Distinctly Montana Magazine

w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m 75 RIDGE 1/4 FO R T W H OO P -U P Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada Foster, dominant in the 175-pound division (he once held the di- vision record for 14 successful title defenses), dispatched many top contenders. Before Foster died in 2015, Ring Magazine asked him who the pound-for-pound, all-time hardest puncher he had ever faced in the boxing ring was. He named Roger Rouse, "out of Montana." Foster went on, "But he didn't look it, he didn't have the build or nothing. He hit me on the chin in the first round, man, elec- tricity started from my head, went all the way through my body down to my feet, my feet was on fire, man…I went back to the corner I said, 'What the hell did that son of a bitch hit me with?' I thought he hit me with a brick…but I busted him up, and beat him in the fifth round, they stopped the fight." Outside of the ring, Rouse was described as "clean-cut" and "modest." He was one of a select group of fighters who had graduated from college. "Shucks" and "shoot" were the stron- gest expletives in Rouse's vocabulary. He was soft-spoken with a slow Midwestern burr. "A handsome lad, he looks more like a banker or lawyer than a boxer," said the July 1967 issue of Boxing Illustrated. Still, Rouse was no stranger to local bars and certainly not to trouble. The June before he was set to challenge Bob Foster for the light heavyweight championship, Roger and his younger brother Donald were involved in a fight that injured two officers in Butte. According to police, the Rouse brothers offered further resistance after being booked at the Butte City Jail. "Roger is an extremist," his trainer, Pete Jovanovich, told Ring Magazine. "Drink, fight, chase. As he once told me, 'If I wasn't the sonofabitch I am I wouldn't be a fighter.' If you tame him out of the ring, you tame him in." DEATH, LEGACY OF SMELTER CITY BOXER Once the number-one ranked light heavyweight around, the fall from grace after Rouse was K.O.'d by Dick Tiger was steep. After that fight, Rouse lost a lot in a relatively short period. After 66 career bouts and a string of nine consecutive losses span- ning South Africa and Germany, Roger Rouse hung up his box- ing gloves with a final tally of 39-23-4. He retired from boxing in 1972 and worked at the Anaconda Company Smelter until it closed in 1980. During this time, he also coached the Anaconda Police Athletic League Boxing team for several years. On Sunday, March 7, 1999, the former light heavyweight boxer from the shining mountains died of Alzheimer's at the age of 64 at his Helena residence. Not since the days of Joe Simonich and Dixie LaHood fighting in Butte in the 1920s, or Missoula featherweight Ritchie Fontaine in the 1930s, had Montana been so enthusiastic over the potential of a Montanan winning a world championship. Roger Rouse, the Smelter City's light heavyweight, almost did it. "He loved the people, the area, and the simple life," says Chris Eamon. "There is no telling how far he would have gone under big-time management in a boxing Mecca like New York or Las Vegas, but that wasn't his style. He was an easy-going guy that loved the small town and winning for hometown fans." 4181 Fallon St., Bozeman, MT • (406) 586-1737 111 E. Mendenhall St., Bozeman, MT • (406) 586-0077 ridgeathletic.com The Ridge Athletic Clubs are a safe and healthy place to build your: Immune System Strength Energy Motivation Positive Mindset Resilience to Stress Happiness Mental Alertness Friendship Circle Contact us today at (406) 586-1737 to find out about our great membership opportunities!

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