Stanley Ketchel vs. Dick Tiger

I think Tiger had the skill, the strength and the durability to give Ketchel heaps of trouble, but I think I'd go with Ketchel to win by late KO while behind on the cards. I don't think Tiger has the power to really bother Ketchel and Stanley would be coming after him constantly. Tiger would get worn down and stopped.

 

Tiger by decision or late TKO. Ketchel was no stylist, and Tiger has too much strength, toughness, and infighting skill for any middleweight in a slugfest.

 

I would guess that Ketchel would in fact have the strength and toughness to outfight Tiger. Although Tiger was a very strong guy, for sure. Also, Ketchel punched extremely hard for a middleweight. But it's very hard to predict a fight involving a fighter from so long ago.

My guess is Ketchel by 38th round KO.

What? We're not scheduled for 45 rounds?

 

Strength and toughness alone won't outfight Tiger though. Numerous fighters have tried it (both at 160 and 175) and always failed miserably. He was one of the best inside counterpunchers and technicians at his weight ever.

 

Ketchel would win a wild tuff match up in a late rd tko,Stan's power and tenacity win out

 

This is not as simple as it looks. Dick Tiger had subtle skills in addition to his strength, power and durability. It would take more than raw power and stamina to beat him.

At MW for 15 rounds? p4p?

Dick Tiger by close, hard fought decision.

 

Ketchel by KO in the 12th round-decent fight but not terribly close due to Tiger being leary of Ketchel's freakish power.

 

I was about to make this thread but a voice told me to check first as there was almost no way this hadn't been done. :yep

Would the OP mind adding a poll?

 

While I tend to agree with you on the Ketchel case, I don´t know if I would agree with your last half-sentence. What about Hagler, Fitzsimmons, LaMotta, Zale, Klaus?

 

I must be in a time warp,wondering if there is two Dick Tigers ?The unbeatable Tiger of recent posts too good and STRONG for most everyone in middleweight history...Or the Dick Tiger I know about and followed since he arrived in america in 1959...As Al Smith so famously asked" lets look at the record "...Tiger at his best lost to Randy Sandy, Spider Webb, Rory Calhoun, Joey Giardello,Wilf Greaves,Joey Archer, all at 160 pounds...Tough Dick Tiger, fought in this tough competition, not great mind you, and was cerainly not a world beater then..He ended his career with 81 fights,26 kos and 15 losses in his career...Now get a look at Stanley Ketchel...In 64 tough bouts ,Ketchel Kod 49 opponents,and lost just TWICE..Once to a HOF Billy Papke, who while shaking hands before the bout hit illegaly Stanley a powerful right hand to the THROAT...Ketchel ,unwisely continued the bout until he could no longer continue in the 12th round..He beat Papke twice after...The next loss was to the great Heavyweight Champion Jack Johnson, in a foolish matchup..Ketchel did also lose two decisions at age 18 to a veteran Maurice Thompson....Except for these bouts Kethel was cosidered, by all who saw him before his death at 24 years, as the greatest of alltime , with the possible exception of Harry Greb...Why this revisionism today ? Who had the much better record, Dick Tiger Or the Michigan Assassin, Stanley Ketchel...I know my logical answer, Stanley Ketchel....

 

Burt's post is noted. Tiger is a solid competitor, very tough, but no world-beater.

However, Ketchel was simply too raw. He relished battle and was probably tougher than Tiger but if boxing has taught us nothing else it has taught us that skills matter. Tiger had enough skills to take him over 15. Over 25 with contemporary rules of the time? Different story... because then character kicks into high gear.

I'd lean heavily towards the pre-Walker greats when your talking 10 additional rounds past 15 and earlier rules, if you want to call it that. It becomes an altogether different experience.

(which, again, is why I find it questionable to lump pre-1920 fighters with post-1920 fighters and rank them as if they're the same ring experience. They ain't.)