Welterweight · United States
Rube Ferns 45-18-11 32 KO · 1896–1910
Photo: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Updated Oct 12, 2026 · Sources: Wikidata, English Wikipedia
Rube Ferns was a welterweight boxer from United States, born Oct 30, 1873. Record 45-18-11 with 32 knockouts over 1896–1910. Rube Ferns last fought Wildcat Ferns on Apr 5, 1910 and lost by TKO in round 4 of 15.
Also: ジム・ファーンズ · James Ferns · James Rube Ferns
Born Oct 30, 1873
Died Jun 11, 1952
Country 🇺🇸 United States
Stance Orthodox
Nickname The Kansas Rube
Debut Jun 29, 1896
Career 1896–1910
Rounds boxed 643
KO share 71%
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Titles World white welterweight title claim 1903
Confirmed bouts 3 of 74
Career record Record
45-18-11, 32 KOs · 1896–1910
Last result L
Wildcat Ferns
TKO 4/15 · Auditorium, Oklahoma City, 🇺🇸
The record 74 bouts, 1896–1910, newest first. Records under each bout are both boxers going in.
L
Wildcat Ferns
TKO 4/15 · Auditorium, Oklahoma City, 🇺🇸
Ferns 45-17-11 · Ferns —
L
Kid Farmer
TKO 5/10 · Springfield, Illinois, 🇺🇸
Ferns 45-16-11 · Farmer —
D
John Dukelow
PTS 10/10 · Rochester, New York, 🇺🇸
Ferns 45-16-10 · Dukelow —
D
Charley Sieger
PTS 20/20 · Lock City A.C., Lockport, 🇺🇸
Ferns 45-16-9 · Sieger —
W
Art Mason
PTS 15/15 · Ortner's Hall, Buffalo, 🇺🇸
Ferns 44-16-9 · Mason —
W
Charlie Conkle
DQ 3/10 · Lyceum Theater, Niagara Falls, 🇺🇸
Ferns 43-16-9 · Conkle —
L
Charley Hitte
DQ 7/20 · Albany, New York, 🇺🇸
Ferns 43-15-9 · Hitte —
D
Charley Sieger
PTS 15/15 · Miller's Hall, Buffalo, 🇺🇸
Ferns 43-15-8 · Sieger —
D
Mike Donovan
6 · 18th Regiment Armory, Pittsburgh, 🇺🇸
Ferns 43-15-7 · Donovan —
W
KO 9/15 · International A.C., Buffalo, 🇺🇸
Ferns 42-15-7 · Matthews —
W
Billy Delaney
KO 4/15 · Godfroy's Pavilion, Reed's Lake, 🇺🇸
Ferns 41-15-7 · Delaney —
W
Gus Gardner
15 · International A.C., Buffalo, 🇺🇸
Ferns 40-15-7 · Gardner —
L
Billy Rhodes
TKO 3/20 · Island Park, Kansas City, 🇺🇸
Ferns 40-14-7 · Rhodes —
D
Jack Dunleavy
PTS 17/17 · Island Park, Kansas City, 🇺🇸
Ferns 40-14-6 · Dunleavy —
W
Eugene Bezenah
20 · Weir, Kansas, 🇺🇸
Ferns 39-14-6 · Bezenah —
L
Martin Duffy
PTS 20/20 · Whittington Park, Hot Springs, 🇺🇸
Ferns 39-13-6 · Duffy —
D
Dick O'Brien
PTS 10/10 · Edwards Theater, Parsons, 🇺🇸
Ferns 39-13-5 · O'Brien —
L
Martin Duffy
Lost world white welterweight title claim KO 13/20 · Music Hall, Louisville, 🇺🇸
Ferns 39-12-5 · Duffy —
W
Won world white welterweight title claim TKO 19/20 · International A.C., Fort Erie, 🇨🇦
Ferns 38-12-5 · Matthews —
L
