Frank Klaus by Rob Snell

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Oakland Tribune

8 June 1911

Frank Klaus Is Ambitious To Be

Middleweight Champ

With an eagerness for sightseeing that had not been entirely satisfied by the first long trip he had ever made away from-home, Frank Klaus spent the day yesterday in looking over San Francisco and Oakland. ,

Whenever the young man hitched up for a rest and with those whom he met for the first time, he made an instantaneous hit, for while anything but a talker or- bragger, he has an easy, self-assured manner, of explaining pugilistic matters that forbid the least suspicion that Frank Klaus is, not all that has been, said of him. The Eastern newspaper men have been proclaiming Klaus the champion middleweight of the world ever since the death of Stanley Ketchel, and have vowed and declared that the middle weight does not exist at this time who is capable of taking his measure.

The answer Klaus gave to an inquisitive fan yesterday when asked if he claimed the championship title, is a good line on the modest talk the young fellow gives up when pressed for answers.

"I am not claiming anything. Some of the writers in the East have been kind enough to say that I am the logical champion, but in so far as I am concerned I'd rather battle my way to the top, so that, the followers of boxing will not be able to say that I claimed anything not coming to me.. Both my manager and myself are not only very anxious that I should win the coming scrap with Sullivan, but we are also very hopeful that I'll make good with the fans here.

"I think Sullivan is a tough fellow, and I'm glad of this for it will give me a chance to show, what I can do and then, if we make good, we can stay right here on the Coast and meet the middleweights one after the other until such time as the championship claim has been settled in

the manner in which It should be — by battling for It."

KLAUS LEAVES GOOD IMPRESSION.

There is positively nothing about young Klaus that would cause anyone to fear him under any circumstances. He has a most pleasant smile, loves to joke and josh, and would rather talk automobile than any one other thing. Behind all this however, is that something that spells. determination. It sticks out all over him. The massive and aggressive jaw is an indication of great fight prowess and the general makeup of the fellow spells ability with the gloves.

During the past few years we have had the opportunity to meet many strange faces in the boxing game and many times, you will remember the scribes have said that this or that one looked more like a college boy than a fighter.

Well most of them proved that their looks did not belie them. In Klaus, however, we have a fellow who looks just what is claimed for him. He is not bruised and battered and he is lacking in display of brutality, but he looks every inch a fighter and just one glance at him will prove to most any man who has had anything to do with athletes, that Frank Klaus is not the sort of man to be denied That which he is after by a few setbacks.

He is the kind who will keep coming under any kind of hard going and the heart of the man who beats him will have to be a strong one.

BEGINS ACTIVE WORK TODAY.

This afternoon Klaus, will do his first work for. the Sullivan battle, which will be staged a week from tonight . The first work, will be a trip on the road for a little loosening up. Tomorrow .or the next day, Klaus will spar a few rounds with his sparring partner. Manager George Engel is delighted with the prospects offered here and will prepare, to stay on the coast if Klaus is successful.

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Oakland Tribune

10 June 1911

Klaus Does Light Work And Pleases Boxing Fans

Jimmy Carroll Does Not Box Up To Expectations; Baldwin Begins Work Tomorrow

Anxious that they should be in on the first information as to the abilities of Frank Klaus and Mattv Baldwin, quite a gathering of the boxing fans were on hand at Al White's place yesterday afternoon.

It had been announced that neither Klaus or Baldwin would do any boxing, but the fans took their chances on the men changing their minds and were rewarded by three, fast rounds between Klaus and Frank Madole, the latter being a lightweight brought to the coast by Klaus' manager, George Engle. Baldwin has said from the start that he would not box before Sunday afternoon and he has stuck to his first declaration

It has been said that Klaus made a hit with the fans from the moment that he landed here and that on every side the fans have been willing to be recorded as saying that in their opinion he would prove a busy ringman. If this be true, then he must have made a greater hit with those who looked him over yesterday.

From the very start of his work the middle-weight champion seemed to put every ounce of energy into his efforts. When he worked at the pulley weights he did so with a snap and dash that could hardly help impressing one with the idea that he is not only an exceptionally strong young fellow, but the manner in which he did the work was indicative of aggressiveness and speed.

When he punched the heavy bag that some of the boys complain about being slow and cumbersome, Klaus hooked and jabbed and uppercut it with all the vim of a man in a real fight. Many times he would miss the bag on purpose and would make a quick shift of the feet to hold his balance. The boxer no doubt practiced this trick with the expectation that he may miss Sullivan many times during the bout and if so he will not be caught off his balance.

