Rube Ferns boxer

Rube Ferns boxer
bouts
71
won
43
lost
18
draw
10
Status
inactive
Division
welterweight
Debut
1896-06-29
Height
5′ 8″/173cm
Reach
-
Age
78
Born
1873-10-30
Death
1952-06-11
Nationality
USA

Rube Ferns (born James Ferns; October 30, 1873 – June 11, 1952) was an American boxer of the early 20th century. Nicknamed "The Kansas Rube", he held the World Welterweight Championship in 1900 and 1901. He was formidable and scrappy with a good punch.He defeated such men as "Mysterious" Billy Smith, Eddie Connolly, Bobby Dobbs, William "Matty" Matthews, Frank Erne, Owen Zeigler, "Scaldy" Bill Quinn, Harry Pigeon, Frank "Dutch" Neal, Paddy Purtell and Shorty Ahearn. He lost his title to Barbados Joe Walcott in December 1901. He was known as a powerful hitter with an impressive knockout record.One reporter described Ferns as "one of the queerest and most eccentric practitioners in a profession that has attracted many freaks". He was born into a coal-mining family in Pennsylvania. In 1880 they moved to Central Illinois and finally settled in Scammon, Kansas in 1886. Many of his early bouts took place in nearby Pittsburg, Kansas thus creating confusion about his early years. He always dressed like a stage farmer in go-to-meeting clothes...Ferns was tall and angular and did not look like a fighter. According to BoxRec, Ferns began his career by 1896 with six straight knockouts of boxers Jack Dougherty, Tom Mackey, Harry Pigeon, Cass Whitman, Ed Doyle, and Fred Ross. Half of these fights were known to have been in the Southeast Kansas area, in Cherokee and Crawford counties. In 1897, Ferns fought in some larger cities and New England venues, meeting Kid Gardner in a draw in Chicago in February, and Izzy Straus and Lou Demonge in Brooklyn Clubs in June. In July, he lost to Bobby Dobbs in Hartford, Connecticut.On January 15, 1900, Ferns fought his first bout billed as a World Welterweight Title, defeating "Mysterious" Billy Smith at the Hawthorne Athletic Club in Buffalo, New York. According to BoxRec, Smith knocked Ferns down fifteen times before fouling him and losing the fight in the twenty first of twenty-five rounds, indicating Fern's claim to the title was not firmly established by this bout. Ferns' second defeat of Smith on August 30 gave him a more authoritative claim to the title as he won a more decisive victory and had defeated several important contenders prior to the fight.Smith was legendary for his dirty fighting tactics. Eddie McBride, referee for the January 15, 1900 bout in Buffalo bout between Smith and Ferns wrote, "The nastiest fight I ever refereed was between Rube Ferns and Mysterious Billy Smith, the toughest mortal that ever entered a ring. Smith was exceptionally dirty that night and repeated warnings for hitting in clinches having no effect. I disqualified him...in the 23rd. Smith had deliberately leaned over Fern's shoulder and expectorated in my face". McBride had actually disqualified Smith in the 21st round, and it was an important bout, marking the assumption of the World Welterweight Title by Ferns according to many sources.