For vacant world white welterweight title claim PTS 10/10 · Kenyon's Hall, Allegheny, 🇺🇸
Ferns 38-11-5 · Matthews —
Show all 74 bouts L
PTS 10/10 · Delaware Club, Kansas City, 🇺🇸
Ferns 38-10-5 · Micheli —
W
Billy Emerson
PTS 10/10 · Eureka Springs, Arkansas, 🇺🇸
Ferns 37-10-5 · Emerson —
W
Owen Ziegler
KO 3/20 · Joplin, Missouri, 🇺🇸
Ferns 36-10-5 · Ziegler —
L
Al Neill
KO 12/20 · Exposition Building, Portland, 🇺🇸
Ferns 36-9-5 · Neill —
L
Tom Tracey
PTS 20/20 · Exposition Building, Portland, 🇺🇸
Ferns 36-8-5 · Tracey —
W
Tim Draffin Murphy
PTS 6/6 · American A.C., Chicago, 🇺🇸
Ferns 35-8-5 · Murphy —
W
Jack Bennett
KO 2/6 · Industrial A.C., Philadelphia, 🇺🇸
Ferns 34-8-5 · Bennett —
L
For world welterweight title TKO 5/20 · International A.C., Fort Erie, 🇨🇦
Ferns 34-7-5 · Walcott 63-9-8
W
Charles Dutch Thurston
Retained world welterweight title PTS 15/15 · Light Guard Armory, Detroit, 🇺🇸
Ferns 33-7-5 · Thurston —
W
For world welterweight title KO 9/20 · International A.C., Fort Erie, 🇨🇦
Ferns 32-7-5 · Erne 26-3-16
W
Won world welterweight title KO 10/20 · Mutual Street Rink, Toronto, 🇨🇦
Ferns 31-7-5 · Matthews —
L
Lost world welterweight title PTS 15/15 · Light Guard Armory, Detroit, 🇺🇸
Ferns 31-6-5 · Matthews —
W
Retained world welterweight title PTS 15/15 · Light Guard Armory, Detroit, 🇺🇸
Ferns 30-6-5 · Matthews —
W
Won world welterweight title TKO 15/20 · Olympic A.C., Buffalo, 🇺🇸
Ferns 29-6-5 · Connolly —
W
Otto Knop
KO 4/10 · Ortner's Hall, Buffalo, 🇺🇸
Ferns 27-6-5 · Knop —
W
Joe Reptie
TKO 2/10 · Ortner's Hall, Buffalo, 🇺🇸
Ferns 27-6-5 · Reptie —
W
Jack Bennett
KO 1/20 · Mutual Street Rink, Toronto, 🇨🇦
Ferns 26-6-5 · Bennett —
W
Jack Hanley
KO 7/20 · Opera House, Weir, 🇺🇸
Ferns 25-6-5 · Hanley —
W
Retained world welterweight title claim PTS 20/20 · Hawthorne A.C., Buffalo, 🇺🇸
Ferns 24-6-5 · Donovan —
W
DQ 21/25 · Hawthorne A.C., Buffalo, 🇺🇸
Ferns 23-6-5 · Smith 34-15-21
W
Walter Burgo
KO 2/15 · Lake City A.C., Erie, 🇺🇸
Ferns 22-6-5 · Burgo —
W
Sammy Callahan
KO 1/20 · Hawthorne A.C., Buffalo, 🇺🇸
Ferns 21-6-5 · Callahan —
W
Bobby Dobbs
PTS 20/20 · Hawthorne A.C., Buffalo, 🇺🇸
Ferns 20-6-5 · Dobbs —
L
Bert Young
TKO 9/20 · Aylor's Hall, Webb City, 🇺🇸
Ferns 20-5-5 · Young —
W
Shorty Ahearn
KO 6 · Chicago, Illinois, 🇺🇸
Ferns 19-5-5 · Ahearn —
W
Shorty Ahearn
PTS 6/6 · Howard Theater, Chicago, 🇺🇸
Ferns 18-5-5 · Ahearn —
W
Otto Mauke
KO 7/30 · Scammon, Kansas, 🇺🇸
Ferns 17-5-5 · Mauke —
D
Shorty Ahearn
PTS 6/6 · Calhoun Madison AC, Chicago, 🇺🇸
Ferns 17-5-4 · Ahearn —
L
Charlie McKeever
PTS 6/6 · Tattersall's, Chicago, 🇺🇸
Ferns 17-4-4 · McKeever —
W
Spot Robinson
KO 2 · U.S.
