blows of Johnson. In the fifth, Burke was down three times. The Buffalo Evening News praised Burke for lasting six rounds with such a superior opponent and avoiding a loss by knockout, particularly in the sixth when Johnson worked hardest to achieve one. Burke's bout with the black heavyweight champion Johnson attracted more attention and probably had more press coverage than any of Burke's other matches. First bout with future world middleweight champion Billy Papke, 1908 On August 18, 1908, he lost to the great Billy Papke in a six round newspaper decision at the National Athletic Club in New York. Papke would wrest the world middleweight championship from Stanley Ketchell only three weeks later. According to the Decatur Daily Review, "Papke's lead at the end was too clear to make any decision necessary". On August 31, 1909 he lost to Jim Flynn of Boston, in twelve rounds of tough fighting at Boston's Armory Athletic Club. Burke received a warning from the referee for hitting on the breaks. The final rounds belonged to Flynn with Burke having to clinch often to protect himself. Three matches with world welterweight contender and European champion Willie Lewis, 1909-11 Burke fought the outstanding American welterweight contender Willie Lewis three times, though lost each bout in the opinion of most newspapers or by points or knockout. His first loss on August 13, 1909 ended in a third round knockout at the Fairmont Athletic Club in the Bronx. The first three rounds revealed each fighter down at least once, with both fighters down simultaneously in the third. In their second meeting on October 21, 1910, in New York, Burke lost in a ten round points decision. In their final meeting on March 9, 1911, Burke lost in a ten round newspaper decision of the New York Times to the skilled Lewis who was then boxing as a middleweight. The early part of the bout included a great deal of clinching and was fought at a slow pace. In the last five rounds, Lewis dominated but Burke managed to stay on his feet against his skilled opponent. Lewis's most telling punch was his stinging left to the head. A formidable opponent, Lewis contended three times for the World Welterweight Title in Europe from 1909-10, twice with the great Harry Lewis in Paris. On May 2, 1908, Lewis defeated Walter Stanton in Paris in a match billed as