New-York tribune., 1900-07-17
M,GOVERN DEFEATS ERNE.
LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION KNOCKED
OUT IN THREE ROUNDS.
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN TRANSFORMED
AND FILLED BY NEARLY TEN
THOUSAND SPECTATORS

AND FILLED BY NEARLY ZEN
THOUSAND SPECTATORS
The prizenght at Madison Square Garden last
night between Terry" MeGovern. the feather
weight champion. and Frank Erne, the lightweight
champion resulted in easy victory for Nc
Govern. Erne's seconds throwing up the sponge,
admitting defeat. In the third round Erne was
beaten to the floor in that third round twice. and
when his handlers admitted defeat the little Brook
lyn man was battering Erne's face into a pulp and
he had no chance TO defend himself The work OF
his handlers in surrendering the only humane
piece of work of the evening. Probably ten thou
sand spectators paid anything from 81 to S15 for
their seats. The promoters reaped harvest, pro-
vidng they allowed 20 retain all OF the
ceipts which not distributed between the
fighters. The betting in favor OF McGOvern
throughout, the ruling odds being to 3. Louis
Wormser was reported to have offered 10 wager
$4,000 to $1,000 that Erne would win the fight and
his friends said that he had been able to place
most Of the money Erne's friends at first accepted
70 5 FOR their money and later offered to TO-
THE GARDEN AS FIsTIC ARENA
The interior of the Garden had been transformed
into an ideal hstic arena, if anything connected
with prizehShtng could be construed into ap-
preaching the ideal The old seating ARA ngenents
OF the immense arena were the same as ever but
the floor had been changed materially. Just sew
entyseven little private boxes had been built near
the ring. each seating six people. These seats re-
tailed at from s. TO SIS each according TO location
The ring was the regulation affair with the floor
padded and covered with rosin. The posts a dozen
in ALL were also padded,
1t was spectacle seen in miniature at the Broad
way and Seaside Athletic clubs but never before
seen In such gigantic form in New-York The
thousands of spectators dvested themselves OF
coats, collars and cuffs soon each reached
his seat and the gaudy summer shirts showed all
of the cOlors of the rainbow Thousands of palm
leaf fans were stirring the furnace like air while
faces red and perspiring awaited the coming of the
modern gladiatOrs of small size. Little attention
was paid to the prelin1inaries An immense cluster
OF electric lights was suspended Immediately above
the ring. making every movement of the fighters
dscernible to the spectators but at the same time
making the temperature of the ring and the places
near it almost boiling hot.
TWO MINOR BOUTS DECIDED
The first bout was between Jim Rose OF New
York, and Eugene Garcia. The fight an
nounced at catch weights, the men weighing pos
sibly 13O pounds each. Rose seemed to have the
better Of it. but hit Garcia below the belt and was
Garcia. Harry" Harris defeated Tony" Moran in
The promoters had been called to Police Head
quarters early in the afternoon, as many people
provisions of the Horton law. What passed be-
tween the promoters and the police may possibly
that there was no interference with the fight And
ov was b,,+a a nSht pure ana simple and one OF The
Science and the art of self-defence were cast to
John l. Sullivan found 50 advantageo1s gee
Defence there was none. McGovern started in
the other man, who is scientific sparFer, did the
swung arms, elbows head and shoulders into his
antagonist and rushed his man from gong to gong.
In the closing round, which lasted only two min
HfS Tf 3Rd b6od eight @ seconds % & both hen were covered
and that was the only mark that he carried from
McGovern fought for the face when he aid any
Work work at long range, which was not often Body
In the clinches McGovern swung continuously at
vous h0t arm ana oS G much G5 tn wae anf &
Buffalo man. In the opinion of the experts. Nc
not likely to get into any higher class on account
Horton law expires on september /. and the2 SUCH
exhI5itons Will not be permitted IN this state The
OF nay to get into the barn. They see the black
IN all the work possible in the limited time their
THE FIGHT BY ROUNDS.
1t 1875 D. m. when the men entered the ring
and little time lost in useless discussion Five
minutes later the bell rang and the two men went
to the centre Of the ring, with Charley White as
referee. Erne was four inches taller than Nc
Govern, and seemed to be in superb condition Nc
Govern stripped to pink trunks and shoes and
muscular than his rival and if there was anT diffr
ence in actual weight it more than three
bulldog would huri itself at a tiger Erne's face
wa; Was set with his lower Jaw hanging down giving
erns head with left on the jaw but the BrookIyn
man only laughed and rushed in for more Nc /
Govern landed right and left. and clinched con-
The pace was terrific from the start /
and neither man had a chance to think much |
about sparrins When in a clinch AlcGovern |
worked right and left into the sides OF Erne. Be
fore the round ended Erres nose was bleeding
freely, and when McGovern went to his corner he !
had the better OF the argument McGovern forced /
the hght1ng. The Brooklyn man went TO the floor |
once, but 1t was more from the force of a blow |
aimed at Erne than from the received in /
return.
Each rushed into a cIinch in the second round !
both landing right and left There was no science /
and in the opinion of the regular ring followers the
pace was faster than ever before seen in a |
fight in this district. 1t was apparent that the !
contest could not last the limit OF ten rounds |
Human endurance could not stand for many con- |
secutive minutes Of such work. Erne seemed con- !
tent TO hang McCiovern's neck in the Clinches |!
1t was simply slug and slug through the round and
at the bell the two men locked in each others
embrace. with McGovern decidedly weak and look
ing aDpealingly toward his manager. who stood in |
his corner of the ring McGovern was in trouble /
and he realized It, Had that round lasted minute !
longer a different story might be told
The ring looked like butcher shop in the next B