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Joe Simonich - Warhorse from Montana
By Gordon Pouliot
Willie Ritchie, Mickey _ Walker, Tommy Freeman, Joe Dundee, Pete Latzo, Sergeant Sammy Baker, K.O.
Phil Kaplan, Pinkey Mitchell, Dave Shade, Joe Simonich. Wait a minute! Joe Simonich? Who is he and what
is he doing in that list?
That's the question practically everyone who reads this will automatically ask. But Joe Simonich, the Butte
Assassin, earned the right to stand in that distinguished fistic gathering the hard way—he fought them all
and beat his share of them! Yet his name is probably unknown to even the most knowledgeable boxing
historians. This is the story of Joe's career as related by himself. It is fitting that the story be told while Joe
is still around to take a bow. At age 85, he is one of the oldest of the top fighters still among the living.
Joe was born to pioneer parents on a homestead near Butte, Montana in 1895. His early history is
remarkably similar to that of Jack Dempsey—born the same year and into the same frontier conditions of
hard work commencing at childhood. Joe had no connection with boxing at all as a youth, though only a few
miles away, the great Stanley Ketchel was blazing his way to fistic fame in the tough mining town of Butte.
Had the United States not entered World War One, Simonich would have remained a stranger to the fistic
world. But, in 1917, he entered the Army and soon after, he donned the gloves for the first time in one of
the three all-Army tournaments he won in 1917 and 1918. Joe served in the 91 st division.
Despite his late start in boxing, his natural ability made him a standout in a very short time and Joe turned
pro in 1918 and never boxed a preliminary fight. After discharge from the Army, Joe ran off a string of wins
and by 1919, he was back in Montana and defeating nationally known opponents in Butte rings. Like
Ketchel, Simonich was a hard puncher, always aggressive, and as tough and game as a grizzly. His fights
were always miniature wars that kept the crowds on their feet most of the time. His 12-round win over
Johnny Tillman and a four-round KO of Tillie "Kid" Herman were sensational fightsl Simonich and Tillman
were both on the floor-for nine counts in the first round!
In 1920 and 1921, Simonich fought mainly in the west and came out all even in a three-bout series with
Dave Shade, perennial title contender. Joe beat Shade and drew with him in Seattle, then dropped a
decision in Los Angeles, one which was deemed a "stinker" even by the home town paper. The Los
Angeles Times said Simonich easily won the fight by a wide margin. Joe also won a Around decision over
the very good Morrie Schlaifer in Schlaifer's home town of Omaha. Said the Morning Bee, "Our fighting
fool, Morrie Schlaifer, took a 10-round mauling last night from Joe Simonich, the Butte Assassin. Simonich
did something that had not been seen before—putting Morrie on the floor twice for a count." This was the
first of a four-bout series between Simonich and Schlaifer. All of them were' thrillers, especially the third
fight, again in Omaha, which saw Simonich down twice in the third round and again in the fourth and' then
roaring back to floor Schlaifer in the fourth and twice more in the sixth. The Omaha Daily News reported
that Schlaifer won a thin decision that should have been a draw. In another series of fights against the
competent Roy Conley, Joe won two decisions and scored a knockout.
In 1923, Joe fought a 10-round no decision match with Pinkey Mitchell, jr. welterweight champion of the
world, in Mitchell's home town of Milwaukee. The following year, he drew with Mitchell in 10 rounds in
Portland. According to the Portland Times, "Joe Simonich, the Butte Assassin, again showed the Portland
fans that he is the best puncher in the welterweight class when he easiIy beat Pinkey Mitchell here last
night only to have the referee call it a draw. He stopped our tough welter, -Joe Dunn, in four rounds here a
few weeks ago."
When Bermondsey Billy Wells, British welterweight champion, campaigned in this country, Simonich fought
him to a standstill in a 10-round no-decision bout in Milwaukee, then scored a number of knockouts and
wins over lesser opponents. Joe was now a recognized contender for the 147-pound title and the caliber of
his opponents became better with each fight. Joe defeated Sergeant Sammy Baker in 10 rounds and won'
a 12-rounder from Al Webster, a top-ranked middleweight who was also a Montana product. The following
year, Webster beat Joe in 15 rounds and they then drew in 12 to end up all even.
Out in California, Willie Ritchie, the former great lightweight champion, was in the midst of a comeback and
his manager thought Simonich would be the perfect opponent to boost Ritchie back into title contention.
