Billy Papke
Encyclopedia
Billy Papke (September 17, 1886 – November 26, 1936) was an American boxer
.
Born in Spring Valley, Illinois
, he was the son of German
immigrants to the USA
. He began his boxing career in 1906, winning 37 and drawing six times. His first loss was a 10-round decision to Stanley Ketchel
, his first of four fights with Ketchel. He won the second meeting, and the World Middleweight title, largely by the expedient of punching Ketchel in the face with his right hand when Ketchel stepped forward to shake hands at the beginning of the bout. Two months later, he lost his title to Ketchel and received a terrific beating in the process; Papke's own wife did not recognize him after the bout was over. Papke lost the 4th and final meeting, which was a particularly savage encounter and lasted 20 rounds.
After Ketchel's murder Papke was one of several middleweights contesting the right to be called World Middleweight Champ. After an October, 1911 loss in Boston to Bob Moha
, he briefly retired; but by 1912 he had returned to the ring. He travelled to Paris where he beat future champion Georges Carpentier
. It became a non championship fight after Papke exceeded the middle-weight limit at the pre-fight weigh-in. He was beaten by another American, Frank Klaus
, when the referee disqualified Papke for breaching the rules, ending his title hopes. He continued fighting until 1919, losing a four rounder to Soldier Bartfield.
Papke died in 1936; he shot and killed his wife, then committed suicide by turning the gun on himself.
Billy Papke was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame
in 2001. He is a key character in the novel, The Killings of Stanley Ketchel, (2005), by James Carlos Blake.
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
.
Born in Spring Valley, Illinois
Spring Valley, Illinois
Spring Valley is a city situated on the Illinois River in Bureau County, Illinois. The population was 5,398 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, he was the son of German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
immigrants to the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He began his boxing career in 1906, winning 37 and drawing six times. His first loss was a 10-round decision to Stanley Ketchel
Stanley Ketchel
-External links:**...
, his first of four fights with Ketchel. He won the second meeting, and the World Middleweight title, largely by the expedient of punching Ketchel in the face with his right hand when Ketchel stepped forward to shake hands at the beginning of the bout. Two months later, he lost his title to Ketchel and received a terrific beating in the process; Papke's own wife did not recognize him after the bout was over. Papke lost the 4th and final meeting, which was a particularly savage encounter and lasted 20 rounds.
After Ketchel's murder Papke was one of several middleweights contesting the right to be called World Middleweight Champ. After an October, 1911 loss in Boston to Bob Moha
Bob Moha
Bob Moha was a Milwaukee-based middleweight boxer, nicknamed the "Milwaukee Caveman".-Career:His decisive defeat of Billy Papke at a bout in Boston on October 31, 1910, caused Papke to retire briefly from the ring.On December 4, 1914,...
, he briefly retired; but by 1912 he had returned to the ring. He travelled to Paris where he beat future champion Georges Carpentier
Georges Carpentier
Georges Carpentier was a French boxer. He fought mainly as a light heavyweight and heavyweight in a career lasting from 1908-26. Nicknamed the "Orchid Man", he stood and his fighting weight ranged from...
. It became a non championship fight after Papke exceeded the middle-weight limit at the pre-fight weigh-in. He was beaten by another American, Frank Klaus
Frank Klaus
Frank Klaus was a German-American boxer from 1904 to 1918. Klaus won the vacant Middleweight Championship of the world in 1913 and was elected to the Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1974....
, when the referee disqualified Papke for breaching the rules, ending his title hopes. He continued fighting until 1919, losing a four rounder to Soldier Bartfield.
Papke died in 1936; he shot and killed his wife, then committed suicide by turning the gun on himself.
Billy Papke was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame
International Boxing Hall of Fame
The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta...
in 2001. He is a key character in the novel, The Killings of Stanley Ketchel, (2005), by James Carlos Blake.