Best Book on Stanley Ketchel?

Ketchel on film is wildly over rated. A short man, with NO defense, tough man like skills on offense, and limited imagination for attack.

 

He died young and hit hard. His best wins are Papke, an older O'Brien and Kelly.

He's on film vs Papke, but that is the one he losses and he look average in this fight.

Supposedly Papke hit Ketchel right after the instructions of the fight. " protect yourself at all times "

 

There are a few books out there. Nat F loved Ketchel. Look for his stuff. He was there.

Stanley Ketchel: A Life of Triumph and Prophecy
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[url]Manuel A. Mora[/url]
AuthorHouse, 2010 - [url]Biography & Autobiography[/url] - 232 pages
[url]1 Review[/url]
Stanley Ketchel was an early 20th century Middleweight Champion from 1908-1910. This book tells the story of a young boy who left home to find his place in the world, and hopefully find the means by which to assist his family economically. His parents, and three sibling brothers, at the time, would not see him again for nine years. When they, finally, saw him, again, he was a newly-named pugilistic challenger whose boxing fame was building higher with each bout. This book is an excursion into the, researched, truth of both Stanley Ketchel's life, and his boxing career.


AND

THE KILLINGS OF STANLEY KETCHEL

Hailed as "one of the greatest chroniclers of the mythical American outlaw life" (Entertainment Weekly), James Carlos Blake now turns to the blazing story of Stanley Ketchel, the ragtime-era middleweight boxing champion and daring rakehell whose brief and meteoric life burned with violence and tragedy in and out of the ring. Fierce and tender, sexy and funny, vast in setting and rich in historical detail, The Killings of Stanley Ketchel is Blake at his robust and lyrical best.

In 1903 seventeen-year-old Ketchel makes a violent break from his father and flees his family's Michigan farm to ride the rails as a hobo, brawling with tramps and brakemen and cops. He finds a home among the hard-living mine workers and seductive ladies in one of the last wild towns of the old west -- Butte, Montana -- where he falls in love with a free-spirited woman who will haunt his heart forever.

But Ketchel also discovers his true calling in Butte: cracking skulls as a saloon bouncer leads him to prizefighting, a bloodsport barely hindered by rules in that day. Despite his lack of formal training as a boxer, his ferocious and unbridled style quickly earns him a reputation as the "Michigan Assassin." He soon outclasses every middleweight in the West and, shortly thereafter, the world -- winning the middleweight title in 1908.

Only the reigning heavyweight champion, fearsome Jack Johnson, rivals Ketchel's claim to be the greatest boxer of the era. The first black to hold the world title and one of the most controversial figures of the time, Johnson becomes Ketchel's obsession. Driven to prove himself the best, Ketchel challenges Johnson to a title fight -- even though the "Galveston Giant" has an advantage on him of forty pounds and several inches. Their match is one of boxing's most memorable dramas and leads to a unique bond between the two men. But its outcome also sets Ketchel on a willful and tragic course.

Steeped in the sweat and blood of the life of a legend, The Killings of Stanley Ketchel is a sweeping and powerful literary adventure by one of our most daring novelists.

 

A short man ? For a middleweight?

Ketchel was taller than middleweight champs ;
Walker
Ryan
McCoy
Dempsey
Greb
Papke
Graziano
Zale
Cerdan
Basilio
Tiger
Lamotta
Thil
Griffith
Duran
Antuofermo
Apostoli
Garcia
Fullmer
Corro

That's 20 middleweight champions!LOL

 

I can't believe that there's never been a movie made about Ketchel. Really lived la vida loca.

 

There isnt a good book on Ketchel unfortunately. Ketchel was sort of the Tyson of his day in that he came out of nowhere very young and really cleaned ip his division in a very short time before burning out pretty young. He died young yes but I think by the time he was murdered his dominance was at an end due to a combination of things: a bad life style, wear and tear from tough fights, and an influx of talent in the division that was much better than most of the guys Ketchel fought. Its true he looks crude on film but the results he got cannot be denied and were truly impressive. He tore through the best of the division in short order and regardless of his crude looking skills those results should not be underestimated.

 

I've read he was on the dope pipe and suffering from an STD.It's alleged that Wilson Mizner paid a couple of his later opponents to take a splash.Whatever ,as you say he was probably past his zenith.

 

YES SHORT. I've seen his height being listed at 5'7" tall, and he had a 70" reach.

How many top middles can you show the forum who was this short with 70" reach or less?

 

Opponents were definitely being paid off late in his career. It made a big splash in New York when Ketchel refused to fight an opponent (I cant remember which) that hadnt been paid off or who had refused the bribe. Its pretty easy to find tons of sources on it. When he got to Missouri before his death he was interviewed by the local paper and stated very clearly that he had never recovered from the Johnson knockout. He said he still experienced terrible headaches from it.

 

Height: 5′ 9″ / 175cm!
Taken from Box Rec. Produce your proof!lol

 

The man's a total cr**in!