Stanley Ketchel
(Stanislaus Kiecal)
(the "Michigan Assassin")

BORN   September 14 1886; Grand Rapids, Michigan (Some sources report 1887)
DIED October 15 1910; Conway, Missouri (shot and killed)
HEIGHT 5-9
WEIGHT 142-170 1/4 lbs
RACE   White; Polish-American
MANAGERS Joe O'Connor (1904-1909), Willus Britt (1909-1910)

Ketchel is rated by many boxing historians as the best Middleweight ever; He punched out heavyweights as easily as middleweights; Stanley put tremendous pressure on his opponents and was an aggressive attacker who threw dangerous knockout punches from any angle with either hand; He was shot and killed by Walter Dipley, a jealous farm worker

Nat Fleischer and Charley Rose both ranked Ketchel as the #1 All-Time Middleweight; Herb Goldman ranked him as the #8 All-Time Middleweight; He was inducted into the Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1954 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990


New Book --   HITTERS DANCERS and RING MAGICIANS   by Kelly Nicholson



Ketchel-Johnson 1909 Fight Video Clip

Ketchel-Johnson 1909 Fight Video Clip (Longer Version; Clearer)

(Press the  button at the top of the screen to return)


1903
May  2 Kid Tracy                   Butte, Mt                        KO  1

1904
May 11 Maurice Thompson            Butte, Mt                         L  6
Jun 20 Jimmy Quinn                 Butte, Mt                        KO  3
Jul  7 Jim "Kid" McGuire           Butte, Mt                        KO  1
Jul 15 Kid Leroy                   Butte, Mt                        KO  1
Jul 17 "Young" Kid Gilsey          Butte, Mt                        KO  4
Sep  5 Bob Merrywell               Butte, Mt                        KO  4
Sep 15 Jimmy Murray                Butte, Mt                        KO  3
Oct 15 Bob Merrywell               Butte, Mt                        KO  3
Oct 21 Maurice Thompson            Butte, Mt                         L 10
Oct 29 Jimmy Kelly                 Miles City, Mt                   KO  1
Nov  8 "Montana" Kid Lee           Lewistown, Mt                    LT  8
          -Ketchel's cornermen got smelling salts into his eyes between rounds;
           He could not see; The fight was stopped      
Nov 10 Joe Mudro                   Butte, Mt                        KO  4
Dec  8 Kid Herrick                 Butte, Mt                        KO  7
Dec 16 Jack Grimes                 Butte, Mt                        KO 10
Dec 23 Kid Foley                   Butte, Mt                        KO  7
          -Some sources report "KO 4" on 12/24/1905

1905
Jan  4 Kid Thomas                  Butte, Mt                        KO  1
Jan 20 Jack Bennett                Butte, Mt                        KO  5
Mar 25 Sid LaFontise               Butte, Mt                        KO 24
Apr 19 Rudolph Hinz                Miles City, Mt                    D 20
May 18 Sid LaFontise               Butte, Mt                        KO  7
Jun  4 Curley Rue                  Gregson Springs, Mt              KO 11
Jun 13 Kid Pecor                   Butte, Mt                        KO  5
Jun 16 "Montana" Kid Lee           Helena, Mt                       TK 17
Jul  4 Peter "Young" Kelly         Miles City, Mt                   KO  8
Jul 15 Bob Sennate                 Miles City, Mt                   KO 17
Aug 19 Roy Hart                    Miles City, Mt                   KO  1
Aug 29 Kid Fredericks              Miles City, Mt                   KO 11
Sep 14 Bob Sennate                 Miles City, Mt                   KO 11
Dec  1 Jerry McCarthy              Great Falls, Mt                  TK 12
Dec  2 Marysville Kid              Butte, Mt                        KO  3
Dec 16 Jack Bennett                Butte, Mt                        KO  5
Dec 19 Jerry McCarthy              Great Falls, Mt                  KO 11