Joe was expected to be too crude for the clever Ritchie and the match was made for August 20, 1924. As
the San Francisco paper reported it, "They can not come back. This was proved to Willie Ritchie last night
over in Oakland when Joe Simonich, the Butte Assassin, all but stopped him. Ritchie says that Simonich is
the roughest, toughest 'fighter he has ever met and Ritchie has met the best of them."
In 1926, manager J.R. Basco took the Montana toughie back east and opened the year with a fight against
welterweight champion Joe Dundee in Madison Square Garden. Dundee won the decision but Simonich
lost none of his reputation in the fight. It was a tough battle down to the last bell and the New York papers
praised the western battler. In quick succession, Simonich met Tommy Freeman, future welter champ,
twice, K.O. Phil Kaplan, Sgt. Sammy Baker again, and two hard fights against Sailor Friedman.
On November 1, Joe boxed the great Mickey Walker in Philadelphia. The 10,000 fans had hardly settled in
their seats when Walker was flat on his back and the referee reached nine before Mickey managed to drag
himself off the canvas, only the great courage and vast experience of Walker pulled him out of danger and
he went on to win a close decision. The papers called it the greatest fight ever seen in Philadelphia and the
Bulletin raved ' about the newcomer from Montana. It would seem difficult to top this performance but in his
last fight of the year, Joe met-Pete Latzo who had recently defeated Walker for the welterweight
championship of the world and Simonich won the fight on every reporter's scorecard though the official
verdict was "no decision." As could be expected, Simonich and his manager now began clamoring for a
chance at the title held by Latzo but the champion wanted no part of Joe. Philadelphia fans wanted another
look at the sensational westerner so in February 1927 Joe agreed to meet Lew Chester who was seven
inches taller than Joe and 12 pounds heavier. Simonich did not disappoint and he knocked Chester out in
nine rounds. Now Latzo agreed to fight Simonich again but insisted on an overweight match. Having no
choice, manager Basco took the fight which was held March 10, 1927 in Chicago. It was- a lop-sided win for
Simonich and he won eight rounds with the other two called even. Joe was forced to come in at 150 pounds
while Latzo weighed 149. According to the Chicago -Tribune, "The 5,000 who paid $18,000 to see the
show saw a champion given the worst beating any titleholder has received since boxing was legalized in the
state." The one sided beating he handed out to Latzo guaranteed that Pete would never get back into the
ring with Simonich with the title on the line.
This knowledge may lie taken a lot of the heart out of Joe, or etss his many grueling battles were now
taking their toll. At any rate, Joe began to slip after the second Latzo fight He was still meeting the very best
in the 147 and 160 pound division, and none of them had an easy time with him, but the wins over the top
notchers did not come any more. Tommy Freeman beat him again in Boston. Jack McVey and Jimmie
Jones won Grounders over Joe and Jimmie Finley beat him in 15. In 192B, he lost another hard fought non
title fight to champ Joe Dundee in Philadelphia and Sgt. Sammy Baker gained revenge when he beat Joe in
10 in San Francisco. Joe was still too much for the ordinary fighters and won as many as he lost. In 1929,
he lost again to Tommy Freeman who won the welterweight title the next year. This was Joe's last bout
against a top opponent. After a few more fights against mediocre opposition, Joe traveled to Ohio in 1930
and took a fight with an up and corraling young prospect named Alabama Kid. For six rounds, Joe stood up
under a methodical beating until the referee stopped the fight. That was the end of the line for Joe
Simonich.
With a wife and young family, Joe went back home to Montana and took up ranching in the area he had
grown up in. He had not made what could be called big money, but many of his purses were quite
respectable for that time and Joe had wisely salted a lot of it away. His best purses were $3,500 to $4,000
and most of his matches for several years earned him $1,500 to $3,000 each.
Joe will be 86-years-old in a few weeks and is in excellent health. For many years, he- lived in Butte where
he was known and liked by everyone, but, having been a widower for the past 11 years, he finally decided
to move into the Montana Soldier's Home at Columbia Falls. This fine institution provides Joe with private
quarters, fine food and much in the way of recreation. Joe's sons often visit and he never lacks for
company. His prized possession is a thick scrapbook filled with clippings of his fights. Many of the clippings
report on fights that are not to be found in record books, which were skimpy at best in those days. Through
these -clippings, it was found that Joe had made a tour to Australia and the Phillippines in 1921 and among
his bouts, was a 20 round draw with Australian champ Charley Ring.
