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Frank Klaus (December 30, 1887, in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania – February 8, 1948) was an American boxer from 1904 to 1918. Known as the Braddock Bearcat, Klaus claimed the vacant World Middleweight Championship in 1913 and was elected to the Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1974.
Gifted with a strong punch, he lost exceptionally few fights in his nine-year career, and was knocked out only once. Nat Fleischer ranked Klaus sixth as the All-Time Middleweight. His manager was George Engel.
He started boxing training early and after winning an amateur tournament at East Pittsburgh's Wilmerding Athletic Club was recognized to have boxing promise by local boxing mentor George Engel."Klaus Ranks High in Fistic Realm", Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Sporting Section pg. 3, 10 December 1911 He began his amateur career as early as 1904, and in February 1905 had three round wins on points in Pittsburgh against Frank Walton, and James Harris."Klaus Burial Slated Thursday", Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pg. 18, 9 February 1948
On October 18, 1911, Klaus defeated the great contender Leo Houck in a newspaper win by both the Philadelphia Item and the Philadelphia Record. During his career, the Pennsylvania-born middleweight fought some of the greatest welter, middle, and light heavyweights of his era, including Jack Dillon, Battling Levinsky, Mike Gibbons, Harry Greb, and Al McCoy.
In his historic title bout against Georges Carpentier on June 24, 1912, in Dieppe, France, Klaus won on a nineteenth round disqualification when Carpentier's manager entered the ring to protest his boxer being elbowed repeatedly by Klaus. Carpentier's manager tried to pull his fighter from the ring by his waist, but the boxer's second had already thrown in the towel."Championship Fight is Ended by a Row", New York Times, New York, New York, pg. 7, 25 June 1912
On September 9, 1912, Klaus defeated Marcel Moreau in Savoie, France as the result of a low blow foul in the fourth of fifteen rounds. Moureau had held the French Middleweight Title in May 1908.
In another important win that cemented his claim to the title, Klaus defeated contender Eddie McGoorty on May 24, 1913, in a six-round bout in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Gazette gave Klaus five of the six rounds.
On July 1, 1913, Klaus had an important win where he was awarded a third-round TKO against Jimmy Gardner in Boston. Gardner had contended for the World Welterweight Championship earlier in his career. Gardner put up a great defense until the end of the second round, when Klaus threw some hard punches over the defenses of Gardner. After Klaus continued to connect with hard blows, a second of Gardner's jumped into the ring in the middle of the third round to end the fight."Gardner is Stopped By Frank Klaus", Pittsburgh Post, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pg. 10, 2 July 1913 Klaus had faced Gardner on at least three previous occasions.
In a return non-title match on December 23, 1913, Chip defeated Klaus again. In the fifth round of six, the referee stopped the fight resulting in a technical knockout after Chip knocked Klaus to the mat for a second time. In what most considered a decisive win, the Scranton Truth wrote that Chip was the master of Klaus in every way, and clearly deserved the title he had taken from him two months earlier."Scranton Now Has a Champion", Scranton Truth, Scranton, Pennsylvania, pg. 8, 24 December 1913
Klaus died February 8, 1948, at his home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania after a severe heart attack. He was survived by his widow, two sons and three daughters.
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Claiming and defending the World Middleweight Title
Klaus claimed the World Middleweight Title a few years after it became vacant upon the death of Stanley Ketchel in October 1910. Several contenders competed for the title. Accounts vary as to when Klaus was officially champion, but Klaus himself first claimed the title after defeating Sailor Ed Petrosky in a 20-round points decision in San Francisco on February 22, 1912. His victories over Jack Dillon, and later fellow claimant Georges Carpentier and former champion Billy Papke in France, cemented his claim to the title. He was officially recognized as champion by sanctioning bodies on March 5, 1913.
Defeating Billy Papke for the Middleweight Title
In a title fight that led to world title recognition, Klaus defeated American Billy Papke at the Cirque du Paris on March 5, 1913, in a fifteenth-round disqualification. The referee stopped the fight in the fifteenth as a result of Papke continually ignoring his requests to fight cleanly. Klaus was winning by a significant margin. Papke had been warned throughout the fight for flagrant violations of boxing rules. Klaus received a gold belt for the victory."Klaus Wins in Foul Over Papke", Pittsburgh Post, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Sporting News Section page 1, 6 March 1913
Losing the World Middleweight Title to George Chip
During a title fight on 11 October 1913, George Chip baffled the crowd when he knocked out Klaus with a strong right hook to the jaw. The knockout came near the end of the sixth and final round. Prior to the knockout, in the first five rounds, Chip never threatened to take the lead. The fight occurred at the old Pittsburgh City Hall at Market Square [1]. It was the first loss by knockout in Klaus's career. The extra weight Klaus was carrying in his midsection led many reporters to believe he had not trained adequately for the bout, and had underestimated the ability of his opponent.Guy, Richard, "Frank Claus is Stopped By George Chip", The Gazette Times, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, sec. 3 pg. 2, 12 October 1913Gibson, Florent, "Klaus Put Out By George Chip", Pittsburgh Sunday Post, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Sporting News Section pg. 1, 12 October 1913
Retirement from boxing and death
Klaus retired from boxing at age 26 shortly after his second loss to George Chip.
