By Ken Hissner: I’m sure all of us boxing fans have experienced some unusual endings and some surprises come from behind endings.
On January 13, 1995, the twelve rounder for the vacant North American Boxing Federation light heavyweight title between former International Boxing Federation champion Prince Charles Williams, 36-6-3, of Mansfield, Ohio, and Merqui Sosa, 24-4-2, of the Dominican Republic and Brooklyn, New York in Atlantic City, New Jersey was declared a technical draw after seven rounds when the ringside doctor Frank B. Doggett, decided they had each had taken too much punishment for them safely to continue.
Williams would only fight once more after this fight before retiring.
On the only other similar occasion when Eddie Woods, 7-0-1, of Philadelphia, and Al Milone, 12-11, of Brooklyn, New York, were too severely cut to continue their fight at the Philadelphia Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1959, the result was recorded as a stoppage loss for both fighters.
There was a double knockout in the world lightweight title fight between champion Ad “Michigan Wildcat” Wolgast, 66-8-10, of Cadillac, Michigan, and Mexican “Indian” Joe Rivers, 15-1-2, of Vernon, California in Los Angeles, California on July 4, 1912.
Both were knocked down simultaneously in the thirteenth round, and neither looking likely to beat the count the referee picked up the champion and, holding him under the arm, continued counting out Rivers.
But the most peculiar ending ever to a championship fight was when challenger George Bernard, 27-12-14, of Paris, France fell asleep in his corner during the interval between the sixth and seventh rounds of his middleweight title fight with Billy “The Illinois Thunderbolt” Papke, 38-12-7, of Spring Valley, Illinois in Paris, France on December 4, 1912.
He could not be woken in time for the seventh round, and the ending was recorded as a retirement. He claimed he had been drugged and was probably right.
I once attended a fight In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where Philly’s Eric “Outlaw” Hunter knocked down his opponent and hit him while he was down.
Commissioner Rudy Battle, a former referee, held up the fight until he called the Boxing Director Greg Sirb who wasn’t there in order how to decide the outcome.