Lem Franklin vs. Dan Merritt

Dan Merritt 209 lbs beat Lem Franklin 200 lbs by KO at 2:00 in round 1 of 10

• Date: 1943-08-09
• Location: Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois, USA

"In the preliminaries, Lem Franklin, 200 pound Cleveland Negro, was floored in a surprising upset by Dan Merritt, 209 1/2, also a Cleveland Negro. Merritt, on the card as a substitute and a 20-1 shot to beat Franklin, was knocked down twice in the 1st round of a scheduled 10 round bout before he bounced back to land a wild right on Franklin's chin to win." -Associated Press

• This bout was fought on the undercard to the second Lee Savold v Lou Nova heavyweight bout.