The Memory of Stanley Ketchel is kept alive 

Members of the Polish Heritage Society in Grand Rapids, Michigan helped by WBC support, have funded, spruced up and restored the marble Tomb of the Great Stanley Ketchel, who was the first boxer to win back the middleweight title.

The ceremony which followed the two years labor of love and elbow grease in his culmination, including relatives and happened at the Holy Cross Cemetery, Grand Rapids, Michigan, the town where the story all started.

Stanley won the middleweight crown in 1908, lost it a year later, then regained it and was still the reigning champion, when he was murdered aged twenty-four in 1910. His greatest claim to fame was that he knocked down the mighty Heavyweight Champion Jack Johnson, who unfortunately got up and returned the favor with heavy laden interest, dislodging Stanley`s front teeth, which became embedded in the right glove of the ”Galveston Giant” who outweighed the audacious ”Michigan Assassin” by almost forty pounds. On this occasion, the sling shot of David hadn`t been enough to dent the cranium of Goliath.

Stanley`s Mum Julia and Dad Tomaz had emigrated to the United States, where he was born on September 14^th 1886, being named Stanislaw Kiecal.  School in Grand Rapids, Michigan was too tame and lame  for young Stanley. It was not him. Instead, he educated his fists, while running with street gangs.  He ran away from home aged twelve and became a child hobo, moving to Bute and became a bellboy at a hotel.

A bouncer outside a house of ill-repute acidly and tartly warned the youngster to move on. When he didn`t, the burly doorman decided to teach the youth a lesson but  was promptly knocked cold. The job was Stan`s. From now on he was the man.

Stanley transformed himself from a holy terror of a street fighter into a ferocious fighter of the ring. Turning pro in 1903, he tore through thirty-nine fights only losing two and drawing three. An early Manager ”Dumb” Dan Morgan, who was a man of few words, was uncharacteristically eloquent yet succinct in muttering: ”Stanley is an exception to the human race, as he`s a savage.”

Widening his horizons he moved to The West Coast, primarily California. In the first of four fights with Joe Thomas he defeated him, claiming the welterweight title, but it had been fought at one hundred and fifty pounds, winning a decision over twenty rounds.  In the next one, they`d beefed up to middleweights. It was a gruelling affair. Stanley had a split glove replaced in round thirteen. Three rounds later he dropped Joe who returned the favor in the twenty seventh. Stanley rallied to KO him on round thirty-two of the fight which was scheduled for forty five rounds.

Stanley defeated Twins Mike and Jack Sullivan and then embarked on a four-fight slugfest with Billy Papke. He won their first fight on points. In the second he was allegedly caught with a sucker punch as he tried to shake hands at the beginning of the bout, was dazed, didn`t recover and was TKO`d in the twelfth. He won his title back with an eleventh rounds  KO of Billy in the immediate rematch and the fourth on points.

Stanley fearlessly challenged Jack Johnson for the heavyweight title of the world.  He bulked up to one hundred and seventy pounds. Trouble was that Jack who towered almost six inches over his five feet nine frame and was two hundred and eight pounds. It was an early newsreel filmed fight and the producers sternly ordered them to go the full twenty rounds distance. Stanley got bored and deviated from the script.  In round twelve he slammed and almighty right cross into Jack`s jaw and down went the heavyweight champion. Far from amused, Jack got up, abandoned pattercakes and with his very next punch he poleaxed Stanley, who couldn`t beat the ten count. The bigger right was might!

Two fights later, Stanley lost a unanimous decision to the Great Sam Langford, who was appreciably heavier. But at the time of his death, Stanley was still the middleweight champion of the world.

Stanley was murdered on his ranch in Conway Missouri by ranch hand Walter Dipley, who shot Stanley in the back with a .22 caliber rifle as Dipley`s common law wife Goldie was cooking Stanley breakfast.  The day before Stanley had scolded Dipley for beating a horse. The bullet lodged in one of Stanley`s lungs and although he was taken to hospital, he died a day later. His last words were: ”I`m ever so tired. Please take me home to my mother.”  His then Manager Wilson Mizner vainly suggested; ”Tell them to count ten over Stanley, and he`ll get up?” But it was not to be.

In his will he left his Parents and family 125,000 dollars. Dipley was tried and found guilty of Stanley`s murder.  He served twenty three years in jail before being released and died in 1956. Stanley`s life was cruelly cut short, but in its brief span his astonishing boxing record was 49-5-3, 46 KO`s. He ranks right up there with Harry Greb, Charley Burley, Sugar Ray Robinson, Jake Lamotta, Tony Zale, Rocky Graziano, Carlos Monzon and Marvelous Marvin Hagler.

Blessed with fists of granite, Stanley would be touched to know that he has been remembered and that the cracked slabs of marble on his tomb and its foundations have been lovingly restored.

Never destined to grow old, his legend continues to be revered by all those who love Boxing.