The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-01-29
SPORTING NEWS.
Champion Little Boxers to
Meet Thursday Night.
Santry May Stay Six Rounds
With Terry McGOvern.
ARE OPPOSITE TYPES.
Chicago Man Has the Advantage
In Physique.
But His Hands Are Poor
Brooklyn Lad a Bulldog.
ARE OPPOSITE TYPES.

Chicago, Jan. PA limit of six
rounds placed on fight may be some
thing remarkable for championship,
but, notwithstanding, the little affair
at TattersaIPs Thursday night practi-
cally will be for the featherweight
championship of the world. Terry Nc
Govern. the Brooklyn boy who is un-
doubleday the general public's choice
of candidates for the title, will meet
Eddie Santry, of this city, in what
promises to be one of the warmest
fights ever seen in the west. Santry
claims the title of featherweight cham
pion because of his defeat least fall of
Ben Jordan, the recognized champion
of England.
Santry has good cause for his claim.
Jordan succeeded in beating the IA
nous colored man, George Dixon, and,
although Dixon had been defeated be-
fore that, Jordan's claim was thought
good at the time and he was generally
regarded as one of the best feather
weights of the day So, when Santry
knocked him out in clean fashion be-
fore a New York club the victor at
once claimed to be the champion.
McGovern is generally regarded as
the featherweight champion, despite
the fact that he has yet to fight for it,
He gained the rather uncertain title
of champion of the 116 pound class by
his defeat last September of Pedlar
Palmer, the clever little Britisher who
came to this country with such a -four
ish of trumpets to maintain mis- suprem-
acy among the little fellows. McGov-
ern whipped the Englishman in such a
hurry that it was general surprise
and many thought it a huke victory.
But since then the Brooklyn Irishman
has been going along and treating all
his opponents in much the same man
ner. 1t has not mattered much to him
whom he met. The result has always
been the same. George Dixon gave him
some trouble for a six round fight, but
in the next two rounds McGovern got
the range, and soon made mincemeat
of the colored fighter, who had held the
supremacy for so many years.
Comparing the records of the men,
there is good reason for thinking San
try will remain in the ring for the limit
of six rounds at Tattersall's Thursday
night and there is also a line that the
local man may have the better of the
argument in that length of fighting:
It was agreed generally by the New
York papers that Santry should have
been given a draw with Dixon when
they met in a twenty-five round fight.
Later, at a local show, Dixon had
only a narrow margin over the white
man and had the latter cared to take
more of a. chance in going in and not
| been so long on the defensive. it is prob
| able he would have received better
than draw with the colored fighter.
Considering at least on these lines
| that Santry was as good as Dixon to-
ward the latter part of the colOred
| fighters career, and as Dixon had
| something the better of the argument
| with McGOvern up to the end of the
| sixth round in the New York fight,
/ there is no reason why Santry should
not more than hold his own with the
| little terror from Greater New York.
| But fights do not always go by fight
| ing lines. Men that have been the best
| thought of have been the greatest dis
| appointments and those that were re-
| garded as of little account have some
| times been the greatest surprises. Take
for instance the defeat of Joe Goddard
in New Orleans by Denver Ed Smith.
Take the line shown by many cham
| pionship fights Look at Corbett's
! comparatively easy defeat of Sullivan.
| Take Corbett's defeat by Fitzsimmons
| and then note how hard Fitzsimmons
| hit the floor when Jim Jeffries got at
| him. All the defeated men were the ia
vorites' of the betting public and in
| each case the line was a bad one.
So it may be that in this fight the
| betting public will have a wrong line
| on the work of the men. Santry may
| not be given due credit for what he
| has accomplished in the ring. His
| steady. consistent improvement may be
| overlooked. His extreme cleverness in
| defensive work and his slashing, cut
| ting clip with both hands in offensive
| work may be lost sight of in the CLAM
our of the work done by the eastern
conqueror of featherweight aspirants.
| There is but one bad point about
| Santry that would cause a betting
man to stop and think for a time. He
has had hands. His right is particu-
larly suspicious, and the fact that in
| his bouts in training last week and at
the Lyric theater he used great wads of
| bandageS and the biggest gloves he
could find shows that he has no con-
fdence himself in the mess of broken
| and snarled knuckles he calls hands.
It may surprise many to know that
Santry is considerably a larger man
| than McGovern in almost every way,
| although there is likely to be less than
a couple of pounds difference in their
weights when they shape up into po-
| sition Thursday night at the blk Six
tenth building. The local man sub
mitted to the tape line one afternoon
last week. It was the first time he
had ever had his proportions taken.
Compared with the figures given out
by McGovern, Santry will have the ad-
vantage in height of nearly four inches
His chest, forearm and wrist are larger
important factor, reach, he has the bet
ter of McGovern by exactly three
| inches.
The difference in the physiques of the
two men, Santry of the long and reachy
| type and McGovern of the short bull
dog type, is shown in the leg measure
ment. Following are the figures of the
two fighters:
McGovern. santry
Inches. Inches
Height ............... Ga 671z