First Round—Burns at once began to feel the champion out, shooting a volley of light lefts to the head. Wolgast merely shook his head and rushing the Oaklander against the ropes, flayed him with right and left swings to the head. There was a temporary lull in the fighting. Burns assumed his turtlelike crouch and then lifted the champion clear off his feet with a terrific left to the jaw.

Second Round—Wolgast chased his man about the ring, but Burns flung his left twice solidly to the jaw and covered up with the champion battering away at his defense. Burns scored lightly three times with short arm lefts to the face. Wolgast sought to make Burns “open up,” but the latter backing against the ropes refused. Wolgast drove two hard rights to the kidneys and fiercely uppercut his man with right and lefts on the nose starting blood in a stream. It was Wolgast’s round by a big margin.

Third Round—Burns’ nostrils still were emitting blood as he went into action. Wolgast cornered the Oaklander and fairly smothered him with short arm punches aimed at the face. Wolgast staggered Burns with a straight left but the latter came back with two left swings. Burns followed this with right and lefts to the face and Wolgast wilted momentarily. Wolgast had the advantage.

Fourth Round—Burns put a let to the face, sending the champion’s head back. For the moment Wolgast fought back like a mad steer and landed some telling punches to the face at close range. Burns, his nose swollen to thrice its normal size, battled gamely. Wolgast rushed his man from one end of the ring to the other beating a tattoo on the Oaklander’s bleeding face. “Stop it!” “Stop it!” the spectators yelled. Burns then electrified the crowd by rushing in and mixing it with the champion, landing several lefts and rights to the face before the gong ended the slugging. Wolgast, however, had a big lead.

Fifth Round—After half a minute’s ineffectual sparring, during which Wolgast tried time and again to land a knockout blow, the champion almost catapulted Burns into the laps of the newspapermen. Burns came back and they mixed it in midring, fighting head to head. Burns cut Wolgast’s mouth during this mix and the champion spat blood as he went to his corner. Wolgast’s round.

Sixth Round—Wolgast rushed fiercely and they closed. Wolgast tapping lightly with lefts to face. Burns then drove a hard right to the jaw, later following it with two lefts to the face. A vicious midring rally followed, Burns rushed and almost staggered the champion with right and left short arm punches to the face. Wolgast fought with all the force at his command, but Burns still was full of fight as the round ended. One of Burns’ eyes was almost closed and there was a slit in his ear from which the blood flowed.

Seventh Round—They battled head to head at close quarters. Wolgast broke it up with a vicious right to Burns’ sore eye and kept shooting at Burns’ defense. Burns covered up and took the aggressive only when a chance opening presented. Wolgast peppered away with short, snappy rights and lefts to the face and appeared much the fresher of the two as the round closed.

Eighth Round—Wolgast sent a left hook to the stomach that sent Burns half way across the ring and then Wolgast was staggered and almost taken off his feet by a right swing on the jaw. The maddened Wolgast set a furious pace and rained left and right smashes to the face. He swung two powerful, lefts to the jaw, the first of which lifted the Californian clear off his feet. The round ended with a smile on the champion’s face with Burns looking serious. Wolgast Forces Milling

Ninth Round—The champion forced matters and Burns soon was hanging to the ropes. The Oakland boy fought back viciously, each landing several times on the face and head. Wolgast got loose, but Burns was right on the firing line and never failed to return the fighting. So fiercely were they engaged that the failed to hear the bell and had to be pried apart by their seconds. Burns was putting up a game fight and was cheered again and again as he went to his corner.

Tenth Round—Burns took the fighting to the champion and they immediately were locked in each other’s arms. Wolgast straightened his man out with two right uppercuts to the jaw and Burns returned with right and left jolts to the jaw. Wolgast smashed with right and left chops to the face, but Burns never for an instant broke ground. The champion jarred his man with a rain of blows to the face as the round terminated and it again began to look bad for the challenger.

Eleventh Round—The round opened with a long clinch both men wrestling. Burns broke the clinch by lifting the champion’s head with a right uppercut and a left swing to the head. The blows, however, failed to stop the “Michigan Wildcat.” Burns forced Wolgast into Wolgast’s corner and here the champion made a determined stand. They battled hotly and Burns succeeded in again bringing the crowd to its feet by beating the champion at his own game of whirlwind fighting. If anything it was Burns’ round.

Twelfth Round—They came together in the center with a crash, and then Burns chased the titleholder, landing right and left to the jaw. He cleverly covered up as Wolgast fought back, and a moment later he had Wolgast groggy and hanging on from a succession of right and left face and body smashes. “Go on, Frankie, finish him,” yelled the crowd, but Wolgast covered up and seemed content to give his wits a chance to clear. Wolgast gained strength as the round progressed, and they went to a clinch. Burns swung a hard left to the jaw as the bell rang and Wolgast had lost his smile as his seconds eagerly worked on him and gave him advice. It was Burns’ round. Californian Grows Stronger

Thirteenth Round—They mixed in the center of the ring. Wolgast then slowed down and seemed to have lost some of his vim. Burns covered up with Wolgast trying to penetrate his guard, but with little success. The crowd at this stage began to taunt Wolgast, and maddened, he closed in, but Burns’ guard was impenetrable. The round was mostly a succession of clinches and noteworthy feature was the improvement of the Californian, who seemed the stronger of the two.

Fourteenth Round—Wolgast forced his opponent against the ropes, but Burns’ long reach stood him well instead and few of the blows found their mark. The fighters mixed it at close range and Wolgast brought the blood from Burns’ mouth by landing several stiff punches. Wolgast fought with renew confidence and soon had Burns seeking refuge in a clinch. Wolgast uppercut with a terrific right to the mouth and staggered his man with right and left uppercuts to the jaw and nose. The round gave the Wolgast camp renewed confidence.

Fifteenth Round—Wolgast rushed and feinted with his right and quick as a flash his left glove found Burns’ jaw. Burns covered up and received a left hook over the heart. Even at that Burns tried vainly to turn the tables on the champion. Wolgast carefully measured his distance, landing left and right with precision on the jaw, and although Burns countered with a straight right to the jaw, he was leg sore as he went to his corner.

Sixteenth Round—They mixed it, Wolgast landing blow after blow on the face and jaw. Burns fought back fiercely and succeeded in landing several telling punches to the face. Then Wolgast, almost at will, smothered his man with a volley of right and left uppercuts to the face and Burns was helpless. From all over the house came cries to stop the bout, but Referee Jack Welsh refused. Burns was reeling around helplessly with Wolgast smashing him on the face with might and main as the round ended. Wolgast had much the better of the round.

May 27, 1911
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago Tribune