Three of Boxing’s Most Unusual Endings!

By Ken Hissner - 11/13/2023 - Comments

On January 13, 1995 the 12-rounder for the vacant NABF light heavyweight title between former IBF champion Prince Charles Williams, 36-6-2, of Mansfield, OH, and Merqui ‘El Corombo’ Sosa, 24-4-1, of San Pedro, DR and Brooklyn, NY, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, was declared a technical draw after seven rounds when ring physician Frank Doggett, decided they had each taken too much punishment for them safely to continue. Williams was up on all scorecards by 69-64 twice and 69-63.

On June 30, 1995, in their rematch at the Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Sosa scored a tenth round knockout over Williams. Williams would fight once more, scoring a knockout, and retire. Two fights later, Sosa would be stopped by Roy Jones, Jr. in two rounds at Madison Square Garden, New York, in a non-title fight.

On September 28, 1959, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, welterweight Eddie Woods, 7-0-1, and Brooklyn, New York, Super Welterweight Al Milone, 12-11, were too severely cut to continue their fight after five rounds.

The original decision was a stoppage loss for both. It was later changed to a no-contest.

There was a double knockout in the (USA version) world lightweight title fight between champion Ad ‘Michigan Wildcat’ Wolgast, 66-8-10, and Mexican Joe Rivers, 15-2-3, in Los Angeles on July 4, 1912. Both were knocked down simultaneously in the thirteenth round, and with neither looking likely to beat the count, the referee picked up the champion and, holding him under the arm, continued counting out Rivers.

Wolgast then went on to have three non-title draws, then lost by DQ at 2:36 of the sixteenth round to Willie Richie, 22-7-12, of a scheduled twenty rounds.

In what could be considered 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, losing to middleweight champion Billy “The Illinois Thunderbolt” Papke, 38-11-8.

Bernard 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.

In Papke’s next fight, he lost by DQ in fifteen rounds to Frank Klause, 65-12-12, of a scheduled twenty rounds.

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