Billy Papke
(William Herman Papke)
(the "Illinois Thunderbolt")

BORN   September 17 1886;
Spring Valley, Illinois
DIED November 26 1936; Newport, California
HEIGHT 5-8 3/4
WEIGHT 150-163 1/4 lbs
RACE White; German-American
MANAGERS Tom Jones, Al Lippe

Papke was a tough and scrappy competitor who hit hard and was very game; He came to fight and rose to the occasion; Papke won the Middleweight Championship of the World during his career

During his ring tenure, Papke defeated such men as Stanley Ketchel, Georges Carpentier, Hugo Kelly, Joe Thomas, Willie Lewis, Jack "Twin" Sullivan, Dave Smith, Marcel Moreau, Tony Caponi, Bartley Connolly, Terry Martin and Charles Haghey

Nat Fleischer ranked Papke as the #7 All-Time Middleweight; Charley Rose ranked him as the #10 All-Time Middleweight; He was elected to the Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1972 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2001

He was the father of Billy Papke Jr. who also boxed; In a tragic ending to his life in 1936, Papke killed his estranged wife and committed suicide

1906
Mar 24 "Mexican Wonder"           LaSalle, Il                       W  4
Apr 30 Red Morrissey              LaSalle, Il                      KO  3
May 30 Buster Tegan               LaSalle, Il                      KO  3
Jun  1 Jack Denny                 Peru, Il                         KO  1
Jul  4 Carl Purdy                 LaSalle, Il                       W 10
Nov 27 Milt Kinney                Peoria, Il                       KO  3
Dec 17 "Original" Kid Farmer      Peoria, Il                       KO  6

1907
Jan 15 Tom Wallace                Peoria, Il                       KO  4
Jan 29 Dick Fitzpatrick           Peoria, Il                        W 10
Feb 14 Carl Anderson              Spring Valley, Il                KO  1
Mar  6 Billy Rhodes               Peoria, Il                        W 10
Mar 26 Billy Rhodes               Davenport, Ia                     D 15
Apr 30 Johnny Carroll             Peoria, Il                       KO  4
May 21 Tony Caponi                Davenport, Ia                     D 15
          -Some sources report 5/29/07
Jun  6 Jack Morgan                Peoria, Il                       KO  7
Jun 14 Foster Walker              Detroit, Mi                      KO  2
Jun 20 Tony Caponi                Spring Valley, Il                 D 10
Sep  2 Tommy Sullivan             Lawrence, Ma                     KO  1
          -Some sources report "Methuen, Ma"
Sep 14 Terry Martin               Philadelphia, Pa                 KO  3
Oct 30 Cy Flynn                   Brazil, In                       TK  3
Nov  9 Pat O'Keefe                Philadelphia, Pa                 ND  6
Nov 14 Tony Caponi                Peoria, Il                       KO  2
Nov 22 Charles Haghey             Chelsea, Ma                      TK  1
Nov 22 Bartley Connolly           Chelsea, Ma                      TK  4
          -The previous 2 bouts were held the same date
Dec 30 Hugo Kelly                 Milwaukee, Wi                     D 10
          -Kelly claimed American middleweight championship

1908
Jan 21 Walter Stanton             Boston, Ma                       TK  4
Mar 16 Hugo Kelly                 Milwaukee, Wi                     W 10
          -Papke claimed the Middleweight Championship of the World (American version);
          -Papke claimed American middleweight championship
May 31 Eddie McGoorty             Kenosha, Wi                      EX  6
Jun  4 Stanley Ketchel            Milwaukee, Wi                     L 10
          -Ketchel claimed the Middleweight Championship of the World (American version);
          -Ketchel claimed American middleweight championship
Jul  4 Rudi Unholz                Kewanee, Il                      EX  6
Aug 13 Johnny Carroll             Boston, Ma                       TK  2
Aug 13 Frank Mantell              Boston, Ma                       TK  1
          -The previous 2 bouts were held the same date
Aug 18 Sailor Burke               New York, NY                     ND  6
Sep  7 Stanley Ketchel            Vernon, Ca                       TK 12
          -Papke claimed the Middleweight Championship of the World (American version);
          -Papke claimed American middleweight championship
Nov 26 Stanley Ketchel            Colma, Ca                        LK 11
          -Ketchel claimed the Middleweight Championship of the World (American version);
          -Ketchel claimed American middleweight championship
Dec 15 Hugo Kelly                 Los Angeles, Ca                   D 25

