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The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia -- Lineal Champion

James "Rube" Ferns
(the "Kansas Rube")

BORN   January 20 1874; Pittsburg, Kansas
DIED June 11 1952; Pittsburg, Kansas
HEIGHT.. 5-8 1/2
WEIGHT 140-146 3/4 lbs

Ferns was a tough Kansas man with a "Missouri Show Me" attitude; He was formidable and scrappy with a good punch; Rube won the Welterweight Championship of the World during his career; He has not received due credit over the years for being as good a fighter as he was

He defeated such men as "Mysterious" Billy Smith, Eddie Connolly, Bobby Dobbs, William "Matty" Matthews, Frank Erne, Owen Zeigler, "Scaldy" Bill Quinn, Harry Pigeon, Frank "Dutch" Neal, Paddy Purtell and Shorty Ahearn

1896
Jun 29 Tom Mackey                 Weir, Ks                           TK 10
Jul 15 Jack Dougherty             Mineral City, Ks                   KO  2
Jul 29 Harry Pigeon               Galena, Ks                         KO 19
Aug 28 Fred Ross                  Galena, Ks                         TK 13
Sep 25 Ed Doyle                   Weir, Ks                           TK 13
Nov  9 Paddy Purtell              Galena, Ks                         LK  3
Dec 22 Caswell Whitman            Weir, Ks                           TK  3
Dec 31 Bill Mahan                 Weir, Ks                           TK  6

1897
Mar  8 "Scaldy" Bill Quinn        Frontenac, Ks                       D  6
Mar 22 Bill Mahan                 Weir, Ks                           KO  6
May 10 Oscar Gardner              Chicopee, Ks                        D  6
Jun  4 Isadore "Izzy" Strauss     Brooklyn, NY                       LF  1
          -Some sources report Strauss fought "Jack Ferris"
Jun  7 Lou DeMonge                Brooklyn, NY                       KO  8
Jul  2 Bobby Dobbs                Hartford, Ct                        L  8
Oct 25 Walter Montgomery          Weir, Ks                            D 10
Dec 13 Hugh McManus               Weir, Ks                           KO 23

1898
Mar 15 Billy Emerson                                                 KO 10
Apr  1 Frank "Dutch" Neal         Galena, Ks                         KO  6
Jun  8 Frank "Dutch" Neal         Galena, Ks                         KO  7
Jul 12 George Fitzgerald                                             KO  2
Oct  6 Ben Smith                                                      W 12
Nov 19 Paddy Purtell                                                 KO  5
          -Some sources report 12/02/98
Dec 11 Walter Montgomery                                             KO  9
Dec 23 Spot Robinson                                                 KO  2

1899
Feb  7 Charles McKeever           Chicago, Il                         L  6
Feb  9 Shorty Ahearn              Chicago, Il                         W  6
Apr  5 Otto Minke                 Philadelphia, Pa                   KO  6
May 27 Shorty Ahearn              Chicago, Il                         W  6
Jun 22 Shorty Ahearn              Chicago, Il                        KO  6
Jul 18 Bert Young                 Hartford, Ct                       LT  9
Sep 21 "Philadelphia" Jack O'Brien Buffalo, NY                      SCH   
          -This bout was scheduled but cancelled;
           O'Brien sustained an injury in training
Sep 29 Bobby Dobbs                Buffalo, NY                         W 20
Nov 30 Sammy Callaghan            Buffalo, NY                        KO  1
Dec 28 Walter Burgo               Fort Erie, Ont, Canada             KO  2

1900
Jan 15 "Mysterious" Billy Smith   Buffalo, NY                        WF 21
          -Smith knocked Ferns down fifteen times before fouling him
Feb 22 Mike Donovan               Buffalo, NY                         W 20
Mar 20 Jack Hanley                Fort Erie, Ont, Canada             KO  6
May 24 Jack Bennett               Toronto, Ont, Canada               KO  1
Jul 19 Joe Reptie                 Buffalo, NY                        TK  2
Jul 19 Otto Knopp                 Buffalo, NY                        KO  4
          -The previous 2 bouts were held the same date
Aug 12 Eddie Connolly             Buffalo, NY                        TK 15
          -Welterweight Championship of the World
Sep  1 William "Matty" Matthews   Detroit, Mi                         W 15
          -Welterweight Championship of the World
Oct 16 William "Matty" Matthews   Detroit, Mi                         L 15
          -Welterweight Championship of the World

1901
May 24 William "Matty" Matthews   Toronto, Ont, Canada               KO 10
          -Welterweight Championship of the World
Sep 23 Frank Erne                 Fort Erie, Ont, Canada             KO  9
          -Welterweight Championship of the World
Nov 22 Charles "Dutch" Thurston   Detroit, Mi                         W 15
          -Some sources report Welterweight Championship of the World;
          Some sources report 11/28/01
Dec 18 Joe Walcott                Fort Erie, Ont, Canada             LT  5
          -Welterweight Championship of the World;
          Some sources report 12/15/01

1902
Jan  3 Jack Bennett               Philadelphia, Pa                   KO  2
Jan 27 Tim Draffin Murphy         Chicago, Il                         W  6
Feb 25 Tom Tracey                 Portland, Or                        L 20
          -Some sources report 2/26/02
Mar 21 Al Neil                    San Francisco, Ca                  LK 12
May 29 Owen Ziegler               Joplin, Mo                         KO  3
Nov 27 Hugo Kelly                 Kansas City, Ks                     L 10
Dec 22 William "Matty" Matthews   Pittsburgh, Pa                      L 10

1903
Apr 27 William "Matty" Matthews   Fort Erie, Ont, Canada             TK 19
          -Matthews tumbled out of the ring
May 28 Martin Duffy               Louisville, Ky                     LK 13
Dec 19 Dick O'Brien               Parsons, Ks                         D 10

1904
Feb 26 Martin Duffy               Hot Springs, Ar                     L 20
Mar 31 Eugene Bezenah             Weir City, Ks                       D 20

1905
Sep    Jack Dunleavy              Kansas City, Mo                     D 17
Sep 24 Billy Rhodes               Kansas City, Mo                    LT 13

1906
Feb 12 Gus Gardner                Buffalo, NY                         D 15
Feb 22 Bobby Delaney              Grand Rapids, Mi                   KO  4
Mar 16 William "Matty" Matthews   Buffalo, NY                        TK  9
Mar 17 Mike Donovan               Pittsburgh, Pa                     ND  6
Mar 21 Charlie Sieger             Buffalo, NY                         D 15
Apr 18 Charles Hitte              Albany, NY                         LF  7
May 15 Charlie Conkle             Niagara Falls, NY                  WF  3
Jun  1 Art Mason                  Buffalo, NY                        ND 15
          -Some sources report "D 15"
Jun 20 Charlie Sieger             Lockport, NY                        D 20

*** Much Data Was Provided By Mike DeLisa ***

*** Assistance Was Provided By Sergei Yurchenko ***

*** Assistance Was Provided By Ron Brammer (Columbia, Md) ***

Review courtesy of Tracy Callis, Historian, International Boxing Research Organization