Date Opponent Last Opponents' Results Place Result
1910-04-05 Wildcat Ferns WWWWWD Auditorium, Oklahoma City LOST
Technical knockout
1907-09-27 Kid Farmer DLWLLD Springfield LOST
Technical knockout
1906-12-19 John Dukelow WLLWLL Rochester DRAW
Points
1906-06-20 Charley Sieger DDLLWW Lock City A.C., Lockport DRAW
Points
1906-06-01 Art Mason DWDWWW Ortner's Hall, Buffalo WIN
Points
1906-05-15 Charlie Conkle DW Lyceum Theater, Niagara Falls WIN
1906-04-18 Charley Hitte WWWLLW Albany LOST
1906-03-21 Charley Sieger LWLWDD Miller's Hall, Buffalo DRAW
Points
1906-03-17 Mike Donovan DWWWWW 18th Regiment Armory, Pittsburgh DRAW
1906-03-16 Matty Matthews WDLLDL International A.C., Buffalo WIN
KO
1906-02-22 Billy Delaney L Godfroy's Pavilion, Reed's Lake WIN
KO
1906-02-12 Gus Gardner WWLWLW International A.C., Buffalo WIN
1905-09-24 Billy Rhodes WWWDW Island Park, Kansas City LOST
Technical knockout
1905-08-20 Jack Dunleavy DWLDDD Island Park, Kansas City DRAW
Points
1904-03-28 Eugene Bezenah LLLDDW Weir WIN
1904-02-26 Martin Duffy WWWDWD Whittington Park, Hot Springs LOST
Points
1903-12-19 Dick O'Brien WDDLLW Edwards Theater, Parsons DRAW
Points
1903-05-28 Martin Duffy WWWWWW Music Hall, Louisville LOST
KO
1903-04-27 Matty Matthews LLWWWW International A.C., Fort Erie WIN
Technical knockout
1902-12-22 Matty Matthews WLLLWW Kenyon's Hall, Allegheny LOST
Points
1902-11-27 Hugo Kelly WLDWDW Delaware Club, Kansas City LOST
Points
1902-07-18 Billy Emerson LW Eureka Springs WIN
Points
1902-05-29 Owen Ziegler LWWWDL Joplin WIN
KO
1902-03-21 Al Neill DWWWDW Woodward's Pavilion, San Francisco LOST
KO
1902-02-26 Tom Tracey LWDDDL Exposition Building, Portland LOST
Points
1902-01-27 Tim Draffin Murphy LLWLWW American A.C., Chicago WIN
Points
1902-01-03 Jack Bennett LWWWWD Industrial A.C., Philadelphia WIN
KO
1901-12-18 Joe Walcott LWWWLW International A.C., Fort Erie LOST
Technical knockout
1901-11-28 Charles Dutch Thurston DWWLWD Light Guard Armory, Detroit WIN
Points
1901-09-23 Frank Erne WDWWLD International A.C., Fort Erie WIN
KO
1901-05-24 Matty Matthews LLWWLW Mutual Street Rink, Toronto WIN
KO
1900-10-16 Matty Matthews WWDLLL Light Guard Armory, Detroit LOST
Points
1900-08-30 Matty Matthews LWWWDL Light Guard Armory, Detroit WIN
Points
1900-08-13 Eddie Connolly DLWWDW Olympic A.C., Buffalo WIN
Technical knockout
1900-07-19 Joe Reptie LWDL Ortner's Hall, Buffalo WIN
Technical knockout
1900-05-24 Jack Bennett WWLLLW Mutual Street Rink, Toronto WIN
KO
1900-03-20 Jack Hanley WLLLWW Opera House, Weir WIN
KO
1900-02-22 Mike Donovan DWDDDD Hawthorne A.C., Buffalo WIN
Points
1900-01-15 Mysterious Billy Smith WDWDLW Hawthorne A.C., Buffalo WIN
1899-12-28 Walter Burgo LWLLLW Lake City A.C., Erie WIN
KO
1899-11-30 Sammy Callahan WLWWLD Hawthorne A.C., Buffalo WIN
KO
1899-09-29 Bobby Dobbs WWWLD Hawthorne A.C., Buffalo WIN
Points
1899-07-18 Bert Young debut Aylor's Hall, Webb City LOST
Technical knockout
1899-06-22 Shorty Ahearn LDWWWL Chicago WIN
KO
1899-05-27 Shorty Ahearn DLDWWW Howard Theater, Chicago WIN
Points
1899-04-11 Otto Mauke debut Scammon WIN
KO
1899-02-09 Shorty Ahearn DDWWDL Calhoun Madison AC, Chicago DRAW
Points
1899-02-07 Charlie McKeever WLLWWD Tattersall's, Chicago LOST
Points
1898-12-23 Walter Montgomery D Chicopee WIN
KO
1898-11-30 Paddy Purtell DLLWLL Sapp's Opera House, Galena WIN
KO
1898-10-06 Ben Smith debut Carnival AC, Kansas City DRAW
Points
1898-07-11 George Fitzgerald DW Sapp's Opera House, Galena WIN
KO
1898-06-08 Frank 'Dutch' Neal WWWLWL Sapp's Opera House, Galena WIN
KO
1898-05-02 George Fitzgerald D Opera House, Weir LOST
KO
1898-04-01 Frank 'Dutch' Neal LWWWLW Sapp's Opera House, Galena WIN
KO
1898-03-16 Billy Emerson debut Springfield WIN
Points
1897-12-13 Hugh McManus WLL Opera House, Weir WIN
KO
1897-10-25 Walter Montgomery debut Weir DRAW
Points
1897-07-02 Bobby Dobbs DWDW Charter Oak A.C., Hartford LOST
Points
1897-06-07 Lou DeMonge DW Greenpoint S.C., Brooklyn WIN
KO
1897-06-04 Izzy Strauss WLDLWW Broadway A.C., Brooklyn LOST
1897-05-10 Oscar Gardner LWWWWD Chicopee DRAW
Points
1897-03-22 Bill Mahan LWLWL Opera House, Weir WIN
KO
1897-03-08 Scaldy Bill Quinn LLDDL Frontenac DRAW
Points
1896-12-31 Bill Mahan LLWLW Opera House, Weir WIN
Technical knockout
1896-12-22 Caswell Whitman debut Opera House, Weir WIN
Technical knockout
1896-11-09 Paddy Purtell WWWWDW Galena LOST
KO
1896-09-25 Ed Doyle debut Opera House, Weir WIN
Technical knockout
1896-08-28 Fred Ross DLWWDD Sapp's Opera House, Galena WIN
Technical knockout
1896-07-29 Harry Pigeon WWDLDL Sapp's Opera House, Galena WIN
KO
1896-07-15 Jack Dougherty WWLDLL Mineral City WIN
KO
1896-06-29 Tom Mackey debut Opera House, Weir WIN
Technical knockout