No: 3
Date: 6/1/1972
Name: Ron (Bluffs Butcher) Stander
This is one Face that artist Jim Horan wanted to be sure to get right. He didn't want to annoy the honoree, Ron Stander, who was known as the "Bluffs Butcher." Stander is shown holding a meat cleaver in one hand and a life insurance policy in the other. Shortly after the unveiling, he fought Joe Frazier for the title of Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World at Omaha's Civic Auditorium. Stander lost in front of a sell-out crowd. The event was billed in part as a fund-raiser for sickle-cell anemia. At the time, Stander was ranked eighth in the world. He boxed for 12 years, three years as an amateur, before turning professional in 1967. In the drawing, the "Everstretch" trunks were a jab at his girth. His manager is whispering instructions in his ear. Frazier had visited the club in April for a press conference and discussed his title fight with Stander. In the drawing, Frazier is shown with a shopping list: "Smoked ham, Stander, Ali."