"They drew a pistol on us and took the belt back"

"Juan Zurita, he was past due for a defense so they named me as contender and gave me a shot at it. They threatened to take the title away from him.
Since I was a little kid, I had envisioned being lightweight champion. I dreamed about the lightweight title and I finally won it. So I guess when I won it that night I probably leaped about five feet in the air. I knocked him out in the second round. It was a combination, I'll never forget it, it was a right hand to the body and a left on his chin. He went down for the full count.
I was almost killed down there, too, for beating him. The Mexicans, we were almost killed. Then the Mexicans started throwing bricks and things. The cops, our bodyguards, two cops, looked around, they were gone. Connie McCarthy (my manager), he was knocked out with a brick to the head. His head was split open with that brick. That's when the Mexican came up, he said "Gimmie the belt!" I haven't seen the title belt since that night, since April 18th, 1945. I saw the belt for maybe five minutes. I haven't seen it since. Maybe it's down in Mexico City now. The fellow pulled a pistol out. He was going to kill all of us. So I said "Give the man the damn belt!" They took the belt back. They drew a pistol on us and took the belt back. We made it to the dressing room. They followed us to the airport the next morning."

 - Ike Williams.

Sept 23, 1948 - Yankee Stadium

Despite being rated the number-two challenger for the title with just three losses in 50 contests, Jesse Flores (134¾) was unable to offer much of a threat to Ike Williams (134¾), being content to box on the back foot. Finally catching up with his rival Williams dropped him twice in the fifth and eighth rounds before Flores, trying to avoid the punches coming his way, took a count of ‘three’ after slipping over in the ninth. In the tenth it was all over at 2.04 of the session after the elusive Flores was felled by a right to the jaw and counted out after being set up with jabs and a tremendous left hook to the body.

Overshadowing this title bout, was an exciting fight on the under card between Sugar Ray Robinson and Cuban Kid Gavilan. Gavilan, a future world champion, hurt Robinson several times during the fight, but Robinson was able to control the final rounds with a series of jabs and left hooks giving him a controversial 10 round decision.

Cleveland Williams : He Hit Too Hard For His Own Good 

Don Cockell, Joe Erskine, Henry Cooper, Len Harvey, Jack Petersen, Johnny Williams, Tommy Farr....and Rocky Marciano 

Sept 23, 1948. New York.

Jesse Flores sinks to the canvas for a fifth and final time as referee Mark Conn pushes away lightweight champion Ike Williams, Trenton, N.J., in the 10th round of a scheduled 15-round title bout at Yankee Stadium.

Bells tolled for the for the California-Mexican challenger at 2.04 of the round.

On the undercard Sugar Ray Robinson won a controversial decision in the first of two unforgettable clashes with the future welterweight champ from Cuba - Kid Gavilan.