Professional boxing record
All information in this section is derived from BoxRec, unless otherwise stated.
Official record
All newspaper decisions are officially regarded as “no decision” bouts and are not counted in the win/loss/draw column
96 Loss 32–6–2 George Chip TKO 5 (6) Dec 23, 1913 95 Loss 32–5–2 George Chip TKO 6 (6) Oct 11, 1913 94 Draw 32–4–2 Eddie McGoorty NWS 10 Sep 29, 1913 93 Win 32–4–2 Jimmy Gardner TKO 3 (12) Jul 1, 1913 92 Loss 31–4–2 Jack Dillon NWS 10 May 29, 1913 91 Win 31–4–2 Eddie McGoorty NWS 6 May 24, 1913 90 Win 31–4–2 Billy Papke DQ 15 (20) Mar 5, 1913 89 Win 30–4–2 Pietro Boine DQ 3 (?) Sep 16, 1912 88 Win 29–4–2 Marcel Moreau DQ 4 (15) Sep 9, 1912 87 Win 28–4–2 Georges Carpentier DQ 19 (20) Jun 24, 1912 86 Win 27–4–2 Jack Dillon NWS 10 May 3, 1912 85 Win 27–4–2 Jack Dillon PTS 20 Mar 23, 1912 84 Win 26–4–2 Sailor Ed Petroskey PTS 20 Feb 22, 1912 83 Win 25–4–2 George Knockout Brown NWS 6 Jan 29, 1912 82 Win 25–4–2 Jimmy Howard NWS 6 Jan 15, 1912 81 Draw 25–4–2 Jack Dillon NWS 6 Dec 6, 1911 80 Win 25–4–2 Leo Houck NWS 6 Oct 18, 1911 79 Win 25–4–2 Tommy Sullivan KO 2 (12) Oct 12, 1911 78 Win 24–4–2 Cyclone Johnny Thompson NWS 10 Aug 17, 1911 77 Win 24–4–2 Vic Hansen KO 8 (20) Jul 1, 1911 76 Win 23–4–2 Montana Dan Sullivan KO 3 (20) Jun 15, 1911 75 Win 22–4–2 Bill MacKinnon NWS 6 May 6, 1911 74 Win 22–4–2 Jimmy Gardner NWS 6 Apr 11, 1911 73 Win 22–4–2 Montana Jack Sullivan TKO 3 (10) Mar 28, 1911 72 Win 21–4–2 Leo Houck PTS 12 Feb 14, 1911 71 Win 20–4–2 Willie Lewis TKO 6 (10) Feb 7, 1911 70 Draw 19–4–2 Jimmy Gardner PTS 12 Jan 31, 1911 69 Win 19–4–1 Billy Berger NWS 6 Jan 11, 1911 68 Loss 19–4–1 Hugo Kelly PTS 12 Dec 20, 1910 67 Win 19–3–1 Jack Abbott TKO 5 (6) Dec 15, 1910 66 Loss 18–3–1 Jimmy Gardner PTS 12 Nov 29, 1910 65 Loss 18–2–1 Leo Houck NWS 6 Oct 29, 1910 64 Win 18–2–1 Frank Mantell NWS 6 Sep 28, 1910 63 Win 18–2–1 Jimmy Gardner PTS 12 Apr 12, 1910 62 Win 17–2–1 Frank Mantell KO 9 (12) Mar 29, 1910 61 Win 16–2–1 Stanley Ketchel NWS 6 Mar 23, 1910 60 Win 16–2–1 Jack "Twin" Sullivan PTS 12 Jan 18, 1910 59 Win 15–2–1 Billy Berger NWS 6 Jan 7, 1910 58 Win 15–2–1 Porky Dan Flynn PTS 12 Dec 21, 1909 57 Loss 14–2–1 Joe Thomas NWS 6 Dec 18, 1909 56 Draw 14–2–1 Harry Lewis NWS 6 Nov 27, 1909 55 Win 14–2–1 Billy Papke NWS 6 Nov 11, 1909 54 Win 14–2–1 Jack Rowan KO 2 (6) Oct 26, 1909 53 Win 13–2–1 Hugh McGann DQ 3 (6) Sep 17, 1909 52 Loss 12–2–1 Hugo Kelly