Johnny Ertle
Johnny Ertle or Ertel was a Hungarian born American boxer. Nicknamed "Kewpie" and "Little Dynamo", he was a disputed bantamweight world boxing champion from 1915 until 1918, when he lost the title to Memphis Pal Moore. Trained and managed from 1913, when he was only sixteen, by Mike McNulty, Ertle's body punches were particularly devastating to his opponents, because of the extraordinary leverage he could apply using the extra space provided by his small stature. He was managed by Mike Collins in his later career.
Early life and career
John Michael Ertl was born on March 21, 1897, in Dunaföldvár, Austria-Hungary. His family of at least four children emigrated to America around 1910 when Ertle was around thirteen, and soon settled in St. Paul, Minnesota. Ertle's brother Mike also became a successful boxer. As a youth, Johnny worked shining shoes, and later bought himself a membership to the YMCA where he received his early boxing training. His manager, Mike McNulty claimed Ertle was herding cows to make extra money when he acquired him as a boxer in 1913.By one account, a key to Ertle's success were his powerful arms and broad 38" chest which comprised a reach that may have been as long as 65 inches, far longer than average for his 4' 11" height. His first pro fight came under the careful watch of his manager, Mike McNulty, on October 31, 1913, in a secret fight card in St. Paul, where he made his home. Since boxing was still illegal in Minnesota at the time, and Johnny was just 16, news of the bout had to be kept quiet. But the lightning fast style and vicious hooks Ertel scored on Joe LaScotte's ribs and jaw aroused public interest. He knocked out LaScotte in the 3rd round and picked up many more local fans, when he did the same to LaScotte in a fourth round rematch the following month. Dedicated to his family, he helped build a new $3000 St. Paul home for his parents in 1915, with the results of his substantial early career winnings.
Loss to Memphis Pal Moore, 1915
In a controversial, but important bout on April 6, 1915, Ertle lost to bantamweight great Memphis Pal Moore in Moore's hometown of Memphis in an eight-round newspaper decision. Moore, who enjoyed a six-inch advantage in height, would earn the King's Bantamweight Trophy three years later, and eventually remove any claim to the world bantamweight championship from Ertel in 1918. A few in the audience believed the hometown referee was partial to Moore. In a somewhat close bout, the Racine Journal-News gave Moore five rounds, with three to Ertle and two even. Moore used his advantage in reach and height to hold off Ertle with his left jab followed by right crosses. Ertle's rights and lefts repeatedly fell short due to his disadvantage in reach and Moore's illusiveness. Williams staggered Ertle several times in the fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds, likely turning the final decision in his favor.Wins over bantam champ Eddie Coulon
In a bout which announced Ertle's ascendancy as a top bantamweight contender, on May 4, 1915, Ertel fought a ten-round no-decision bout with 1911-14 world bantamweight champion Eddie Coulon, at the Elite Rink in Milwaukee. Impressively, several local papers considered the bout an easy win for the young Ertle, only eighteen at the time. Three months later, Ertel won another newspaper decision at the Auditorium in St. Paul against Coulon before an audience of 3,000. Coulon, one of Ertel's most accomplished opponents, fought several top rated bantamweight including hid childhood friend Pete Herman and Memphis Pal Moore.World Bantam champion, September 1915
With McNulty in his corner, Ertle took the bantamweight title from Kid Williams in a close bout on September 10, 1915, in St. Paul, Minnesota while still just 18 years of age. The first three rounds appeared even, but Williams clearly led in the fourth. At the end of the fourth, Williams was first warned for a low blow after throwing a vicious left uppercut to Ertel's stomach. Williams was disqualified in the middle of the 5th, immediately after throwing a right uppercut to Ertel's midsection that Ertel, the referee, and an examining doctor confirmed was a low blow. Ring side spectators differed as to whether the blow was actually low, though Williams had also been repeatedly warned against throwing elbows. Minnesota law allowed an official decision only in the event of knockouts and disqualifications, making the disqualification a valid reason to award Ertle the win. However, controversy began over whether a disqualification was enough to award Ertel the world bantamweight championship. While many other state commissions recognized Ertle's title, some states with different rules, particularly New York, did not. Williams's clear lead in the fourth round brought many Williams loyalists to the conclusion he had a better claim to the title, though Williams's manager Sam Harris, admitted that at least technically Ertel's win was sound. Harris later disputed that Ertel's win, however, entitled him to the bantamweight title and Williams continued to claim it as his own.One of Ertle's first defenses of his claim to the title came against Abe Friedman, who he defeated in a ten-round newspaper decision in Brooklyn, New York a month after his title win, on November 8, 1915.
In another early career victory, Ertle defeated Johnny Solzberg in a very close ten-round newspaper decision at the Clermont Avenue Rink in Brooklyn. To have lost the title, Ertle would have to have been knocked out by Solzberg. The bout was billed as a defense of his world bantamweight title, and the Pittsburgh Gazette Times wrote that Ertle's aggressiveness and speed won him the decision. The New York Tribune wrote that Solzberg landed the most blows, but that Ertle's were more powerful.
Ertel defended his claim to the title in December 1915, with knockouts against Young O'Leary and Young Freddie Diggins, though neither became well known contenders.
