Rube Ferns also known as The Kansas Rube, birth name James Ferns, was a boxer who held the Welterweight

Welterweight

Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...

 Champion Of the World title during his career. Ferns was a tough Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

man with a "Missouri Show Me" attitude; He was formidable and scrappy with a good punch. He defeated such men as "Mysterious" Billy Smith, Eddie Connolly, Bobby Dobbs, William "Matty" Matthews, Frank Erne, Owen Zeigler, "Scaldy" Bill Quinn, Harry Pigeon, Frank "Dutch" Neal, Paddy Purtell and Shorty Ahearn

Record courtesy of
Tracy Callis, Historian,
International Boxing Research Organization
Welterweight Champion

HEIGHT : 5-8 1/2 WEIGHT : 140-146 3/4 lbs

RACE: White
1896
Jack Dougherty KO 2
Tom Mackey KO 16
Harry Pigeon KO 19
Fred Ross KO 13
Bill Mayhan KO 6
Cass Whitman KO 3

1897
"Scaldy" Bill Quinn Chicago, Il W 6
Kid Gardner Chicago, Il D 6
Walter Montgomery W 10
Billy Mayhan KO 6
Louis de Montje KO 8
Hugh McManus KO 13

1898
Mar 15 Billy Emerson KO 10
Apr 1 Frank "Dutch" Neal Galena, Ks KO 6
Jun 8 Frank "Dutch" Neal Galena, Ks KO 7
Jul 12 George Fitzgerald KO 2
Oct 6 Ben Smith W 12
Nov 9 Paddy Purtell Galena, Ks LK 3
Nov 19 Paddy Purtell KO 5
Dec 11 Walter Montgomery KO 9
Dec 23 Spot Robinson KO 2

1899
Feb 7 Charles McKeever Chicago, Il L 6
Feb 9 Shorty Ahearn Chicago, Il W 6
Apr 5 Otto Minke Philadelphia, Pa KO 6
May 27 Shorty Ahearn Chicago, Il W 6
Jun 22 Shorty Ahearn Chicago, Il KO 6
Jul 18 Bert Young Hartford, Ct LT 9
Sep 21 "Philadelphia" Jack O'Brien Buffalo, NY
-This bout was scheduled but cancelled;
O'Brien sustained an injury in training
Sep 29 Bobby Dobbs Buffalo, NY W 20
Nov 30 Sammy Callaghan Buffalo, NY KO 1
Dec 28 Walter Burgo Fort Erie, Ont, Can KO 2

1900
Jan 15 "Mysterious" Billy Smith Buffalo, NY WF 21
-Smith knocked Ferns down fifteen times before
fouling him
Feb 22 Mike Donovan Buffalo, NY W 20
Mar 20 Jack Hanley Fort Erie, Ont, Can KO 6
May 24 Jack Bennett Toronto, Ont, Can KO 1
Jul 19 Joe Reptie Buffalo, NY TK 2
Jul 19 Otto Knopp Buffalo, NY KO 4
-The previous 2 bouts were held the same date
Aug 13 Eddie Connolly Buffalo, NY TK 15
-Welterweight Championship of the World
Sep 1 William "Matty" Matthews Detroit, Mi W 15
-Welterweight Championship of the World
Oct 16 William "Matty" Matthews Detroit, Mi L 15
-Welterweight Championship of the World

1901

May 24 William "Matty" Matthews Toronto, Ont, Can KO 10
-Welterweight Championship of the World
Sep 23 Frank Erne Fort Erie, Ont, Can KO 9
-Welterweight Championship of the World
Nov 28 Charley Thurston Detroit, Mi W 15
Dec 18 Joe Walcott Fort Erie, Ont, Can LT 5
-Welterweight Championship of the World

1902

Jan 3 Jack Bennett Philadelphia, Pa KO 2
Jan 27 Tim Murphy Chicago, Il W 6
Feb 25 Tom Tracey Portland, Or L 20
Mar 21 Al Neil San Francisco, Ca LK 12
May 29 Owen Zeigler Joplin, Mo KO 3
Nov 27 Hugo Kelly Kansas City, Ks L 10
Dec 22 William "Matty" Matthews Pittsburgh, Pa L 10

1903

Apr 27 William "Matty" Matthews Fort Erie, Ont, Can TK 19
-Matthews tumbled out of the ring
May 28 Martin Duffy Louisville, Ky LK 13
Dec 19 Dick O'Brien Parsons, Ks D 10

1904

Feb 26 Martin Duffy Hot Springs, Ar L 20
Mar 31 Eugene Bezenah Weir City, Ks D 20

1905

Sep Jack Dunleavy Kansas City, Mo D 17
Sep 24 Billy Rhodes Kansas City, Mo LT 13

1906

Feb 12 Gus Gardner Buffalo, NY D 15
Feb 22 Bobby Delaney Grand Rapids, Mi KO 4
Mar 16 William "Matty" Matthews Buffalo, NY TK 9
Mar 17 Mike Donovan Pittsburgh, Pa W 6
Mar 21 Charlie Sieger Buffalo, NY D 15
Apr 18 Charles Hitte Albany, NY LF 7
May 15 Charlie Conkle Niagara Falls, NY WF 3
Jun 1 Art Mason Buffalo, NY ND 15
Jun 20 Charlie Sieger Lockport, NY D 20