Ferns 15-4-4 · Robinson —
W
Walter Montgomery
KO 9/15 · Chicopee, Kansas, 🇺🇸
Ferns 15-4-4 · Montgomery —
W
Paddy Purtell
KO 5/20 · Sapp's Opera House, Galena, 🇺🇸
Ferns 14-4-4 · Purtell —
D
Ben Smith
PTS 12/12 · Carnival AC, Kansas City, 🇺🇸
Ferns 14-4-3 · Smith —
W
George Fitzgerald
KO 3 · Sapp's Opera House, Galena, 🇺🇸
Ferns 13-4-3 · Fitzgerald —
W
Frank 'Dutch' Neal
KO 8/20 · Sapp's Opera House, Galena, 🇺🇸
Ferns 12-4-3 · Neal —
L
George Fitzgerald
KO 2 · Opera House, Weir, 🇺🇸
Ferns 12-3-3 · Fitzgerald —
W
Frank 'Dutch' Neal
KO 6 · Sapp's Opera House, Galena, 🇺🇸
Ferns 11-3-3 · Neal —
W
Billy Emerson
PTS 10/10 · Springfield, Missouri, 🇺🇸
Ferns 10-3-3 · Emerson —
W
Hugh McManus
KO 23/25 · Opera House, Weir, 🇺🇸
Ferns 9-3-3 · McManus —
D
Walter Montgomery
PTS 10/10 · Weir, Kansas, 🇺🇸
Ferns 9-3-2 · Montgomery —
L
Bobby Dobbs
PTS 8/8 · Charter Oak A.C., Hartford, 🇺🇸
Ferns 9-2-2 · Dobbs —
W
Lou DeMonge
KO 8/10 · Greenpoint S.C., Brooklyn, 🇺🇸
Ferns 8-2-2 · DeMonge —
L
Izzy Strauss
DQ 1/10 · Broadway A.C., Brooklyn, 🇺🇸
Ferns 8-1-2 · Strauss —
D
PTS 6/6 · Chicopee, Kansas, 🇺🇸
Ferns 8-1-1 · Gardner —
W
Bill Mahan
KO 6 · Opera House, Weir, 🇺🇸
Ferns 7-1-1 · Mahan —
D
Scaldy Bill Quinn
PTS 6/6 · Frontenac, Kansas, 🇺🇸
Ferns 7-1-0 · Quinn —
W
Bill Mahan
TKO 6/20 · Opera House, Weir, 🇺🇸
Ferns 6-1-0 · Mahan —
W
Caswell Whitman
TKO 3/10 · Opera House, Weir, 🇺🇸
Ferns 5-1-0 · Whitman —
L
Paddy Purtell
KO 3/10 · Galena, Kansas, 🇺🇸
Ferns 5-0-0 · Purtell —
W
Ed Doyle
TKO 13/20 · Opera House, Weir, 🇺🇸
Ferns 4-0-0 · Doyle —
W
Fred Ross
TKO 13 · Sapp's Opera House, Galena, 🇺🇸
Ferns 3-0-0 · Ross —
W
Harry Pigeon
KO 19 · Sapp's Opera House, Galena, 🇺🇸
Ferns 2-0-0 · Pigeon —
W
Jack Dougherty
KO 2 · Mineral City, Kansas, 🇺🇸
Ferns 1-0-0 · Dougherty —
W
Tom Mackey
TKO 10/25 · Opera House, Weir, 🇺🇸
Ferns 0-0-0 · Mackey —
Ratings now Not in any current ranking.
World titles No world title reigns recorded.
Facts
What is Rube Ferns's record? Rube Ferns's professional record is 45-18-11 with 32 knockouts.
Who did Rube Ferns fight last? Rube Ferns last fought Wildcat Ferns on Apr 5, 1910 and lost by TKO in round 4 of 15. Sources Boxerbook ID 19445 · permanent link boxerbook.com/id/19445 . Wikidata (CC0), English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), photo from Wikimedia Commons. Last fetched: 2026-10-12. Spot a mistake? Every bout page has a link to report it.
