Jan 1914 Division Profile
Total: 122 RL: 61 TCs: M 61
RL Boxers by Career Stage:
End - 1
Post - 5
Prime - 21
Pre-29
Beginner-5 (3 New)
Rated: 41
800+: 5
500+: 22
200+: 39
Jan 1914 Rankings (Perf Pts and Changes from 1913 in Parens)
Champ: Billy Papke 28-3-1 (21) (1087) (+1)
1. Jeff Smith 19-1 (11) (914) (new)
2. Stanley Ketchel 38-6-2 (33) (875) (NC)
3. Mike Gibbons 19-3-1 (9) (831) (+2)
4. Frank Mantell 24-6-4 (14) (809) (+4)
5. Al McCoy 18-4-1 (12) (793) (-1)
6. Joe Thomas 21-9-1 (11) (764) (NC)
7. George Brown 19-4-1 (11) (761) (NC)
8. Cyclone Johnny Thompson 33-123 (22) (748) (-8)
9. Joe Borrell 14-1-1 (10) (678) (new)
10. Albert Crouse 16-3 (13) (668) (new)
Comments: All the above at Prime except for Ketchel (now at End), Cyclone Johnny (hitting Post as 1914 was his last year) and newcomers Borrell and Crouse (still at Pre). A very volatile division with the title changing hands 8 times since early 1910 among six different fighters; Papke now has the belt for the third time. It's also a very talent laden division, just look at the fact that one very strong fighter (George Chip) doesn't even crack the top 30 of this year's ratings list! Papke regained the belt and has rung up seven wins in a row to rule the roost. Newcomer Jeff Smith upset Ketchel to capture the NABF belt and emerge as the #1 contender; his only loss coming to George "KO" Brown. Ketchel appears to be a shot fighter and it's unlikely he can regain the WBA title he has held twice before. Mike Gibbons is another guy on the way up--he demolished Walter Coffey with a one-round KO and decisioned ex-champ Thompson in his two outings in 1913. Mantell won the WBA belt, lost it and then drew with CBU Champ Les Darcy in his only bouts in 1913. Al McCoy lost the USBA belt but recovered with a TKO win over Al Grayber to maintain his spot in the top group. Another ex-Champ, Joe Thomas, fought just twice, drawing with "Buffalo Iron Man" Rogers and stopping Buck Crouse. George KO Brown annexed the USBA title and went 2-1 for the year, losing to Papke but beating Jeff Smith earlier in the year. Thompson, who was 0-3 for the year, may have his best days behind him now that the aging process takes effect. Borrell and Crouse represent the future for the division; Borrell has won his last four, including KO wins against Gavigan, Joe Eagan and Wenzel. Crouse compiled KO wins over veterans Frank Fields and Frank Krause, but it was balanced by TKO losses to Smith and Thomas.
Other Notables: The second ten in the division is almost as strong as the top group. Eddie McGoorty went 2-0 in 1913, scoring TKO wins over Les Darcy and Walter Coffey, yet dropped one spot in the rankings from #10 to #11. CBU champ Darcy had rung up 16 wins in a row before being stopped by McGoorty and then drawing with ex-champ Mantell; he checks in at #12 with a 16-1-1 (14) record and 607 pp. Jack McCarron, winner of four in a row, is next at #13 with a 17-4-2 (11) record. Jackie Clark debuts at #14 with a 11-2-2 (5) mark, besting the likes of George Ashe (via SD), Eddie Revoire and Jimmy O'Hagan. Jake Ahearn, who holds both the EBU and GBU belts, is only ranked #15 with a 18-2 (12) mark and 574 pp. Veteran Frank Klaus, former NABF champ, tumbled 13 spots in the rankings to #16 after going 0-3 in the year. Falling even further was former champ Hugo Kelly, who dropped all the way from #9 to #24 after going 0-3-1 for the year. Several top prospects debuting in this year's rankings include George Ashe, 15-1-1 (11) at #18, Eddie Palmer, 11-3-3 (7) at #20, Al Grayber, 13-3-1 (7) at #22. George Robinson has faced some stiff competition in his 15 bouts so far, winding up #29 at 9-2-4 (3). Oh, yes, the aforementioned George Chip occupies the #36 slot with a very spotty 16-7-1 (11) record, a pretty disappointing career so far for the RL champ when you consider that the rankings only go down to #40.
Prospects: Quite a few, but no one that really stands out at this point. Johnny Wilson has only lost to O'Hagan in compiling a 11-1 (8) mark, including wins versus Revoire and Robinson. Australian Mick King was sailing along at 10-0 until meeting his first RL opponent, Joe Eagan, and he lost to go 10-1 (6). Eagan, at 10-2 (2) was KO'd by top 10 candidate Borrell. O'Hagan had losses to Clark and Robinson en route to compiling his 11-2 (8) record. Fighting Billy Murry had a good year, going 2-0-1 with a win over Italian Joe Gans and a draw with Whitey Wenzel; his overall mark is now 10-2-1 (9). Gans suffered two TKO losses to Murray and Revoire and checks in at 10-3 (9). Revoire won four in a row but dropped to 9-4 (3) after losses to Wilson and Clark. Still unbeaten is Johnny Howard at 8-0 (5), the first seven versus TCs followed up by a UD8 over Zulu Kid. All five guys who debuted in 1913 (Harry Greb. Silent Martin, Chic Nelson, Mike O'Dowd, and Len Rowlands) remain unbeaten, but all have only faced TC opposition to date. O'Dowd at 5-0 (3) has the best record of the bunch thus far.
Retirements: None
Looking Ahead: Papke (who is not due to hit Post-Prime until 1919) is poised for a possible long title run, but the recent history of the division argues against it. Jeff Smith and Mike Gibbons are the most likely immediate challengers. McCoy, Thomas, and Brown are still in Prime career stage and could contend as well. Mantell is likely to try to regain the EBU belt from current titleholder Jake Ahearn. It will be interesting to see if guys like Borrell and Crouse can continue to maintain their spots in the Top 10 with guys like Darcy and McGoorty not far behind. Look for Darcy, McGoorty, perhaps others, to break through to the top ranks. Names that have been at or near the top like Ketchel, Thompson, Klaus, Levin, and Kelly form an "over-the-hill" gang likely to appear again only on the future retirements listing. The best of the young prospects, Harry Greb, is at least a year away from having an impact. Bryan Downey and Panama Joe Gans pace the newcomers to the division in 1914.