He was born in 1886 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Tomasz and Julia (née Olbinska) Kiecal, whose family immigrated from the village of Sulmierzyce in Piotrków Governorate, in modern-day central Poland.

Soon enough sixteen-year-old Stanley was performing in backroom boxing matches with older locals for twenty dollars a week.

He lost once more to Thompson in their rematch and then controversially drew with him in their rubber match, in a bout that many people thought Ketchel had won.

There, he won three fights that year, and drew one in Marysville against the man many considered the World Middleweight Champion, Joe Thomas.

When the final bell rang at the end of the 10th round, O'Brien was lying unconscious on the mat, his head in a resin box in his corner.

Ketchel again won in a tumultuous slugfest to defend his championship and end their series of fights with a record of 3-1 in their four encounters.

This (fourth) fight took place in the outdoor Mission Street Arena in Colma, California, during a terrible thunderstorm, yet neither fighter relented in his pursuit of victory until Stanley took the 20-round decision.

It was a hard-pressed fight by both men, each displaying terrific hitting power for all six rounds of the short bout.

[6] Ketchel and Johnson were rumored to have been friends and to have gone gambling, as well as hit the brothels, together; they shared a love for women.

Because Ketchel was shorter than Johnson, he wore long coats to conceal the platform shoes he had worn to make him look taller at a publicity event.

[7] Ketchel did not wake up for many minutes and some of his teeth were knocked out by the blow, with a few remaining embedded in Johnson's glove.

[8] The following year, 1910, Ketchel fought six times (including one exhibition), but his fast living had worn him down.

Walter Dipley and Goldie Smith were not married, and in fact, had just met each other a month before Dickerson had hired them.

The following morning, Smith seated Ketchel at the breakfast table with his back to the door and Dipley, armed with a .22 caliber rifle, came up behind him and shouted, "Get your hands up!"

Her story fell apart and she admitted her complicity in the robbery, but stated she did not know Dipley was going to kill the reigning champion.

Upon being informed of Ketchel's death, his manager Wilson Mizner reportedly said, "Tell them to start counting ten over him.

"[9] Both Walter Dipley and Goldie Smith were convicted of murder and robbery at a jury trial in January 1911, and were given life sentences.

The Ring in 2004 ranked Ketchel as the eighth-greatest middleweight of all time, behind Harry Greb, Sugar Ray Robinson, Carlos Monzon, Marvin Hagler, Jake LaMotta, Charley Burley, and Tiger Flowers.