NWS 6 Jun 25, 1909 51 Win 12–2–1 Jack Fitzgerald NWS 6 May 31, 1909 50 Win 12–2–1 Harry Mansfield TKO 1 (6) May 15, 1909 49 Loss 11–2–1 Jim Smith DQ 2 (6) May 15, 1909 48 Win 11–1–1 Harry Lewis DQ 6 (6) Apr 24, 1909 47 Win 10–1–1 Harry Mansfield NWS 6 Apr 5, 1909 46 Win 10–1–1 Jack Williams TKO 2 (6) Mar 18, 1909 45 Win 9–1–1 Cy Flynn TKO 3 (6) Mar 4, 1909 44 Win 8–1–1 Harry Mansfield NWS 6 Feb 18, 1909 43 Win 8–1–1 Pat Carney KO 1 (6) Feb 11, 1909 42 Win 7–1–1 Jim Donovan NWS 6 Feb 8, 1909 41 Win 7–1–1 Tommy Crawford TKO 1 (6) Jan 15, 1909 40 Win 6–1–1 Tommy Lynch NWS 6 Dec 23, 1908 39 Win 6–1–1 Paul Moore NWS 6 Dec 22, 1908 38 Win 6–1–1 Billy Clark KO 2 (6) Nov 28, 1908 37 Win 5–1–1 Jack Fitzgerald NWS 6 Nov 16, 1908 36 Win 5–1–1 Kid Williams KO 5 (6) Oct 30, 1908 35 Win 4–1–1 Jim Donovan NWS 6 Oct 24, 1908 34 Win 4–1–1 Johnny Carroll NWS 6 Sep 25, 1908 33 Loss 4–1–1 Jack Robinson NWS 6 Sep 16, 1908 32 Draw 4–1–1 Billy Clark NWS 6 Sep 12, 1908 31 Win 4–1–1 Jack Robinson NWS 6 Sep 11, 1908 30 Win 4–1–1 Dutch Zimmer KO 3 (6) Sep 8, 1908 29 Win 3–1–1 Jim Donovan NWS 6 Aug 26, 1908 28 Win 3–1–1 Jack Nelson NWS 6 May 29, 1908 27 Win 3–1–1 Jack Fitzgerald NWS 6 May 7, 1908 26 Win 3–1–1 Cub White NWS 6 May 4, 1908 25 Draw 3–1–1 Billy Clark NWS 6 Mar 28, 1908 24 Win 3–1–1 Alex Laird KO 2 (6) Mar 16, 1908 23 Win 2–1–1 Paul Moore NWS 6 Dec 10, 1907 22 Loss 2–1–1 Dick Given NWS 6 Oct 28, 1907 21 Win 2–1–1 Andy Diamond KO 1 (6) Sep 14, 1907 20 Win 1–1–1 Al Martin NWS 6 May 28, 1907 19 Loss 1–1–1 Paul Moore NWS 6 Jan 10, 1907 18 Win 1–1–1 Jock Simcoe NWS 6 Dec 20, 1906 17 Draw 1–1–1 Paul Moore NWS 6 Dec 11, 1906 16 Win 1–1–1 James Frazier NWS 6 Nov 12, 1906 15 Win 1–1–1 Tom Broderick TKO 3 (6) Oct 29, 1906 14 Win 0–1–1 George Decker NWS 6 Oct 9, 1906 13 Draw 0–1–1 George Fraser PTS 32 (?) Aug 25, 1906 12 Draw 0–1 Jack Bruce NWS 4 May 8, 1906 11 Win 0–1 Ned Chernoff NWS 4 Mar 26, 1906 10 Draw 0–1 Mike Ward NWS 4 Feb 27, 1906 9 Win 0–1 Dick Given NWS 4 Jan 25, 1906 8 Draw 0–1 Frank Diamond NWS 6 Jan 24, 1906 7 Win 0–1 Jock Simcoe NWS 6 Dec 14, 1905 6 Loss 0–1 Elmer Morgan KO 4 (6) Jul 27, 1905 5 Win 0–0 Battling Simpson NWS 4 Mar 27, 1905 4 Draw 0–0 John Ulm NWS 4 Mar 27, 1905 3 Loss 0–0 Frank Diamond NWS 4 Mar 4, 1905 2 Loss 0–0 Frank Diamond NWS 4 Feb 25, 1905 1 Draw 0–0 Patsy Hogan NWS 4 Feb 18, 1905
Unofficial record
Record with the inclusion of newspaper decision in the win/loss/draw column.