KLAUS WILLING TO WADE IN,

In his boxing Klaus proved that he is anything but a boxer of the peck, peck, pock variety. He proved very conclusively that he is the sort always willing to take a few wallops for an equal chance to land a like number, or, in other words, Klaus is the sort of boxer who stands toe to toe with an opponent and swaps punches until one or the other either goes down for the count or breaks ground. Klaus is a rough, aggressive sort of millman whose style is sure to catch, on with the California fans.

Montana Dan Sullivan, who will oppose Klaus at the Piedmont pavilion on next Thursday night, was seen at the four round show at the Dreamland pavilion last evening and claimed great condition.

Dan really looked in excellent condition and seemed' very confident that he would take the middle-weight champion into camp. "I've seen Klaus in action twice In the east," said Sullivan, ''and seconded my brother Jack against him. This thing of spouting off a lot of steam about what a fellow is going .to do when he gets into the ring is not to my liking, and for that reason I'll not tell what I expect to do. I will say however that it is a cinch that I'll win and that Klaus will be a greatly surprised fellow when we start." Sullivan is working at Colma for the fracas and claims he will be in the best fix of all his bouts on the coast.

KLAUS AND SULLIVAN AGREE ON WEIGHT.

Last night Manager George Engel, acting for Klaus, and Baron Long for Dan Sullivan, met and after some argument agreed that the weight be fixed at 160 pounds at 3 o'clock In the afternoon, weigh-in at the Mecca cafe. It was at first expected that the match would be fought at catch weights, but upon his arrival here Engel insisted that some weight be set.

The manager for the champion argued that his man is a legitimate 154 pounder and that he was giving Sullivan a concession in allowing him to weigh 158 pounds. Baron Long argued that owing to the fact of his man believing that he was meeting the champion at catch weights that it would be unfair to him to order that he make 158 pounds on practically four days' notice after he had been trying to build up.

Both men stuck to their point and for a time it looked as if they would not agree. Finally, however, Long in a spirit of generous feeling said he wanted to be fair and for that reason he would have his man weigh in at 160 pounds at 3 O'clock. .

Engel smiled, shook the hand of the rival Manager and said that just so long as Sullivan weighed in at some definite figure he was satisfied. The Oakland wheelmen 'have already placed the tickets on sale at the various stands where they are purchasable for the monthly shows.

KIRKWOOD HAS SHADE-ON CARROLL

In the wind-up of the four-round show at the Dreamland pavilion last night Referee Eddie Hanlon called the George Kirkwood-Jimmy Carroll contest a draw after four rounds of fast and clever, if not exciting, boxing. The showing of Carroll was a disappointment to his friends, for he did not show half so well in the contest as he did in his daily boxing at White's training quarters. Jimmy, seemed to have a deal of respect for Kirkwood and during the first three rounds he hung on with the grip of a bulldog every time the men came to clinch.

At the end of the first three rounds Kirkwood had a very fair lead and looked all over the winner. He had been the aggressor and had. landed the harder punches as well as the greater number. In the last round Carroll put his teeth together and made a final spurt that won for him a draw. Kirkwood seems to blow up in the last round of most of his bouts, and the one of last night was no exception. Carroll had the better of the last round and when Hanlon raised the hands of both. boys the crowd shouted out its approval. Strictly speaking Kirkwood had the better of the bout, for he had three of the four rounds and had the affair been a strictly amateur affair, where decisions must be given, he would have been the one to get the verdict.

The finish of Carroll pleased the crowd, however, and the decision also seemed to please the majority. In the other bout Ike Cohen sprung a surprise by beating Sailor Bowers at every turn of the road. Jimmy Fox -was far too clever for Harry Dell and outpointed him in four rounds.

BALDWIN IS SOME HITTER.

Matty Baldwin proved in the little work done at Al White's place yesterday that he is not only a willing worker, but also some hitter. Matty did no boxing and his work was of the lightest variety, but in the punching of the bag It was easy to see by the snap to his punches that he

will prove a hitter. Baldwin will start his real training tomorrow, when he will box for the first time since coming to the coast. Matty likes it at White's place and in company with Frank Klaus the boxers are having much pleasure out of their training.

It is easy to have fun at the White camp, for no more congenial lot of boxers ever trained together than the lot at present holding White's down. Freddie Welsh has not yet decided as to where he will do his training, but owing to the fact that Ad Wolgast will be In San Francisco long prior to his bout. with Baldwin and the champion having a prior claim on the Seal Rock house it is almost certain that Welsh will not want to take up quarters at the same place.

Welsh expects to be the opponent of the winner of the Wolgast-Moran battle so he does not want to be in the same camp with the champion. Welsh will go to Millett's today and start working with Montana Dan Sullivan, and if he likes the place he will finish up his training there.

End