Billy Papke
| Billy Papke | |
|---|---|
Papke in 1910
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|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | William H. Papke |
| Nickname(s) | The Illinois Thunderbolt |
| Rated at | Middleweight |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Nationality | United States |
| Born |
September 17, 1886 Spring Valley, Illinois |
| Died | November 26, 1936 (aged 50) |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 63 |
| Wins | 40 |
| Wins by KO | 32 |
| Losses | 6 |
| Draws | 6 |
Billy Papke (born William Papke, and known as "The Illinois Thunderbolt") (September 17, 1886 – November 26, 1936) was an American boxer who held the World Middleweight Championship.
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.
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