Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-01-10
Terry McGovern Defeated
Dixon Last Night
in THE EIGHTH ROUND
His Body Blows Weakened the C0l0fed
~
Man Who Was Knocked Down Blight
Times in the Last ROund-WaS a
Fast Fight. 81 :.

~ oAH V0A' ~
night wrested the featherweight cham
pionship of the world from George Dixon.
who had defended it for nearly nine
years. To a v Dixon from a knockout.
Tom O'Rourke, his manager, threw up the
sponge in the eighth round. when the'' ne
gro wal staggering helplessly. bleeding
and weak, but as game as a dying gladi-
ator.
The fight took place before a crowd
that packed the Broadway Athletic club,
and the victory decided the ownership OF
a $4,000 purse. When Dixon and McGov-
ern stepped on the scales this evening to
make the necessary 11S pounds Dixon
seemed to be in the better condition. He
was full of life and energy. n looked
as if the making of the weight a not
troubled him, while McGovern seemed to
be too finely drawn. When they stepped
in the ring, however, McGovern's face
showed no trace of a rigid training course
n as soon as they stripped to the buff
each looked in perfect condition.
Dixon frim the first tap Of the gong
was on the aggressive, using a left swing
invariably as his lead. which McGovern
cleverly stepped inside of, and Terry sent
both hands in rapid order to Dixon's
lower works. McGovern's attack on the
body was a urpris to Dixon, as no
boxer who ever faced the negro was able
to land on his wind, ribs and kidneys as
did McGovern tonight.
Dixon Jared McGovern half a dozen
times during the battle with hard crack
on the head or jaw, but Terry was always
back at his maj in a fifty. relentlessly
smashing with either hand to the ribs
or stomach. The seventh round was dis
astrous to Dixon. Terry almost broke
sent a right-hand smash which landed
over Dixon's heart n staggered Dixon
who staggered to his corner with the
blood spouting from his nasal organ.
Dixon came up as game as ever a maj
did in the eighth, which proved to be the
last. = ~
Early In this, round Dixon slipped to
the floor near the ropes from a cli,ch.
and McGovern earned the cheers of the
spectators by helping him to his feet A
few moments later Dixon stepped on a
wet sponge in McGOvern's corner and
slipped to the fioor a second time. 1t
was seen that Dixon had almost shot
his bolt, and McGovern, rushing, put left
and right to the jaw, flooring the cham
pion. Dixon took the greater part OF the
count this time. and as he arose slowly
Terry, who STOOD scarcely four feet away.
was ready to rush at him. Dixon went
down again from a body blow. He
touched the floor eight times in the round,
the last five times being the result of ter
rife body punches.
have been completed Dixon stood up from
his eighth fall, but his anage and
hacker, Tom O'Rourke, seeing that is was
impossible for the negro to hold on to his
title. threw up the spong within n Sec
ond of the call of time, which would have
! cn6ld tho 1n1lnd Tn fhi9 nRn1lTkE
showed good judgment. 1soth he and
Dixon nave often said that the latter
would never be knocked out.
When O'Rourke threw up the sponge
Dixon was practically helpless. While
McGovern was hailed with vociferous
cheers as the winner and was cheered
again and again as the champion, Dixon
the eX-chanpion, was not forgotten
Round after round of cheers were giver
for the lad who had defended the title
so cleverly for nearly nine years, as he
left the ring bleeding and beaten, aftei
probably having fought his last ring con
test.
When the contestants returned to theil
dressing rooms, Dixon was badly marked
up, but McGovern showed very little sigr
of having come through a. hard encoun'
ter. The only mark that McGovern had
were scratches on the right side of tn,
neck, where Dixon's left swings a gon'
around, scratching the skin.
Dixon felt his defeat very keenly, ant
had very little to say, except that McG0v
, ern was the best man he had ever met
and Terry could have beaten, In his pres
I ent condition, any man that Dixon hat
, defeated. There were many Wagers mad
at 100 to 70, and so much McGovern mon
, ey came in sight at the ringside that thes
odds were extended to 100 to 65. A lQea
bookmaker stimulated the Dixon peGpl
: by placing $4,000 against $1,000, he taking
the Dixon end and four others clubbe'