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The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia -- Lineal Champion

Willie Ritchie
(Gerhardt Anthony Steffen)

BORN   February 13 1891; San Francisco, California
DIED March 24 1975; Burlingame, California
HEIGHT 5-6 1/4
WEIGHT 115-145 lbs
MANAGER Billy Nolan
Ritchie was a solid puncher and a fairly clever boxer who was blessed with fast hands; He was also game and willing to take punishment; During his career, Willie won the Lightweight Championship of the World; After he retired from the ring in 1927, he served as chief inspector on the California State Athletic Commission for 24 years, from 1937 to 1961

Willie defeated such men as Jack Britton, Ad Wolgast, "Mexican" Joe Rivers, "Harlem" Tommy Murpht, Battling Ortega, Tommy McFarland, Anton LaGrave, Bobby LaSalle, Willie Hoppe, Dick Hoppe and Johnny McCarthy

Charley Rose ranked Ritchie as the #4 All-Time Lightweight; Nat Fleischer ranked him as the #8 All-Time Lightweight; Herb Goldman ranked Freddie as the #13 All-Time Lightweight; Welsh was inducted into the Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1962 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2004

1907
Jan    Eddie Steele               Oakland, Ca                        LT  2
Mar  8 Monk Enochs                San Francisco, Ca                  TK  2
Apr    Deacon Jones               Stockton, Ca                       KO  3
May 31 Kid Austin                 San Francisco, Ca                   D  4
Jul  5 Jack Davis                 San Francisco, Ca                   L  4
Dec 19 "Oakland" Eddie Murphy     Oakland, Ca                         D  4

1908
Feb 15 Harry Dell                 Oakland, Ca                         W  4
Feb 27 Alex McDonald              Oakland, Ca                         W  6
Apr 16 "Fighting" Jimmy Reagan    Oakland, Ca                         W  6
Aug 28 Tommy McCarthy             Oakland, Ca                         D  6
Sep 25 Tommy McCarthy             Oakland, Ca                         D  4
Nov 24 Willie O'Neil              Oakland, Ca                         W  6
Dec 29 Eddie Menney               Oakland, Ca                         W  6

1909
Apr 22 Tony "Kid" Josephs         Marysville, Ca                     KO  3
May 21 Charley Reilly             Oakland, Ca                         W  6
Jul    Jim Ford                   Oakland, Ca                         W  6
Sep 14 "Oakland" Frankie Burns    Oakland, Ca                         L  6
Nov 25 Kid French                 Marysville, Ca                     KO  8
Dec 21 Anton LaGrave              Oakland, Ca                         W  6

1910
Nov 18 Abe Label                  San Francisco, Ca                   W  4
Dec  2 Abe Label                  San Francisco, Ca                   W  4
Dec  9 Guy Lee                    San Francisco, Ca                   W  4

1911
Feb 17 Charley Reilly             San Francisco, Ca                   D  4
Mar 10 Johnny McCarthy            San Francisco, Ca                   D  4
May  5 Charley Reilly             San Francisco, Ca                   W  4
Aug 11 Johnny McCarthy            San Francisco, Ca                   D  4
Aug 31 Matthew "Matty" Baldwin    San Francisco, Ca                   L 20
Sep 16 Tommy McFarland            Coalinga, Ca                       KO  4
Oct  6 Jack Britton               San Francisco, Ca                   W  4
Nov  7 Jerry Murphy               San Francisco, Ca                   W  4
Nov 30 Freddie Welsh              Los Angeles, Ca                     L 20

1912
Jan  1 Paul Koehler               Cleveland, Oh                       W 12
Jan 13 Milburn "Young" Saylor     Pittsburgh, Pa                     ND  6
Jan 22 Julius "Yankee" Schwartz   Cleveland, Oh                      KO  2
Jan 27 Harry Trendall             Pittsburgh, Pa                     ND  6
Feb  7 Young Erne                 Philadelphia, Pa                   ND  6
Feb 10 Charles Turner             Philadelphia, Pa                   ND  6
Feb 22 Phil Brock                 Cleveland, Oh                      ND 10
May 11 Ad Wolgast                 San Francisco, Ca                  ND  4
Jun 24 Joe Mandot                 New Orleans, La                    ND 10
Nov 28 Ad Wolgast                 Colma, Ca                          WF 16
          -Lightweight Championship of the World

