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1911 LW Title Bouts

WBA Title Bouts

Jem Driscoll CH (39-6) vs Young Erne #6 (33-13-3)

Driscoll defends against USBA champ Erne, who he defeated in 1907. It's Erne's second WBA title shot, the last one coming back in 1903 when he lost to Gans.

Round 1 sees Driscoll cut in a bad spot just above the right eye. and there is hope for the underdog challenger in this one. Erne targets the cut, but he has trouble penetrating Peerless Jim's defenses. In round 4, the champ decides to mix it up on the inside and catches Erne with a good uppercut to win the round decisively. Round 5 sees both men on the outside, and a slight edge to Driscoll. In round 6, though, Erne reopens the cut on Driscoll's eye, and this time the bleeding causes the bout to be stopped. Young Erne by TKO 6 (cuts).

Young Erne CH (34-13-3) vs Lockport Jimmy Duffy #5 (18-0)

First meeting of the two -- some think the unbeaten youngster, Duffy, may be in over his head without any prior experience fighting for the lesser belts, but strong recent wins over Harlem Tommy Murphy and Young Donahue have led to this opportunity.

Not much action until round 3, when Duffy surprises the Champ with a strong combination but his corner must deal with a badly swollen left eye. Young Erne rebounds with a strong round 4, but Duffy moves adroitly to the outside to take round 5. Duffy keeps it close by moving inside to take round 7, and early in the 8th there is noticeable swelling below the left eye of the Champ. Duffy sustains a bloody nose in the action in round 9, and both men are visibly tired in round 10. The final rounds see Erne targeting Duffy's nose and swollen eye, and the strategy works, as Erne wins on a late round stoppage. Young Erne by TKO 14 (cuts).

Young Erne CH (35-13-3) vs Jack Blackburn #1 (41-5-1)

Young Erne puts it on the line against ex-Champ Blackburn, who holds the NABF belt and a 2-0 lifetime edge in prior bouts. Blackburn is also on an 8-bout win streak, and it's been two years since his last defeat.

Opening rounds are fairly even. In rounds 5-7, Young Erne tries to force the issue on the inside while Blackburn is content to stay at long range. Blackburn takes charge with a strong round 7 and follows up in the 8th. Young Erne, who is becoming fatigued, rallies with a strong 10th round. Blackburn retreats into a defensive shell in the later rounds and holds on to win a UD 15 win. Scorecards are 145-140, 144-143, 144-141 and Jack Blackburn regains the WBA Title.

NABF: Jack Blackburn starts the year as NABF champ and defends against Jewey Cooke in what will become Cooke's last bout at Prime career stage. Blackburn gradually gains the upper hand after a good start by Cooke, who tires in the later rounds. UD 12 win for Blackburn who establishes a 3-2 career mark versus Cooke. Next up for Jack is Canadian Fighting D*ck Hyland, and as in their four previous meetings, Blackburn dominates once again, another lopsided UD 12 win. Then Blackburn vacates the belt after regaining the WBA Title, and Lockport Jimmy Duffy meets Willie Ritchie for the vacant crown. Both of Ritchie's eyes are swollen after four rounds of being on the receiving end of Duffy's blows, then Duffy sustains a cut above the right eye in round 5. But what decides the bout is a severe hand injury to Ritchie and Duffy wins by TKO in the 10ths.

USBA: Young Erne defends the belt versus William Kid Parker, putting on a great boxing exhibition that leads to a unanimous verdict. Erne vacates the belt after winning the WBA title, and Charley White meets Ad Wolgast for the belt. Wolgast suffers an early cut that eventually results in a late stoppage and White annexes the crown via TKO 11. White defends against veteran Kid Black, who surprised White with some strong shots early in the fight. Kid Black makes the most of his opportunity, surviving a bloody nose to pound out a UD 12 win (117-112, 117-112, 116-114).

CBU: Fighting D*ck Hyland starts the year as CBU champ, but he faces Freddie Welsh who looks to add to his collection (Welsh comes into the bout with both the GBU and EBU belts). The Welsh Wizard dominates, battering the Canadian around the right eye, is cut and also which swells up -- the ref makes a good call to stop it in the 10th -- TKO win for Welsh. Freddie defends versus ex-WBA champ Driscoll late in the year, and finds Peerless Jem too tough to handle, as Welsh is cut early and cannot mount a comeback. Driscoll takes the belt by UD 12 (118-111, 117-113, 117-112).

GBU: Welsh remains the Title holder, but did not put the belt up for grabs in 1911 as he was too busy pursuing the CBU and EBU belts to add to his collection.

EBU: Battling Nelson took on Welsh for the latter's EBU title early in the year. Good action in the early rounds, but Nelson sustains a bloody nose despite landing more blows. Even though the Dane led on all three cards, the bleeding intensifies and Welsh wins via TKO in the 8th. Nelson gets a rematch later in the year, and this time Welsh dominates the early action, piling up a huge points lead that proves too much for the Dane to overcome. A lopsided win for Welsh by UD 12.