1. Frank Erne was a Swiss-born American boxer widely credited with taking the World Featherweight Championship on November 27,1896, from George Dixon in New York City, as well as the World Lightweight Championship from George "Kid" Lavigne on July 3,1899, in Buffalo, New York.
Frank Erne was born on January 8,1875, in Dottingen, Switzerland, to a family of Swiss descent.
Frank Erne's father once kept a vineyard near Zurich when he was a child, and after gaining success as a boxer in America, Frank purchased one for his father in New York.
Not surprisingly, Frank Erne took wine with his meals for much of his life, including the period he reigned as a world feather and lightweight champion.
Frank Erne began to fight professionally by October 27,1892, when he defeated John Roy at the Buffalo Athletic Club in New York in a fourth-round knockout, showing that he was not a boxer who lacked punching ability when the opportunity arose.
Frank Erne had defeated Roy by TKO one month earlier in Buffalo.
Frank Erne first met World Featherweight Champion George Dixon in a ten-round draw on December 5,1895, at the Manhattan Athletic Club in New York City.
Frank Erne took the World Featherweight Title from Canadian born American Black boxer George Dixon on November 27,1896, at the Broadway Athletic Club in New York in a twenty-round points decision, though Dixon was reluctant to acknowledge his loss of the championship.
Already nearing the featherweight maximum after his loss of the title to George Dixon, Frank Erne began fighting in the lightweight division, meeting George "Kid" Lavigne for his first Lightweight Title bout on September 28,1898, in Brooklyn.
On July 16,1900, Frank Erne faced lightweight legend Terry McGovern in Madison Square Garden in New York.
Frank Erne had superior reach and height over McGovern, but according to most boxing writers, had not demonstrated the ability to consistently connect with the power of McGovern.
Frank Erne's ring generalship with his best opponents, was a slow, and deliberate strategy which took longer to end a fight.
Frank Erne is a point decision fighter more properly speaking and McGovern is a knockerout.
The article noted that Frank Erne had received this diagnosis from a Doctor who examined him, and that he considered cancelling his bout with Gans.
Frank Erne had defended the title against New York Jack O'Brien, a talented contender on December 4,1899.
Tellingly, in the O'Brien fight, Frank Erne had been down in both the third and ninth rounds.
On June 24,1902, Frank Erne defeated Jim Malone of London, England in the seventh round.
Frank Erne had no difficult defeating Malone, and some sources noted he had not trained extensively for the bout.
Frank Erne died on September 17,1954, in New York, living nearly to eighty.