Thoughts on Billy Miske, his rating at HW, LHW and P4P??

Miske is one of my favourite fighters.

I will bring some input shortly.

 

The 1919 fight with Norfolk is given in the papers in detail round-by-round. BTW Norfolk seems to have won easily.

 

he is one of my Favs and i thang he is unfairly Forgotten by time

im not sure were i would rank him thow kinda like Choynski in a way

 

ST. PAU.b, Minn. — Jack Dempsey
had showed himself a little closer
to the heavyweight boxing crown
today with a newspaper decision over
Billy Miske of St. Paul in ten rounds
here last night. Home pride, credited
Miske with a draw. With the
exception of the seventh round when
Miske was wobbled with an uppercut
to the jaw, there was no hint
of a knockdown or blood spilling.
as Miske found the western heavy
more nearly in his own class than
the fighter has met recently. Each
weighed in around 185. Accustomed
to tantalizing bigger and slower
men, Miske faced an opponent quite
as shifty as himself, Billy was not permitted
to set himself to deliver
his favorite "punches.
The first three rounds were slow
with Miske cautious. Dempsey's
dancing and rocking baffled the St.
Paul boy. Thereafter until the
eighth which was slow, the mixing
was violent. In the seventh Miske
rushed back but Dempsey, came back
with an uppercut to the jaw that
forced Billy to hang on.
The favorite division of honors today
was;
First, even; second and third,
Dempseys;' fourth, Miske's; fifth,
even; sixth, Miske's; seventh and
eighth, Dempseys; ninth even, and
tenth Dempsey's.

 

nice report matt

if you consider the cruiserweight division before it existed, and include guys like Quarry, Eliis etc (who would all have done good if the division existed at the time) then Miske should make the top 15 atleast. He should make the top 50 atg heavyweights too

 

PHILADELPHIA. Nov. 2D.—-
That Jack Dempsey stands head
and shoulders above all contenders
for the heavyweight championship
of the world was proven beyond
peradventure in his .match with
Billy Miske at the Olympia A, A.
in Philadelphia, Thanksgiving dayafternoon.
Miske was fortunate to
go the six rounds, for at the final
gong the St. Paul man was moving
swiftly toward the land of nod.
Dempsey seldom has fought in
better form than he did on Thursday
and after the bout Miske
made no secret of his belief that
Dempsey is the greatest fighter in
the country today.
"I have fought them all except
Willard," the St. Paul boxer declared,
"but Dempsey is by long,
odds the best. He hit me flush any
number of times and nearly all of
his blows hurt. I am happy,
however, I -was able to go the full
route."
Dempsey took every round of
the holiday affray. He started
rather slowly in the flrst round, but
after he had fully measured his
opponent he accelerated his pace
and at the sixth round was going
full speed ahead and Miske was
doing his utmost to avoid a knockout.
The St. Paul man, fought
courageous battle but had to employ
his wits constantly to avert a
knockout wallop.
'Dempsey directed his attack toward
Miske's body in the early
rounds and battered him severely.
Miske took mighty good care to
protect his jaw and frequently
bounced hard rights and lefts off
Dempsey's head, but without any
apparent effect. Derapsey continued
to bore in and whipped
damaging rights and lefts to
Miske's body.
In the fifth round, however, with
Miske, betraying signs of fatigue
Dempsey abruptly shifted his assault
to his opponent's head, and
Miske had frequently to hold
to save himself. Whenever Denipsey
launched a hook to his rival's
jaw it usually landed, although
Miske's skill in rolling his head
and shoulders usually relieved
much of the force of the blow.
Toward the end of the fifth, how
ever, Dempsey hit Miske hard on
the jaw with a right and then
hooked a left to his stomach and
Miske began to waver dangerously.
He hung on, however, and at
the bell was standing Jack off with
stiff left jabs.
T h e sixth round was all Dempsey.
In the final session the real
difference between them thoroughbreds
of the ring became apparent.
Miske fought splendidly, as
usual, but on this occasion was
opposed by a superhuman, a fighter
who will go down in the annals
of the ring as one of tho greatest
of them all. Dempsey kept boring
in continually, in tho sixth and
Misko was busy flashing S. O. S
signals to his corner. Dempsey
batterod Miske about the head and
then shifted, to the body and Miske
was in a bad way. One good stiff
punch on the jaw at this juncture
might have ended the bout before
the bell, but Miske, always a master
of defence, kept his jaw covered,
skillfully and avoided the
wallop soporick.
Dempsey throughout Thursday's
fight appeared to show faster
speed thnn he has produced in any
of his recent bouts. To be sure,
he required all the speed he possessed
against Miske, for while Billy
is 'not a very hard puncher and
there was consequently little danger,
of a knockout Miske made him
extend himself. Whenever Jack
slackened his pace Miske increased
his so Jack was on the move
constantly. Miske's feather duster
jabs bothered him not a trifle
and Dempsey gradually wore clown
his opponent with a boring assault.
Now that Dempsey has proven
his superiority over a pugilist who
is by long odds the best of contenders
trailing his wake he
stands forth today prepared to
meet Willard for the championship
of the world. If Willard declines
to meet the Utah boy, Dempsey
would in all fairness be justified
in claiming the heavyweight championship...