96 Loss 68–15–13 George Chip TKO 5 (6) Dec 23, 1913 95 Loss 68–14–13 George Chip TKO 6 (6) Oct 11, 1913 94 Draw 68–13–13 Eddie McGoorty NWS 10 Sep 29, 1913 93 Win 68–13–12 Jimmy Gardner TKO 3 (12) Jul 1, 1913 92 Loss 67–13–12 Jack Dillon NWS 10 May 29, 1913 91 Win 67–12–12 Eddie McGoorty NWS 6 May 24, 1913 90 Win 66–12–12 Billy Papke DQ 15 (20) Mar 5, 1913 89 Win 65–12–12 Pietro Boine DQ 3 (?) Sep 16, 1912 88 Win 64–12–12 Marcel Moreau DQ 4 (15) Sep 9, 1912 87 Win 63–12–12 Georges Carpentier DQ 19 (20) Jun 24, 1912 86 Win 62–12–12 Jack Dillon NWS 10 May 3, 1912 85 Win 61–12–12 Jack Dillon PTS 20 Mar 23, 1912 84 Win 60–12–12 Sailor Ed Petroskey PTS 20 Feb 22, 1912 83 Win 59–12–12 George Knockout Brown NWS 6 Jan 29, 1912 82 Win 58–12–12 Jimmy Howard NWS 6 Jan 15, 1912 81 Draw 57–12–12 Jack Dillon NWS 6 Dec 6, 1911 80 Win 57–12–11 Leo Houck NWS 6 Oct 18, 1911 79 Win 56–12–11 Tommy Sullivan KO 2 (12) Oct 12, 1911 78 Win 55–12–11 Cyclone Johnny Thompson NWS 10 Aug 17, 1911 77 Win 54–12–11 Vic Hansen KO 8 (20) Jul 1, 1911 76 Win 53–12–11 Montana Dan Sullivan KO 3 (20) Jun 15, 1911 75 Win 52–12–11 Bill MacKinnon NWS 6 May 6, 1911 74 Win 51–12–11 Jimmy Gardner NWS 6 Apr 11, 1911 73 Win 50–12–11 Montana Jack Sullivan TKO 3 (10) Mar 28, 1911 72 Win 49–12–11 Leo Houck PTS 12 Feb 14, 1911 71 Win 48–12–11 Willie Lewis TKO 6 (10) Feb 7, 1911 70 Draw 47–12–11 Jimmy Gardner PTS 12 Jan 31, 1911 69 Win 47–12–10 Billy Berger NWS 6 Jan 11, 1911 68 Loss 46–12–10 Hugo Kelly PTS 12 Dec 20, 1910 67 Win 46–11–10 Jack Abbott TKO 5 (6) Dec 15, 1910 66 Loss 45–11–10 Jimmy Gardner PTS 12 Nov 29, 1910 65 Loss 45–10–10 Leo Houck NWS 6 Oct 29, 1910 64 Win 45–9–10 Frank Mantell NWS 6 Sep 28, 1910 63 Win 44–9–10 Jimmy Gardner PTS 12 Apr 12, 1910 62 Win 43–9–10 Frank Mantell KO 9 (12) Mar 29, 1910 61 Win 42–9–10 Stanley Ketchel NWS 6 Mar 23, 1910 60 Win 41–9–10 Jack "Twin" Sullivan PTS 12 Jan 18, 1910 59 Win 40–9–10 Billy Berger NWS 6 Jan 7, 1910 58 Win 39–9–10 Porky Dan Flynn PTS 12 Dec 21, 1909 57 Loss 38–9–10 Joe Thomas NWS 6 Dec 18, 1909 56 Draw 38–8–10 Harry Lewis NWS 6 Nov 27, 1909 55 Win 38–8–9 Billy Papke NWS 6 Nov 11, 1909 54 Win 37–8–9 Jack Rowan KO 2 (6) Oct 26, 1909 53 Win 36–8–9 Hugh McGann DQ 3 (6) Sep 17, 1909 52 Loss 35–8–9 Hugo Kelly NWS 6 Jun 25, 1909 51 Win 35–7–9 Jack Fitzgerald NWS 6 May 31, 1909 50 Win 34–7–9 Harry Mansfield TKO 1 (6) May 15, 1909 49 Loss 33–7–9 Jim Smith DQ 2 (6) May 15, 1909 48 Win 33–6–9 