1906
Feb 12 "Montana" Jack Sullivan     Butte, Mt                         D 20
Mar 19 Warren Zubrick              Great Falls, Mt                  KO  2
May 11 "Montana" Kid Lee           Butte, Mt                       SCH   
          -Middleweight Championship of Montana;
           This bout was scheduled but not held;
           The Mayor would not allow it
May 11 Paddy Hall                  Gregson Springs, Mt              KO  1
          -According to some newspaper articles, this bout may have taken place 
           on 04/29/1906
May 18 Mike Tierney                Butte, Mt                        KO  7
Sep  2 Tom Kingsley                Butte, Mt                        EX  6
Sep 10 Kid Foley                   Miles City, Mt                   KO 11

1907
Mar 23 Mike McClure                Redding, Ca                      KO  7
May  3 Benny Hart                  Marysville, Ca                   KO  8
May 23 George Brown                Sacramento, Ca                   KO  3
          -This was not the famous white fighter; This man was black
Jul  4 Joe Thomas                  Marysville, Ca                    D 20
Sep  2 Joe Thomas                  Colma, Ca                        KO 32
          -Many sources report Middleweight Championship of the World;
           Some sources report "San Francisco, Ca"
Dec 12 Joe Thomas                  San Francisco, Ca                 W 20
          -Many sources report Middleweight Championship of the World

1908
Feb 22 Mike "Twin" Sullivan        Colma, Ca                        KO  1
          -Many sources report that Ketchel was recognized 
           as Middleweight Champion following this bout
May  9 Jack "Twin" Sullivan        Colma, Ca                        KO 20
          -Middleweight Championship of the World
Jun  4 Billy Papke                 Milwaukee, Wi                     W 10
          -Middleweight Championship of the World
Jul 31 Hugo Kelly                  San Francisco, Ca                KO  3
          -Middleweight Championship of the World
Aug 18 Joe Thomas                  San Francisco, Ca                TK  2
          -Some sources report Middleweight Championship of the World;
           Other sources insist that it was not a title bout
Sep  7 Billy Papke                 Vernon, Ca                       LT 12
          -Middleweight Championship of the World
Nov 26 Billy Papke                 Colma, Ca                        KO 11
          -Middleweight Championship of the World

1909
Jan 15 Tony Caponi                 Grand Rapids, Mi                 EX  3
Mar 26 "Philadelphia" Jack O'Brien New York, NY                     ND 10
          -O'Brien was saved by the bell
May 18 Kid Hubert (Hugh McGann)    Pittsburgh, Pa                   ND  6
Jun  2 Tony Caponi                 Schenectady, NY                  KO  4
Jun  9 "Philadelphia" Jack O'Brien Philadelphia, Pa                 TK  3
Jul  5 Billy Papke                 Colma, Ca                         W 20
          -Middleweight Championship of the World
Sep 27 Charlie Miller              San Francisco, Ca                KO   
Sep 27 Steve O'Connor              San Francisco, Ca                KO   
Sep 27 "Montana Cyclone"           San Francisco, Ca                KO   
          -The previous 3 bouts were held the same date
Oct 16 Jack Johnson                Colma, Ca                        LK 12
          -Heavyweight Championship of the World

1910
Mar 23 Frank Klaus                 Pittsburgh, Pa                   ND  6
Mar 24 Albert "Buck" Crouse        Wheeling, WV                     EX  4
Apr 27 Sam Langford                Philadelphia, Pa                 ND  6
May 17 Dan "Porky" Flynn           Boston, Ma                       KO  3
May 27 Willie Lewis                New York, NY                     KO  2
Jun 10 Jim Smith                   New York, NY                     KO  5

*** The Following Bouts Are Reported But Not Confirmed ***

1904
Dec 29 Maurice Thompson            Butte, Mt                         D 10

1906
Jun 16 "Montana" Kid Lee           Helena, Mt                       KO 17
          -This bout appears to be a misplaced duplicate of the 6/16/1905 contest

1908-1910
       Ed "Gunboat" Smith          Oakland, Ca                      EX   

*** NCR ALL-TIME MIDDLEWEIGHT COMPUTER TOURNAMENT ***
1969
       Gene Fullmer                                                TK  7
       Rocky Graziano                                              KO 11
       Marcel Cerdan                                               KO 12
       "Sugar" Ray Robinson                                         L 15

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

Tracy Callis All-Time Rankings