By Gordon Pouliot
Willie Ritchie, Mickey _ Walker, Tommy Freeman, Joe Dundee, Pete Latzo, Sergeant Sammy Baker, K.O.
Phil Kaplan, Pinkey Mitchell, Dave Shade, Joe Simonich. Wait a minute! Joe Simonich? Who is he and what
is he doing in that list?
That's the question practically everyone who reads this will automatically ask. But Joe Simonich, the Butte
Assassin, earned the right to stand in that distinguished fistic gathering the hard way—he fought them all
and beat his share of them! Yet his name is probably unknown to even the most knowledgeable boxing
historians. This is the story of Joe's career as related by himself. It is fitting that the story be told while Joe
is still around to take a bow. At age 85, he is one of the oldest of the top fighters still among the living.
Joe was born to pioneer parents on a homestead near Butte, Montana in 1895. His early history is
remarkably similar to that of Jack Dempsey—born the same year and into the same frontier conditions of
hard work commencing at childhood. Joe had no connection with boxing at all as a youth, though only a few
miles away, the great Stanley Ketchel was blazing his way to fistic fame in the tough mining town of Butte.
Had the United States not entered World War One, Simonich would have remained a stranger to the fistic
world. But, in 1917, he entered the Army and soon after, he donned the gloves for the first time in one of
the three all-Army tournaments he won in 1917 and 1918. Joe served in the 91 st division.
Despite his late start in boxing, his natural ability made him a standout in a very short time and Joe turned
pro in 1918 and never boxed a preliminary fight. After discharge from the Army, Joe ran off a string of wins
and by 1919, he was back in Montana and defeating nationally known opponents in Butte rings. Like
Ketchel, Simonich was a hard puncher, always aggressive, and as tough and game as a grizzly. His fights
were always miniature wars that kept the crowds on their feet most of the time. His 12-round win over
Johnny Tillman and a four-round KO of Tillie "Kid" Herman were sensational fightsl Simonich and Tillman
were both on the floor-for nine counts in the first round!
In 1920 and 1921, Simonich fought mainly in the west and came out all even in a three-bout series with
Dave Shade, perennial title contender. Joe beat Shade and drew with him in Seattle, then dropped a
decision in Los Angeles, one which was deemed a "stinker" even by the home town paper. The Los
Angeles Times said Simonich easily won the fight by a wide margin. Joe also won a Around decision over
the very good Morrie Schlaifer in Schlaifer's home town of Omaha. Said the Morning Bee, "Our fighting
fool, Morrie Schlaifer, took a 10-round mauling last night from Joe Simonich, the Butte Assassin. Simonich
did something that had not been seen before—putting Morrie on the floor twice for a count." This was the
first of a four-bout series between Simonich and Schlaifer. All of them were' thrillers, especially the third
fight, again in Omaha, which saw Simonich down twice in the third round and again in the fourth and' then
roaring back to floor Schlaifer in the fourth and twice more in the sixth. The Omaha Daily News reported
that Schlaifer won a thin decision that should have been a draw. In another series of fights against the
competent Roy Conley, Joe won two decisions and scored a knockout.
In 1923, Joe fought a 10-round no decision match with Pinkey Mitchell, jr. welterweight champion of the
world, in Mitchell's home town of Milwaukee. The following year, he drew with Mitchell in 10 rounds in
Portland. According to the Portland Times, "Joe Simonich, the Butte Assassin, again showed the Portland
fans that he is the best puncher in the welterweight class when he easiIy beat Pinkey Mitchell here last
night only to have the referee call it a draw. He stopped our tough welter, -Joe Dunn, in four rounds here a
few weeks ago."
When Bermondsey Billy Wells, British welterweight champion, campaigned in this country, Simonich fought
him to a standstill in a 10-round no-decision bout in Milwaukee, then scored a number of knockouts and
wins over lesser opponents. Joe was now a recognized contender for the 147-pound title and the caliber of
his opponents became better with each fight. Joe defeated Sergeant Sammy Baker in 10 rounds and won'
a 12-rounder from Al Webster, a top-ranked middleweight who was also a Montana product. The following
year, Webster beat Joe in 15 rounds and they then drew in 12 to end up all even.
Out in California, Willie Ritchie, the former great lightweight champion, was in the midst of a comeback and
his manager thought Simonich would be the perfect opponent to boost Ritchie back into title contention.