Harry Lewis DQ 6 (6) Apr 24, 1909 47 Win 32–6–9 Harry Mansfield NWS 6 Apr 5, 1909 46 Win 31–6–9 Jack Williams TKO 2 (6) Mar 18, 1909 45 Win 30–6–9 Cy Flynn TKO 3 (6) Mar 4, 1909 44 Win 29–6–9 Harry Mansfield NWS 6 Feb 18, 1909 43 Win 28–6–9 Pat Carney KO 1 (6) Feb 11, 1909 42 Win 27–6–9 Jim Donovan NWS 6 Feb 8, 1909 41 Win 26–6–9 Tommy Crawford TKO 1 (6) Jan 15, 1909 40 Win 25–6–9 Tommy Lynch NWS 6 Dec 23, 1908 39 Win 24–6–9 Paul Moore NWS 6 Dec 22, 1908 38 Win 23–6–9 Billy Clark KO 2 (6) Nov 28, 1908 37 Win 22–6–9 Jack Fitzgerald NWS 6 Nov 16, 1908 36 Win 21–6–9 Kid Williams KO 5 (6) Oct 30, 1908 35 Win 20–6–9 Jim Donovan NWS 6 Oct 24, 1908 34 Win 19–6–9 Johnny Carroll NWS 6 Sep 25, 1908 33 Loss 18–6–9 Jack Robinson NWS 6 Sep 16, 1908 32 Draw 18–5–9 Billy Clark NWS 6 Sep 12, 1908 31 Win 18–5–8 Jack Robinson NWS 6 Sep 11, 1908 30 Win 17–5–8 Dutch Zimmer KO 3 (6) Sep 8, 1908 29 Win 16–5–8 Jim Donovan NWS 6 Aug 26, 1908 28 Win 15–5–8 Jack Nelson NWS 6 May 29, 1908 27 Win 14–5–8 Jack Fitzgerald NWS 6 May 7, 1908 26 Win 13–5–8 Cub White NWS 6 May 4, 1908 25 Draw 12–5–8 Billy Clark NWS 6 Mar 28, 1908 24 Win 12–5–7 Alex Laird KO 2 (6) Mar 16, 1908 23 Win 11–5–7 Paul Moore NWS 6 Dec 10, 1907 22 Loss 10–5–7 Dick Given NWS 6 Oct 28, 1907 21 Win 10–4–7 Andy Diamond KO 1 (6) Sep 14, 1907 20 Win 9–4–7 Al Martin NWS 6 May 28, 1907 19 Loss 8–4–7 Paul Moore NWS 6 Jan 10, 1907 18 Win 8–3–7 Jock Simcoe NWS 6 Dec 20, 1906 17 Draw 7–3–7 Paul Moore NWS 6 Dec 11, 1906 16 Win 7–3–6 James Frazier NWS 6 Nov 12, 1906 15 Win 6–3–6 Tom Broderick TKO 3 (6) Oct 29, 1906 14 Win 5–3–6 George Decker NWS 6 Oct 9, 1906 13 Draw 4–3–6 George Fraser PTS 32 (?) Aug 25, 1906 12 Draw 4–3–5 Jack Bruce NWS 4 May 8, 1906 11 Win 4–3–4 Ned Chernoff NWS 4 Mar 26, 1906 10 Draw 3–3–4 Mike Ward NWS 4 Feb 27, 1906 9 Win 3–3–3 Dick Given NWS 4 Jan 25, 1906 8 Draw 2–3–3 Frank Diamond NWS 6 Jan 24, 1906 7 Win 2–3–2 Jock Simcoe NWS 6 Dec 14, 1905 6 Loss 1–3–2 Elmer Morgan KO 4 (6) Jul 27, 1905 5 Win 1–2–2 Battling Simpson NWS 4 Mar 27, 1905 4 Draw 0–2–2 John Ulm NWS 4 Mar 27, 1905 3 Loss 0–2–1 Frank Diamond NWS 4 Mar 4, 1905 2 Loss 0–1–1 Frank Diamond NWS 4 Feb 25, 1905 1 Draw 0–0–1 Patsy Hogan NWS 4 Feb 18, 1905
Boxing achievements
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Honors
Klaus was elected into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2008.
See also
External links
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