In what was billed as a defense of his world bantamweight title, Ertle defeated Jack Sayles in a ten-round newspaper decision. Ertle, who claimed he was ill the week before but felt better the day of the fight, won easily, but nearly half his blows were dodged or ducked by the clever and quick Sayles. In a convincing win, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle gave Ertle all but the third round.
On February 9, 1916, Ertel successfully defended his world bantamweight title against Italian boxer Terry Martin in a ten-round newspaper decision of the New York Times at the Clermont Skating Rink in Brooklyn. Ertle fought in his typical slam bang style, and landed so frequently on Martin in the first three rounds that it looked as if he would put an end to the bout, but Martin recovered and made it to the end with an improved defense. Ertle used a faster pace, led almost throughout, and scored heavily with left uppercuts to the jaw and right hand smashes under the heart. He held a significant advantage in the points scoring and Martin suffered badly near the closing bell despite a significant advantage in height and possibly reach.
Erle defeated Philadelphian Joe Tuber on Valentine's Day 1916, in a six-round newspaper decision at the Olympia Club in Tuber's home town. A formidable early opponent, Tuber would box the best bantamweights of his era. As was his custom, Ertle took the offense for all but a few exchanges in the first round, fighting Tuber all over the ring and leading with his strong signature left and right hooks to body and jaw. Tuber put up a good defense, backing away from several blows, blocking a few, and eluding a few that missed, but still receiving enough to be on the short end of the points scoring. In the one sided affair, Tuber was forced to cover up and clinch to last the full six rounds and avoid a knockout.
Before a crowd of 3000, Ertle drew with Al Shubert, a future New England Featherweight and Bantamweight contender, on February 22, 1916, in a twelve-round bout in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Shubert forced the fighting in the early rounds, but was unable to gain a significant margin in points in a close bout that featured no knockdowns and in which Ertel's claim to the title was as stake. In the later rounds, Ertle grew stronger, and scored lightly or held Shubert even often enough to justify a draw ruling. Ertle threw more punches at great speed as the fight progressed securing the draw decision.
Win over "Young Zulu Kid", 1916
On March 14, 1916, Ertle defeated future contender for both the American and world flyweight titles, Italian boxer Young Zulu Kid, in a ten-round newspaper decision at the Broadway Gym in Brooklyn. In the eighth, Ertel broke away and battered the Kid with blows to the jaw and body with almost no return, and in the ninth and tenth, he continued to build a strong lead in points scoring. In an atypical match, both boxers were only 4' 11" in height, though Ertel held a seven-pound weight advantage and likely a reach advantage as well, which he used to help secure his world bantamweight claim.On September 4, 1916, Ertle lost to Jewish boxer Benny Kaufman in a newspaper decision at the Olympia Club in Philadelphia. After a harsh right to the jaw in the first, Ertle went on the defensive for several rounds until the fourth when he went into a rally. In that round, Kaufman quickly recovered and continued to take the aggressive, winning the subsequent two rounds easily on points. Ertel did not display his characteristic energy in the bout after his harsh treatment in the first. One reporter gave Kaufman every round including the fourth.
Draw with Joe Lynch, 1916
Ertle drew with future world bantamweight champion Joe Lynch on October 10, 1916, in a close no decision bout in a ten-round newspaper decision at the Pioneer Club in Brooklyn. Ertel held a lead in the first two rounds, but Lynch rallied and by waging a two fisted attack came back on points scoring. Ertle went out into the lead again in the seventh with several successive blows, but Lynch came back to even the scoring. Despite a disadvantage in reach, with Lynch seven inches taller, Ertle performed well against the future champion.On November 27, 1916, Ertle fought another no-decision bout against Dick Loadman at the Lyric Theatre in Baltimore, losing in the opinion of many newspapers, but Ertel did not give up his claim to the title. Though there were no knockdowns in the bout, Loadman showered Ertle with blows against which his opponent could find no consistent defense. The bout was well fought and the first five rounds featured scientific sparring and footwork. Minneapolis's Morning Tribune could not give a single round to Ertle, and noted he was forced to cover through much of the fighting. Loadman would fight top talent in his career, but usually lose against past or future champions.
On February 16, 1917, Ertle defeated Pekin Kid Herman, of Pekin, Illinois, in a close ten-round newspaper decision at the Auditorium in Milwaukee. Several newspapers, however, considered the bout a draw, or a close win by Herman, who gained momentum in the last four rounds, rocking Ertle with lefts and rights in the seventh and eighth, though still taking punishment in both rounds. The Milwaukee Free Press gave the bout to Ertle for his slight lead in the first six rounds, and for briefly putting Herman to the canvas in the second with a right uppercut to the chin.
Before a crowd of 3,000, on July 31, 1917, Ertle defeated Irish bantamweight Roy Moore at St. Paul's Lexington Park in no-decision bout that most newspapers ruled a draw or a slight edge for Ertle. The bout was billed as a defense of Ertle's world bantamweight title. Moore performed well in the eighth, ninth, and tenth rounds, deserving a draw or having a slight edge in the opinion of Minneapolis's Morning Tribune. In the opinion of several newspapers, Ertle deserved the decision for landing cleaner blows. Two months later on September 11, Ertle defeated Moore in a ten-round no-decision bout, which he won in the opinion of the Chicago Tribune. The Des-Moines Register gave Ertle seven of the ten rounds, with three even, and not a single round to Moore.