1909
Mar 19 "Fireman" Jim Flynn        Los Angeles, Ca                  ND 10
          -Some sources report "L 10"
May 15 Hugo Kelly                 Colma, Ca                        KO  1
Jul  5 Stanley Ketchel            Colma, Ca                         L 20
          -Ketchel claimed the Middleweight Championship of the World (American version);
          -Ketchel claimed American middleweight championship
Jul 14 "Fireman" Jim Flynn        Los Angeles, Ca                  ND 10
          -Some sources report "D 10"
Oct  8 Willie Lewis               Pittsburgh, Pa                   ND  6
Nov 11 Frank Klaus                Pittsburgh, Pa                   ND  6

1910
Mar 19 Willie Lewis               Paris, Fr                        KO  3
          -Papke claimed the Middleweight Championship of the World (French version)
May 19 Joe Thomas                 San Francisco, Ca                KO 16
Jun 14 Al Goodale                 Kansas City, Mo                  KO  2
Jun 21 Jack "Twin" Sullivan       Boston, Ma                        W 12
Oct 25 Ed Williams                Sydney, NSW, Australia           KO  6
          -Some sources report 10/26/10
Dec 26 Dave Smith                 Sydney, NSW, Australia           LF 10
          -Some sources report Middleweight Championship of the World (Australian version)

1911
Feb 11 "Cyclone" Johnny Thompson  Sydney, NSW, Australia            L 20
          -Some sources report Middleweight Championship of the World (Australian version)
Mar 11 Dave Smith                 Sydney, NSW, Australia           KO  7
Jun  8 Jim Sullivan               London, England                  TK 10
          -Papke claimed the Middleweight Championship of the World (British version)
Aug 22 Sailor Burke               New York, NY                     ND 10
Oct 31 Bob Moha                   Boston, Ma                        L 12

1912
Feb    -Papke sparred with Tommy Kilbane in preparation for his upcoming bout
           vs Frank Mantell (Jan-Feb 1912)
Feb 22 Frank Mantell              Sacramento, Ca                    L 20
          -Some sources report Middleweight Championship of the World (American version);
           Some sources report 2/20/12
May  2 Billy Leitch               New York, NY                     TK  2
Jun 29 Marcel Moreau              Paris, Fr                        TK 16
          -Papke claimed the Middleweight Championship of the World (French version)
Sep 25 Jack Denning               New York, NY                     ND 10
Sep 27 Leo Houck                  Philadelphia, Pa                 ND  6
Oct 23 Georges Carpentier         Paris, France                    WF 17
          -Papke claimed the Middleweight Championship of the World (French version)
           Some sources report "TK 18"
Dec  4 George Bernard             Paris, France                    TK  7
          -Papke claimed the Middleweight Championship of the World (French version)

1913
Mar  5 Frank Klaus                Paris, France                    LF 15
          -Klaus claimed the Middleweight Championship of the World (French version)
Oct 14 Marty Rowan                St. Louis, Mo                    ND  8
          -Some sources report "L 8"

1915
Jun  1 Jack Smith                 Brooklyn, NY                     ND 10
          -Some sources report 6/01/16

1918
Apr  6 Eddie McGoorty             Kewanee, Il                      EX  6
          -Some sources report "NC 6"

1919
Apr  8 Jacob "Soldier" Bartfield  San Francisco, Ca                 L  4

1932
Sep 22 "Fireman Jim Flynn"        Pasadena, Ca                     EX  3

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