The Saint Paul globe., 1900-04-22
RYDER'S CHICAGO GOSSIP
A LITTLE OF THE REAL STUFF
ABOUT FIGHTING, BILLIARDS,
BASEBALL AND RACING
CALLED M'GovERN-wH1TE 90
Lou HOUseman's Next Card and the
Fort DearbOrn's Programme
Clarence GREEN'S billiard
Room Opening.

CHICAGO. April H.-(special.) : The
| tip given in a letter published in the
Globe last Sunday in relation to the
! Terry McGoyern-Tommy White glove con-
! test was so near right" that several
Chicago readers got their money down at
odds of 100 to so on White to stay six
rounds. and now they are wondering how
it happened that foreign publication was
the only one to tell them how good Tom
my really was.
perhaps that the tipster was the same as
he who ''called the turn" on the Sharkey-
Mccoy fight, being the only sporting
writer in the West to pick the winner.
! However, that's neither here nor there
| now, although a discussion Of the fight
will keep the enthusiasts busy until the
| next big event, which, from this coign
of vantage, as John E. Ward, my old
roommate, now dead and gone, poor fell
| low! would say, seems to be that between
| Sharkey and Choynski, which has been
! framed up by Manager Lou M. House
man, of the Tattersall A. c., for early in
| May. That White was able to go six
I rounds with McGovern was not surprising
! when several points are considered.
! In the letter last Sunday l called atten-
! tion to the fact that White went twenty
! rounds with Dixon when the latter was in
his best days, and, while it may be an ar
| gument that Dixon could never hit like
McGovern, it will not be denied that the
! colored lad was abundantly able to hit
| hard enough to put away lads who
/ "class" every bit as highly as those who
have felt the power of McGovern's mits-
both hands the same, and the ten-second
dope in either. The fact shows that White
has endurance and gameness, and that
counts for a whole lot when up against
1 the real thing. Whites wonderful clever
i ness, good generalships, superior reach,
| leg and foot work all counted materially
! in his favor and were points taken into
! consideration in predicting his ability ito
| stay 1t is true that White held consid-
erably in the clinches, but this was per-
i missible in this case, and should not sub
! ject him nor Referee George Siler to criti-
! cism.
NO GROUNDS FOR CRITICISM.
McGovern is entirely unlike any other
boxer l have ever seen in the ring. When
he comes to clinch-but rather he never
j comes to hold, for, with head down, like
! a bull, the little fellow charges to close
! quarters, caring nothing for blows he Is
! likely to meet and having no fear, and
once past a guard he works both hands to
the body, and, by series of piston-rod
/ joits, refusing to clinch and compelling
/ an opponent either to break ground, go
to infighting, which few care to do with
! him, or, like White, endeaVor to pinion
| his arms until the referee splits them
! apart. In England, where the referee al
lows the boxers to fight under straight
/ Queensberry rules until they fight them
i selves free, McGovern would have a
chance to beat any lightweight, for he
excels all the feathers in infghting.
1 called attention to the fast sJme weeks
! ago that McGovern, except in swings for
! the head, seldom moved his hand over
| eight inches In delivering a blow. The
great secret of his success in the ring Is
his wonderful stamina, strength and hit
| ting power, which enables him to carry
| an opponent along for several rounds at
/ such a pace that he has found few lads
capable of standing it. Then he has W n
derful recupera tive powers, both from his
youth and good habits, for he neither
| smokes, chews nor drinks, and natural
! great strength.
White with Prof Harry Gilmore, the
veteran ex-lightweight champion, VIII,
| has a great class of more pupils than he
can personally handle, and whom I re.
gard as the best second behind a boxer
| in America, figured all this out several
days before the fight. The t. suit was that
White trained with a local boxer similar
to McGoVern, and devoted his practice
largely to holding this lad In clnchce
.
| White to hold McGoVeTn in clinches, and
when the latter continued his bull-rush
ing tactics White was compelled, for self
protection, to hold until the referee split
them apart This was perfectly legiti-
mate 1 do not by any means believe
Siler infallible, although as good refercc
as there is in the world I certainly
however, do not believe that he would
give White one iota of unfair advantage
WHITE BARS LONG FIGHT.
After the fight Tuesday night there was
some reference to the agreement that II
both men were on their feet at the enc
of the sixth round the contest should be
called draw, or rather. there would DC
| no decision. It was intimated that this
result was to be used to advantage in q
longer fight in New York, but there was
nothing to such comment. Both mer
fought their best, and at the finish White
was forcing the fighting, landing severa
upper-cuts and compelling McGoVern tx
assume the defensive.
White was asked later If he would NEE
McGovern in a longer fight, of, say, TWEEN
ty rounds, but so far he has declared thai
six rounds is about all he cares to enSa Sc
in with the champion. McGovern cams
here from his theatrical engagements or
the road, and I think his physical condi
ton might be improved considerably ny
|
as good as a draw with Terry, while San.
try was knocked out in five rounds, has
renewed the discussion of the merits o1
the two local men. Santry's friends CLAIM
4 that he made more of a fight against Nc
Govern than White, but, after looking a
both contests, I fail to remember any
point where Santry showed greater ag
gressiveness than the other, and carta My
he showed far less generalship thar
White if, as he claims, he was defeated
by adopting McGovern's own style Of in
fighting Whites battle was better il
every way and the fact that he went t
the limit, and was forcing the fighting a
the finish, is pretty good evidence Of hi
superior ability as q fighter over San
try.
I wish some of the antis in st. Paul
could see White as 1 know him. They
would certainly change their minds very
materially about the brutal prize fight
| ers." White is a very clever amateur
, musician. He is well educated, and sew
eral of his articles-prose and poetry
have appeared in the local papers in other
} than sporting columns, for he can write
we'll on current topics. Courteous and
gentlemanly at all times, he seldom talks
! fight unless led to the subject.
1 have in mind now an incident in Den
yer, when a clergyman met Tommy In
the street, and they fell to discussing the
boxing law which had just been passed
by the legislature. The clergyman invited
Tommy to his house, and later, when he
learned who his visitor was, pressed him
never to come to Denver unless he called
McGovern is another of the same sort
They show what an amazing advance has
been made in the prize ring since science