Are there any other big fights from this era or even any other Johnson or Ketchel fights that were staged for film? This fight didn't go in the records as an exhibition did it?
It might be that Ketchell just hit the nerve bundle at the base of Johnson’s ear, and the rest became inevitable.
Ketchell had the handcuffs on and took a dive to promote a more lucrative return bout. Johnson ran with the money and never wanted to face him again... something like that.
Johnson had a visible mark on his face, Ketchel had worse. The punch landed on the top of Johnson's head, knocking him down. Then Kethcel was clobbered. It hardly sounds like a fixed fight. What difference is there between Johnson's fights with Ketchel and his fights with Flynn or Burns? None, Johnson like to play with the overmatched. But when he had a real heavyweight in there who was not old or small ( Willard ) we saw no such playing! For the Ketchel fight, the playing was over once Ketchel scored the knockdown.
