Group hopes to bring Catch wrestling tournament to Humboldt

When Humboldt’s Frank Gotch was World Wrestling champion over 100 years ago, his legendary status put Humboldt on the map. Humboldt could again be back on the world map if a trio of Gotch enthusiasts have their way. Gotch author Mike Chapman of Newton visited Humboldt recently to lay groundwork on the possibility of bringing the World Catch Wrestling Championship tournament to Humboldt on July 3, 2016. Chapman was joined by Raul Ramirez of Los Angeles, labeled by Chapman as “America’s leading exponent of Catch Wrestling,” along with former Michigan State University wrestler Curran Jacobs, who competes worldwide in Catch Wrestling and is an aspiring movie actor with hopes of landing a role in a proposed movie about Gotch. Catch Wrestling, a form of wrestling similar to the style used in the Gotch era, is growing in popularity worldwide, but within new guidelines which make it attractive for audiences and wrestlers alike. The trio anticipate the tournament, a Sunday afternoon event at the high school gymnasium, would be a four-man bracket for each weight class, with four weight classes and a women’s division with one weight class.See full story in the Aug. 20 issue of the Humboldt Independent Newspaper. Subscribe for full print and/or digital access to the Independent by clicking the link above today.