Stanley Ketchell is one of the biggest punchers and best finishers in history

Excellent post. I agree with this.

 

Really complete speculation. Papke was an ATG but he held for dear life to last the distance in his last bout with Ketchel. This bout in no way indicates Ketchel was on his way out. Ketchel was young at the time of his death and we will never know how much greater a fighter he may have become. Based on conditioning, courage, will to win, one punch ko power he had plenty more in his tank.

 

Held on for dear life my ass. Go back and read the reports. Papke came on strong in the last half of the fight. William Slattery writing for the San Francisco Call said Ketchel was lucky to get a draw and that the fans who BET ON KETCHEL shouted "thief" and "robber" at the referee when he rendered his decision. Ed Smith writing for the Oakland Tribune stated that Ketchel got the worst of the fighting and was bleeding and tired at the close while Papke was fresh and unmarked. Harry Smith of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Papke won more rounds and scored more points and that the referee gave the crowd the surprise of its life when he rendered his decision. Ben Benjamin writing for the same paper said that Roche showed a lack of judgement in rendering his decision and that the worst Papke deserved was a draw.

When Ketchel himself says that he was basically damaged goods after the Johnson fight that says a lot. How many fighters feel they have one more in them? Ketchel felt like it was the end of the road. Nevermind admitting to suffering crippling headaches after that beating and having to take 5 months off only to look like **** in your next fight and wind up right back in the hospital immediately afterwards. Its not speculation that his later fights were being fixed by Mizner. Mizner admitted this and the attempted fixing of his fight with Lang (which was eventually cancelled) was covered.

 

I've read those reports. Suggest you watch the fight.

 

Ketchel was up there with the killer punchers. Fitz was an elite puncher much like Julian Jackson,Bob Foster, some were better than others but they could all punch

 

I have, it doesnt exist complete so I suggest you not rely solely on an incomplete fight lest you get can incomplete picture of how it went down. But by all means, ignore the reports if you dont want your hero to look bad... just dont come here and complain that we are speculating.

 

Not my hero. But he is an ATG and that is undisputed.

 

Even all time greats can lose and/or have short shelf lives.