The year was 1926, when the weekly magazine Stadjon reported on the course of the national fist championships. The editor wrote as follows:

"Among the Poznan fighters, Ertmanski stood out in the forefront, whose calmness, style, technique and excellent punching power showed the good condition of this boxer".

The fighter from Poznañ's Warta became Polish champion in the middleweight category at the time. But he contributed much more to domestic boxing than gold medals....

Jan Ertmański is one of the pioneers of Polish boxing. He was born on 5 October 1902 in Poznań. He did not get to know the sport until after the end of warfare and the country regained its independence. As he himself recalled, he had his first trainings in primitive conditions: without an instructor, without equipment, in fact without any knowledge of the rules of boxing. He joined the newly formed "Zbyszko" club and it soon became apparent that he had the talent to be ahead of his time. He soon found his way to Warta Poznan , one of the most important centres of early boxing in Poland.

He captivated spectators with his behaviour in the ring. His style stunned the audience. The pre-war press emphasised the strength, energy and offensive pace of his fights, which "pressed the spectator into a chair". He fought boldly, almost provocatively. He often moved between the ropes with an open guard, which made his fights exceptionally spectacular. He exuded a mixture of confidence and bravado that drew crowds. In the 1920s and 1930s, his starts guaranteed full houses. "Przegląd Sportowy" even reported that every event without Ertmansky "had no punchline", and the lack of his knockout style took away from the character of the fights.

He won two Polish championship titles: at welterweight (1924) and (mentioned earlier) at middleweight (1926). He represented Poland at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, where he had the opportunity to experience world-class boxing. His rivals, such as the Americans, praised his strength, although they stressed that he sometimes neglected his defence due to his overly offensive temperament. And that in strong international clashes was sometimes costly.

Despite this, Jan Ertmański was one of the strongest Polish boxers of the era. Between 1923 and 1936, he stood out so much that a great distance separated him from the rest of Polish boxing. He was a role model for young adepts. One of them was.. . Feliks Stamm , later coach and creator of the great Polish boxing successes.

He combined his sporting career with coaching work even before the Second World War. After the Warsaw Uprising he was sent to concentration camps in Dachau and Buchenwald . After the conflict, he remained in exile in Great Britain, where he died on 10 May 1968. He is laid to rest in London's Hendon Cemetery , and in the Polish community he is still regarded as one of the fathers of Polish boxing.