockouts. By the end of 1905, his record was 31-2, with 29 knockouts. In his first 41 bouts, Stanley fought exclusively in Montana. He ran his record to 36-2, with 3 no decisions. Then he joined the larger, more important boxing market of California. There, Stanley achieved everlasting fame.

The Emerging Champion

The 5-foot 9-inch Stanley was at his prime fighting weight of 142 pounds. A middleweight, he scored knockouts in his first 3 bouts in California and won 6 straight fights. Early in 1908, he knocked out Mike “Twin” Sullivan, a middleweight-championship contender. In May of that year, he knocked out highly ranked Jack “Twin” Sullivan in 20 rounds. At the age of twenty-one, Stanley was declared world middleweight champion.

In 1908, Stanley defended his championship three times. He knocked out Billy Papke, Hugo Kelly, and Joe Thomas. In a rematch with Papke in September, 1908, the challenger won on a technical knockout in 12 rounds. Two months later, Stanley knocked out Papke to become the first middleweight to regain the championship.

As reigning champion in 1909, Stanley fought in a series of exhibition bouts in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New York. A fearless scrapper, he took on light-heavyweight champion “Philadelphia Jack” O’Brien and knocked him out in 3 rounds. After another successful title defense, Stanley challenged world heavyweight champion Jack Johnson. The charismatic African American accepted the challenge. The boxing match, filmed for posterity, took place in Colma, California, on October 16, 1909. Though bulked up to 160 pounds, Stanley was small compared to the 6-foot, 209-pound Johnson. Stanley, while bloodied, gave a good account of himself. In the twelfth round, he sent Johnson to the canvas with a hard blow to the head. The champion got to his feet and delivered a crushing right hand just as Stanley charged. Johnson knocked out several of Stanley’s teeth, and the challenger fell unconscious. Stanley was out cold for ten minutes.

Continuing the Story

Stanley recovered from the loss to Johnson. He continued to fight exhibitions and nontitle bouts. His last match was on June 10, 1910. That day, he knocked out Jim Smith in New York City, in 5 rounds. The victory boosted his official record to 53 wins—48 by knockout. Stanley talked wistfully about fighting Johnson again.

R. P. Dickerson, a friend and sportsman, invited Stanley to train for upcoming fights at his ranch in the Ozarks. At the Conway, Missouri, property Stanley grew fond of the countryside. He decided to give up boxing after one more fight. Afterward, he would return to his roots and take up farming. He became engaged to a local woman named Jewell. However, Stanley’s life took an unexpected and shocking turn. On the morning of October 15, 1910, a farmhand named Walter Kurtz shot Stanley with a rifle. Mortally wounded, Stanley was rushed by train to a hospital in Springfield, Missouri, where he died at the age of twenty-four. Days later, most citizens of Grand Rapids, Michigan, attended his funeral.

At his trial, Kurtz was revealed to be Walter Dipley, a U.S. Navy deserter. Dipley claimed Stanley had assaulted his wife, Goldie, the ranch cook. Dipley said he had shot the pistol-packing boxer in self-defense. However, evidence revealed that Goldie was not Dipley’s wife. There was no proof of assault, either. Furthermore, Stanley was shot in the back. The jury convicted Dipley and Goldie Smith of first-degree murder. Goldie’s conviction was later overturned, though she served time for robbery. Dipley spent twenty-three years in prison for killing the “Michigan Assassin” and died in 1956.

Summary

A fierce competitor, Stanley Ketchel is perennially ranked among the all-time best middleweight boxers. Sports historians rate him one of the hardest punchers ever. Stanley was enshrined into the Ring magazine Boxing Hall of Fame in 1953. The International Boxing Hall of Fame inducted him in 1990.

Bibliography

Blake, James Carlos. The Killings of Stanley Ketchel: A Novel. New York: William Morrow, 2005.

Kent, Graeme. The Great White Hopes: The Quest to Defeat Jack Johnson. London: Sutton, 2007.

Nash, Jay Robert. World Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century Murder. New York: Marlowe, 1992.

Roberts, James, and Alexander Skutt. The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall of Fame Official record Book. 4th rev. ed. Ithaca, N.Y.: McBooks Press, 2006.

Silverman, Jeff, ed. The Greatest Boxing Stories Ever Told: Thirty-six Incredible Tales from the Ring. Guilford, Conn.: Globe Pequot Press, 2004.