The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-12-11

the good reason he had beat thought he could repeat regal
 The dapper Erne, who has only some gray locks around his temples to belle his 58 years of existence, was in a reminiscent mood yester- day after he signed his protege lightweight, to Box Leonard Del Genio on next Friday nights. Tony Canzoneri-Cleto Locatelli card, at Madison Square Garden.
 Erne held both the feather and lightweight titles antedating the Leonards, Mandells, Singers. Cam zoneris, Chocolates, Dundees, Kill banes, Battalinos twenty-five years and more. He whipped the great Kid Lavigne, July 3, 1899, twenty rounds, for the lightweight crown. In 1896, at 122 pounds he claimed the feather laurels after gaining the duke" over the never-to-be- forgotten George Dixon.
 The Swiss, who helped to make fistic history in New York when you had to fight from the drop of the hat or else be chased out of the ring, thrilled the young man. agers and scrappers gathered in
 
 with his side of the Cans episode, and gave a fresh slant on the au- dacity he displayed making the Terry McGovern match.
 Real Work
 In those days the paramount issue was making weight. Ernie accepted McGovern's bluff that the poundage be 128 pounds ring side, and before articles were sign ed Erne, then the reigning mon- arch of the lightweight division, not only agreed to shave off five pounds or more from his natural weight, but made the additional and then sensational proviso he was to flatten Terrible" Terry i'm side of ten rounds, or be declared the loser.
 Not to alibf his three round kayo at the hands of Terry, Erne was only ghost of his fighting self when he faced the contender" in tire old Madison Square Garden ring in 1900. So cocky was Erne that he would blast McGovern, the up and coming devastating young gladiator, right out of the ring tha. he commissioned his manager, Bob Smith, now a successful race
 
 $2,000 he would bury Terrys nose in the resin dust in two heats. Both slipped the beam at the 126 notch.
 Right off the reel Erne crossed h right on Terry's chin that floored McG0vern as if he had been shot. Erno put everything he had in that wallop but Terry shook it off and came charging in for more. Another terrific round and then the weight began to tell on Erne and he was easy pr yefor McGov- ern's lethal punches.
 ''The knockout didn't discourage me-" recalled Erne, "but making the weight impaired my health, so much so that I was not myself again for whole year."
 Then Erne rehashed the Cans incident. "In the return match with Joe the weight was supposed to be 133 ringside," he declared. "Gans couldn't make it, the fight was off, so I allowed him to come in at 136. If I had insisted on 133 he'd been just like me against McGovern. After he knocked me out Cans was declared the new champ. I could have objected and all that, but let it go. You'll re- member Cans was driven into the fcon' making 133 for Nelson"
 Fitz the Best
 In his opinion the six greatest fighters are Cans, Mcovern, Dix on, Dal Hawkins, Jim Corbett and Fitz. '"rhe daddy of 'em all was Fitz," Erne said. "He was a box ing general and hitter considering his low weight. Corbett was an artist. Cans could call the round he'd knock anybody out in. Haw- kins' elbows annoyed everybody. Dixon was in a class by himself. Kid Chocolate couldn't hold can- dle to him. McGovern, please do not mention his name"
 "How about Joe Walcott?"
 Great fighter" conceded Erne. heavies, tall and bigger they came
 Could he lick Carnera?"
 Positively yes," Erne answered. p'It would be treat for the eye to see Camera come down in sec- tions after sampling some of Joe's body blows"
 Erne seldom goes to fights. The last one he saw was between Tom- my Loughran and Jimmy Slattery. s'It wa sa peach of boxing exhi- bition," Frank admitted. "If that fellow Slattery had behaved him. self he'd been a world beater. He had more to 1arn and if h'd at- tended to business he'd been an- other Corbett."
 Erne decries the fact that feint- ing is a lost art. "The lads to-day don't know what it is all about" he shook his head. Don't think I'm professional oldtimer but the boys years ago had it all over day the lightweights were men, big strapping fellows, not the sallow- faced kids of to-day. I haven't seen Canzy fight but they tell me he is the nearest approach to the old timers. He is clever, knows what it is all about, can punch and can take it.
 'T believe I have good prospect in this lad of mine, Paul Shurr. He is 21 years old and weighs 1855 pounds. He stands feet 10 inch es tall. He Is combination boxer hitter. I have been teaching him the fine points of the manly art over stretch of four months. He halls from Williamsport. Pa.
 'T don't believe in gym work outs. I like to work my boys in private. used to train behind closed doors. It's better, more sanitary. There is quiet and the tutor can bring out the best in his pupils"
 Able Teacher
 Erne schooled Mike Gibbons, the St Paul Phantom, and helped to bring Rocky. Kansas to the fore. He managed Louis de Ponthieu. the French gamester, who in the wrold war became a hero, and fin- ished up with the loss of the right arm.