25 Facts About Stanley Ketchel

Stanley Ketchel was born in 1886 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Tomasz and Julia Kiecal, whose family immigrated from the village of Sulmierzyce in Piotrkow Governorate, in modern-day central Poland.

Stanley Ketchel avoided school, instead falling in with a gang of street kids and often getting into fist fights.

Soon enough sixteen-year-old Stanley was performing in backroom boxing matches with older locals for twenty dollars a week.

Stanley Ketchel began traveling throughout Montana, offering to take on any man brave enough to face him.

Only a middleweight, Stanley Ketchel was known for taking on heavyweights, who sometimes outweighed him by more than 30 pounds.

Stanley Ketchel started boxing professionally in 1903, at 16, in Butte, Montana.

Stanley Ketchel boxed his first 41 bouts in Montana, and had a record of 36 wins, two losses, and three draws during that span.

Stanley Ketchel lost once more to Thompson in their rematch and then controversially drew with him in their rubber match, in a bout that many people thought Ketchel had won.

Stanley Ketchel was then recognized by many as the World Middleweight Champion.

Stanley Ketchel finished the year by beating Thomas again, this time by decision.

On February 8,1908, Stanley Ketchel met the man who was generally recognized as the World Welterweight Champion and one of the leading middleweights of the era, Mike "Twin" Sullivan, knocking him out in the first round and winning general recognition as World Middleweight Champion.

Whether Stanley Ketchel became world champion when he defeated Thomas or Mike Sullivan has always been up to debate, but the fact remains that Mike Sullivan and not Thomas is historically remembered as a world champion.

Stanley Ketchel proceeded to retain the title against Mike's twin brother, Jack "Twin" Sullivan, a former world champion, by a knockout in 20 rounds; against future world champion Billy Papke by decision in 10; against Hugo Kelly by a knockout in three and against Thomas, by a knockout in two.

Stanley Ketchel began 1909 by fighting former Light Heavyweight Champion Philadelphia Jack O'Brien.

Stanley Ketchel survived a terrible beating at the hand of the slick, quick O'Brien in the early rounds, only to mount a terrific comeback and score four knockdowns in the ninth and tenth rounds.

Stanley Ketchel did not wake up for many minutes and some of his teeth were knocked out by the blow, with a few remaining embedded in Johnson's glove.

The bullet traveled from his shoulder into his lung and Stanley Ketchel fell to the floor mortally wounded.

Stanley Ketchel's story fell apart and she admitted her complicity in the robbery, but stated she did not know Dipley was going to kill the reigning champion.

Stanley Ketchel died in 1956,22 years after his release from prison.

Stanley Ketchel was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery at Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Stanley Ketchel's funeral was the best-attended burial ceremony in that state until the Ford family surpassed him during the 20th century.

Stanley Ketchel is enshrined in the International Boxing Hall Of Fame.

Nat Fleischer, the late ring historian and founding editor of The Ring, considered Stanley Ketchel to be the greatest middleweight in history.

Stanley Ketchel had a record of 51 wins, four losses, four draws, one no contest, and four no decisions, with 48 wins by knockout.

Stanley Ketchel was the first middleweight champion to regain the world title after losing it.