The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-01-08
Kid Lavigne Was Great
Fighter True, But Frank
Erne Whipped Him


Owing to the benefit given to Geo.
Lavigne in New York last month, the
Saginaw KID has again been Civ
en- many columns OF publicity. and
scores of sporting scribes, have indulg-
ed in "reminiscences of the day when
the little FFench-Canadian was in his
fighting prime. That the kid
now a bald-headed, specialized little
man-was the greatest lightweight
boxer in ring history is the opinion
expressed by many writers. and those
who saw him fight are likely to agree
But if LaYigne was the Napoleon of
the squared circle, it should also be
remembered that he had his Water
loo and his Wellington. The latter
was Swiss boy, Frank Erne by name,
and Buffalo,, Franks home city, was
the scene of LaYigne's Waterloo It
has been said that Napoleon's mind
was slow and sluggish, and that he
failed to display his usual ability at
Waterloo. The same might be said
of Kid Lavigne at Buffalo, Lavigne
had made too much money, and had
spent it in ways not conducive to
health and vigor and mental acuteness
to be at his best when he fought Erne
Frank Erne, the conQueror of La
vigne, was born forty-one years ago
to-day in Zurich, Switzerland. When
he was a boy his father enigrated to
A1ASI1C115 anu S0lI40d III bul1a4O, Wn0T0
young Frank was employed as a PIN
boy in a bowling alley, and afterward
commenced his boxing career
AS feath erweigat Erne defeated
George Siddons, knocked out Jack
Sicily, and fought draws with Young
he challenged Lavigne to fight for the
lightweight crown. The match was
made for twenty rounds and was stag
ed at Coney Island. In the first
round the Swiss boy landed a south
paw hook to Lavigne's jaw that
sent the latter down for the count of
nine. From that time on Erne seem
ing1y had the upper hand, but he fail
ed to follow up his many advantages
Kid Mccoy, who was in Ernes corner,
had a wholesome respect for the Sag1-
nav Kid; and he constantly caution
ed Erne to be careful. Franks too
great discretion cost him what would
otherwise have been a certain VIC
tory, for at the end of the twentieth
round the referee called it a draw.
Lavigne realized that Erne had his
number, but the Kid was game to the
last, and within a few months he con-
scented to fight Frank again. In the
meantime Erne had made trip to the
Pacific Coast and Knocked out Dial
Hawkins in hard battle, and had
also defeated George Elbows Nc
Fadden in New York.
The second bout for the champion
ship between Layigne and Erne was
pulled off in Buffalo, where Frank had
a big following. Lavigne trained hard
for the battle, realizing that he had
reached the crucial point in his career
The Saginaw Kid was in much better
shape than when he fought Erne at
Coney Island, but the bout quickly
developed that the Kid had lost much
of his old stamina, and that his ter
rfbIe wallop was lacking in its for
mer force. The bout was scheduled
for twenty rounds, and it went the
limit, but at every stage of the game
Erne had the best of it. Lavigne
tried his hardest, but there was
scarcely a round that could have been
called his, and Erne won by a, wide
margin.
Erne proved that he was supreme
in the lightweight division by defeat
ing Joe Cans. Then he pulled two
big "bones'' He weakened himself
terribly by making 128 pounds ringside
for Terry McGovern. and looked like
a corpse when he entered the ring,
after weeks of privatIon ana semi
starvation Erne then fought RUDE
Ferns, the welterweight, at Fort Erie.
He was defeated in both bouts, and
fell an easy victim to Joe Cans when
he met the colored boxer at Fort Erie
in 1902.