 

NEW YORK, Jan. 17.(1917)—If Billy
Miske and Jack Dillon ever intend
to settle the question of "Who's
Who," they will have to go some-
where and fight over the long route.
Ten rounds is too short a distance
for this pair ot gladiators to prove
anythlng to anybody.
They met again last night at the
Broadway Sporting club and after
10 rounds of good milling there was
nothing to choose between them.
They were both willing and they
certalnly slugged, but It was a case
of an irresistible force meeting up
with an immovable object.
Miske had the better of the battle
at long range. He always will
have something on the Hoosicr in
this respect for he has the reach.
But in the clinches Miske was beat-
en. Dillon's short, heavy arms kept
up a tattoo on the Miske commissary
In nearly every round.
Dillon was hurt several times
himself. Whenever Jack is hurt he
resorts to a smile and several times
during the fight Jack smiled, but
after Miske had scored with a heavy
punch.
Miske plainly showed when he is
In distress by a worried look. He
looked that way In the first, fourth
and seventh rounds.But he won
the second and more than won the
ninth, so he evened things up wllh
the bear-cat.

 

great reports matt thanks

 

Surprising report(to me)

BILLY MISKE BADLY
BATTERS HARRY GREB
IN PITTSBURGH RING"
Associated Press TELEGRAM
Pittsburgh, .Sept. 21—Harry Greb.
Pittsburgh middleweight, was badly
battered In the last two rounds of
his ten round bout with Billy Mlske.
St. Paul heavyweight, here today,
after holding the lead during the
preceding eight rounds. Greb was
about all in at the close while the
visitor was unscratched.
Tho fight was held in the open nlr
at Forbes field with about 2,000
present, despite chilly weather.

 

Greb March 31, 1919
Pittsburg, April 1.—Harry Greb of
Pittsburgh a middleweight , was given
the newspaper decision over Billy
Miske of St. Paul, a heavyweight, in
their ten-round bout tonight. Greb
won eight of the ten rounds on points

 

Miske at his best was a very good fighter but he ran hot and cold, especially later in his career when his sickness was getting the better of him but even during his early career before he became ill. His second fight with Greb was considered a win for him but many people close to Greb disputed this arguing that Greb could not have lost a fight in which he won the first 7 or 8 rounds only to lose the last two after suffering a severe cut over his eye which hampered his vision. Greb wanted Miske back immediately but he couldnt get a return match with him until after the war. In the return match he beat him fairly easily. Norfolk beat Miske easily both times they fought as well. Gibbons beat Miske in all of their fights, inlcuding the bogus DQ loss. Bill Brennan probably threw their last fight and was banned from fighting out west and had his purse confiscated for his performance. In short, I dont think he was ever really a great fighter or the best in any division he was in but he was a very tough, respectable opponent who could be counted on to give his best.