Fight:141395
Kid Williams lost to Johnny Ertle by DQ in round 5 of 10
- Date: 1915-09-10
- Location: Auditorium, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
- Referee: George Barton
World Bantamweight Title
In the third round Williams smashed across a right that rocked the challenger. Again in the fifth Williams sent across another, which Referee Barton said was low. The referee immediately raised Ertle's hand, declaring him the winner on a foul. The Kid's backers let out a howl, charging that this was in direct violation of a state boxing code rule. Ertle then claimed that he won the Bantamweight World Title, but Williams continued to act as the title holder, asserting that--as he had not been beaten--the crown was still his.
Minnesota law prohibited the decisions to be rendered in boxing bouts, which could be interpreted that no winner or loser could be chosen by the referee and no draw decisions either. The State athletic commission reviewed the bout's result and declared that Williams was disqualified justly, but it didn't clarify whether that meant the victory was automatically awarded to Ertle or not. This led to disagreement between American experts as to whether Williams retained his world bantamweight championship, or Ertle became the new champion. Some experts believed that the law prohibiting any decisions included disqualifications and knockouts, that even if Williams had been knocked out, he'd still retain his title. Some believed that had Williams been knocked out, then Ertle would become the new champion, but the title couldn't change hands as the result of disqualification. Some argued that the bout was fought at 118 pounds, whereas the accepted weight limit for bantamweights was still 116 pounds, and this was yet another reason why Williams retained his title. But many still believed that Ertle had become the new world bantamweight champion, whether there was an official decision or not.
Experts who continued to consider Williams the champion included: Sam P. Hall of Chicago Examiner, Thomas S. Andrews of Milwaukee Leader, Otto C. Floto of Denver Post, Jack Ryder of Cincinnati Enquirer, Charles F. Mathison (writing as Cross Counter) of New York Press, Edward W. Smith of Chicago American, William H. Rocap of Philadelphia Public Ledger, Fred Wenck (the chairman of New York state athletic commission, using nom de plume Ringside) of New York Evening Mail.
Experts who argued that Ertle had become the new champion included: Matt Hinkel (president of American Boxing Association), Robert Edgren of New York Evening World, E.W. Dickerson of Grand Rapids Press, Abe Pollock of Denver Rocky Mountain News, Tom Terrell of Cleveland Plain Dealer, Henry Lund of St. Paul Pioneer-Press.