The CBZ Newswire

Henry Roland Tuttle: "King Tut"

By Pete Ehrmann

When 12-year-old Henry Roland Tuttle ran away from his home in Wonewoc, a flyspeck on the Wisconsin map 50 miles north of Madison best-known for a local Spiritualist Camp offering “Serenity…Peace…Harmony…Healing…Soul Nourishment” for 136 years, not even the boldest swami there would’ve predicted he would be reincarnated down the road as an Egyptian pharaoh who punched like a pyramid falling down.

Twelve years later the runaway would be King Tut, the most feared lightweight boxer in the world, conqueror in 34 seconds of future Hall of Famer Billy Petrolle, and referred to by newspaperman as “HRH” — His Royal Highness. Or, when they were feeling less whimsical, as the “Wonewoc Wasp.” (continue reading…)

By Pete Ehrmann

A native of Germany who boxed under an Irish name, Young Mahoney was famous a century ago as a fellow who could knock your block off and unblock your toilet. A natural middleweight, he brought down heavyweights — until he got into the ring with one named Jack Johnson.

Mahoney came to America as an infant with his mother, Anna Lorenz Mueller. She married William Hurtienne in 1884 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and her son took his surname. As for his ring reincarnation as Young Mahoney, his granddaughter, Nancy Hurtienne, recalls her mother saying it was to throw off his stepfather, who disapproved of boxing. (continue reading…)

A book review on Katherine Dunn’s book by Peter Ehrmann

 As a general rule, I would rather read about Joe Simonovich, Red Green, Vigo Doman or some other long-forgotten ancient pug than open a compilation of pieces about modern-day boxing. And while I believe in and affirm the equality of the sexes, I still cannot bring myself to watch women’s boxing. So the last thing I expected was to be blown away by “One Ring Circus: Dispatches From the World of Boxing,” a collection of newspaper, magazine and CBZ pieces from the last 25 years by Katherine Dunn, published by Schaffner Press.

But in a bigger upset than Douglas over Tyson that’s what happened, Ms. Dunn’s collection is already my candidate for boxing book of the year. (continue reading…)

A look back at middleweight legend Stanley Ketchel vs. Billy Papke 
By Pete Ehrmann

A hundred and one years ago Thursday, one of the most legendary champions in boxing history defended his title in the Beer Capital of America, and then celebrated by washing his feet in $2,700 worth of wine.

In 1908 that was more money than the average wage-slave earned in an entire year. But the only thing Stanley Ketchel was a slave to was his appetite for mayhem in the ring and for doing whatever the hell he felt like out of it. (continue reading…)