Joe was expected to be too crude for the clever Ritchie and the match was made for August 20, 1924. As
the San Francisco paper reported it, "They can not come back. This was proved to Willie Ritchie last night
over in Oakland when Joe Simonich, the Butte Assassin, all but stopped him. Ritchie says that Simonich is
the roughest, toughest 'fighter he has ever met and Ritchie has met the best of them."
In 1926, manager J.R. Basco took the Montana toughie back east and opened the year with a fight against
welterweight champion Joe Dundee in Madison Square Garden. Dundee won the decision but Simonich
lost none of his reputation in the fight. It was a tough battle down to the last bell and the New York papers
praised the western battler. In quick succession, Simonich met Tommy Freeman, future welter champ,
twice, K.O. Phil Kaplan, Sgt. Sammy Baker again, and two hard fights against Sailor Friedman.
On November 1, Joe boxed the great Mickey Walker in Philadelphia. The 10,000 fans had hardly settled in
their seats when Walker was flat on his back and the referee reached nine before Mickey managed to drag
himself off the canvas, only the great courage and vast experience of Walker pulled him out of danger and
he went on to win a close decision. The papers called it the greatest fight ever seen in Philadelphia and the
Bulletin raved ' about the newcomer from Montana. It would seem difficult to top this performance but in his
last fight of the year, Joe met-Pete Latzo who had recently defeated Walker for the welterweight
championship of the world and Simonich won the fight on every reporter's scorecard though the official
verdict was "no decision." As could be expected, Simonich and his manager now began clamoring for a
chance at the title held by Latzo but the champion wanted no part of Joe. Philadelphia fans wanted another
look at the sensational westerner so in February 1927 Joe agreed to meet Lew Chester who was seven
inches taller than Joe and 12 pounds heavier. Simonich did not disappoint and he knocked Chester out in
nine rounds. Now Latzo agreed to fight Simonich again but insisted on an overweight match. Having no
choice, manager Basco took the fight which was held March 10, 1927 in Chicago. It was- a lop-sided win for
Simonich and he won eight rounds with the other two called even. Joe was forced to come in at 150 pounds
while Latzo weighed 149. According to the Chicago -Tribune, "The 5,000 who paid $18,000 to see the
show saw a champion given the worst beating any titleholder has received since boxing was legalized in the
state." The one sided beating he handed out to Latzo guaranteed that Pete would never get back into the
ring with Simonich with the title on the line.
This knowledge may lie taken a lot of the heart out of Joe, or etss his many grueling battles were now
taking their toll. At any rate, Joe began to slip after the second Latzo fight He was still meeting the very best
in the 147 and 160 pound division, and none of them had an easy time with him, but the wins over the top
notchers did not come any more. Tommy Freeman beat him again in Boston. Jack McVey and Jimmie
Jones won Grounders over Joe and Jimmie Finley beat him in 15. In 192B, he lost another hard fought non
title fight to champ Joe Dundee in Philadelphia and Sgt. Sammy Baker gained revenge when he beat Joe in
10 in San Francisco. Joe was still too much for the ordinary fighters and won as many as he lost. In 1929,
he lost again to Tommy Freeman who won the welterweight title the next year. This was Joe's last bout
against a top opponent. After a few more fights against mediocre opposition, Joe traveled to Ohio in 1930
and took a fight with an up and corraling young prospect named Alabama Kid. For six rounds, Joe stood up
under a methodical beating until the referee stopped the fight. That was the end of the line for Joe
Simonich.
With a wife and young family, Joe went back home to Montana and took up ranching in the area he had
grown up in. He had not made what could be called big money, but many of his purses were quite
respectable for that time and Joe had wisely salted a lot of it away. His best purses were $3,500 to $4,000
and most of his matches for several years earned him $1,500 to $3,000 each.
Joe will be 86-years-old in a few weeks and is in excellent health. For many years, he- lived in Butte where
he was known and liked by everyone, but, having been a widower for the past 11 years, he finally decided
to move into the Montana Soldier's Home at Columbia Falls. This fine institution provides Joe with private
quarters, fine food and much in the way of recreation. Joe's sons often visit and he never lacks for
company. His prized possession is a thick scrapbook filled with clippings of his fights. Many of the clippings
report on fights that are not to be found in record books, which were skimpy at best in those days. Through
these -clippings, it was found that Joe had made a tour to Australia and the Phillippines in 1921 and among
his bouts, was a 20 round draw with Australian champ Charley Ring.