1913
Feb 10 Patsy McMahon              Indianapolis, In                   EX  4
Mar 18 Theodore Anton (the Greek) Milwaukee, Wi                      EX  3
Mar 30 Young Wallace              Milwaukee, Wi                      EX  3
Apr 12 Johnny Tillman             Minneapolis, Mn                    EX  4
May 16 Johnny Corbett             Seattle, Wa                        EX  4
       Charlie Lawson                                                EX  4
Jul  4 "Mexican" Joe Rivers       San Francisco, Ca                  KO 11
          -Lightweight Championship of the World
Nov 10 Leach Cross                New York, NY                       ND 10

1914
Mar 12 Ad Wolgast                 Milwaukee, Wi                      ND 10
Apr 17 "Harlem" Tommy Murphy      San Francisco, Ca                   W 20
          -Lightweight Championship of the World
May 26 Charley White              Milwaukee, Wi                      ND 10
Jul  7 Freddie Welsh              London, Eng                         L 20
          -Lightweight Championship of the World
Oct 23 Johnny Dundee              San Francisco, Ca                   D  4

1915
Mar 11 Freddie Welsh              New York, NY                       ND 10
Apr  9 Johnny Griffiths           Pittsburgh, Pa                     ND  6
May 18 Matthew "Matty" Baldwin    Boston, Ma                          D 12
Oct 26 Johnny Dundee              New York, NY                       ND 10
Nov 22 Eddie McAndrews            Philadelphia, Pa                   ND  6
Dec 20 Eddie McAndrews            Philadelphia, Pa                   ND  6
Dec 28 Ted "Kid" Lewis            New York, NY                       ND 10

1916
Jun  6 Ralph Grunan               Portland, Or                       ND  6
Jun 30 Willie Hoppe               San Francisco, Ca                   D  4
Aug 11 Willie Hoppe               Colma, Ca                           W  4
Oct 12 Johnny McCarthy            Goldfield, Nv                       W 10
Nov 12 Johnny McCarthy            Juarez, Mex                         D 10
Dec  3 Sydney Mitchell            Seattle, Wa                        KO  4

1917
Aug  3 Johnny McCarthy            San Francisco, Ca                   W  4
Aug 22 Frank Barrieau             Oakland, Ca                         D  4
Sep  3 Frank Barrieau             Emeryville, Ca                      W  4
Sep 10 Battling Ortega            San Francisco, Ca                   W  4
Oct 10 Marty Farrell              Oakland, Ca                         W  4

1918
May 10 Frankie Jones              San Francisco, Ca                   W  4

1919
Feb 21 Benny Leonard              San Francisco, Ca                  ND  4
Apr 28 Benny Leonard              Newark, NJ                         LT  8

1922
       Frank "Spike" Robson                                          EX  3

1923
May 23 Buck Holley                Stockton, Ca                        W  4

1924
Aug 20 Joe Simonich               Oakland, Ca                         L  4

1927
May  3 Tommy Comiskey             San Francisco, Ca                  EX   
May 10 Kid Beeny                  San Francisco, Ca                  EX  2
May 20 Hugo Lazzeri               Sacramento, Ca                     EX  2
Jun 28 Tommy Comiskey             San Francisco, Ca                  KO  4
Aug  5 Bobby LaSalle              Hollywood, Ca                       W  6
Aug 29 Dick Hoppe                 Los Angeles, Ca                     W  6

*** The Following Bout Is Reported But Not Confirmed ***

1907
       George Murray              San Francisco, Ca                   W  4

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

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