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Frank Erne defeats Kid Lavigne for world lightweight title

When
1899
Where
Buffalo, New York
Episodes
1

Frank Erne defeated George "Kid" Lavigne for the world lightweight title on July 3, 1899, in Buffalo, New York. The bout lasted twenty rounds and resulted in a points decision. Lavigne had held the vacant title since 1896, while Erne had previously held the featherweight title. The victory occurred before an enthusiastic home crowd in Buffalo.

Episodes

  1. 1899-07-03 · Buffalo, New YorkFrank Erne defeats Kid Lavigne for world lightweight title

    Frank Erne defeated George "Kid" Lavigne in a twenty-round points decision on July 3, 1899, in Buffalo, New York, taking the world lightweight title.

Background and detail

Background. George "Kid" Lavigne was boxing's first widely recognized World Lightweight champion, winning the vacant title on June 1, 1896. Frank Erne, a Swiss-born American boxer, had previously taken the World Featherweight Championship from George Dixon on November 27, 1896, in New York City. By 1899, Erne was fighting in the lightweight division, having moved up from the featherweight maximum after losing his title to Dixon in a twenty-round points decision in Brooklyn on March 24, 1897.

The Bout. The championship bout took place on July 3, 1899, in Buffalo, New York. It was a twenty-round points decision. The Petersburg Times noted that Erne was more known for his speed and scientific skills than power, describing him as "lighthitting." The fight occurred before an enthusiastic home crowd in Buffalo.

People involved

Sources

  1. Frank Erne Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-08
  2. Kid Lavigne Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-28
  3. Buffalo, New York Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-27

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.