The St. Louis Republic., 1903-10-25
M'GOVERNS FAMOUS PUNCH
LOSING MUCH OF ITS EFFECT.
brooklyn Fighter Has Failed Stop Three Men o Inferior Cali
the Ten Baystans Fought One Good Fight and
Indifferent Contest Latcy-CeneIa Notes Of the Ring.

WRITTEN FOR THE SUNDAY REPUBLIC
Although Terry McGovsrn won from
Jimmy Briggs at Boston last TueS'iay
evening the outcome Of the battle seems
20 have done the former champion rec
ord more harm than goOd- Ills failure 10
put Jimmy away excited general com
rneut.
Time was when McGov-ru would have
made short work OF any man whose sJom-
ach he could reach with both hands. as
me did Iu Brigc~'s case. Last Tuesday. al
though lanIirE rrpeatedy. he was uu-
able 10 DO more than slow Jimmy up a
,rine. while getting distinctly srosEy him
self
In az least TWO stages of the battle he
seemed TO wsvgr, and Briggs actually ap-
peared go have him going AZ one point
McCiovcrn came back strongly. however.
and finished with a slight lead over his
opponent. AS Briggs was popular with the
spectators the verdict was roundly hisS"i-
Twice iu the previous ten DAYS Terry mot
men or little ability in siN-round bouts.
In each case h. failed 20 put them away
or 20 seriously damage them The loss
Of speed noticeable in his efforts and the
more apparent loss OF force behind the
blows afforded surprises.
Terry seems TO have had enough OF 10.
just as many q fighter before him has had
The thing 10 do when this fact becomes
evident would be 10 retire from the ring.
with a reputation marked hy only his loss
of the title That is. that would he the
thing 10 10 from a sentimental stand
point.
Sentiment cuts mighty little figure in
the ring these days. however. and 50 long
as money can be picked uU by Hsh;ing
these easy marks. Terry is likely TO keep
on meeting them. even II his record stend-
lis loses luster.
one singular thing about McG1veru's
case is the fact that while he has ncve-
mdulged in dissipation. 81 FAR as is known.
the theatrical life has had just as much
ul-cGeCt upon him as on men who com
bin'd the late hours Of the profession
with loose living.
McGovcrn and Daugherty both suffered
by their theatrical tours In q physical
way. DauEherty. naturally light and
fragile. was considerably affected 10y the
constant pounding received in stsge spar
ring exhibitions with the heavier Mccoy
eTu. II is said that he never recovered
from the effects OF these bouts. and his
deterioration. i'm a fighting way. after his
withdrawal from the stage. bears out th"
statement
MCGovcru appears 90 have merely SUI
frrcd I'm health I:ut the effects were
enough to destroy much Of his ability ~
. "a lighter. Wien Young Corbett put him
away for th- first time. IL was thought
that Terry WIS merely under temporary
cloud-that ne would regain his od-time
. strength by taking mp vigorous work once
moro and quitting the stage
The oItrome has not borne out this be-
lief. Terry has never reGained his old
time form. Condition seems to have left
him. and ne seems 10 have l1st his pun
iSning properties almost entirely.
Some may reIieyc that the late hours
pf stage lie did not AFFECT McGovcru so
lOng as De lid not indulge in dissipation
These have another theory. They are ~
the school who think that one decisive
knockout punch. landed squarely on the
jaw Of "a fighter. uudofeated TO thai time
has more crushing effect than anything
They point 90 the fact that Jim Corbcjt
was never she lu.r man after EltL put
him away with solar pleNus punch. That
Peter Mahcr never Eri;aineG his old time
form after Fitz slowed him away I'm thoir
bout at LAngtry. That Kid Mccoy started
on the downward path after Sharkey sd
mintsiered decisive heating 10 him. And
that Steve ODonncll gave promise 1s q
fighter until Msher landed ON his i9W il
two successive battles.
FitzsimmCns knocked Shgrkey out with
cut the sailor being thrown from the run
ming. but this il the exception that r-uves
the rule, they claim This school uf sins
followers insists that % was the knCckoIts
McGEveru received from Young CuTbctt
which eliminated him from the pugiiIstlc
upper crust.
However that may be. 10 + certain :hat
McGoveTn Is NOT the Terry Of old lie &
still a DANGEROUS man in his class and Is
n tough little opponent at rough lighting
But that j. about all that can be said %
him
Joe Cans has been reasonably busy the
lest week Not only did the negro man
age 10 punish Joe Grimm even more per
Ceptiblv than did Bob FitZsimu11S. but I
he fought Eddie Kennedy in Philadelt MA !
last Tuesday evening and battered that /
fighter up hadIv-
Cans fought in very easy fashion 10 this /
last fight. He allowed Kennedy 10 70 all /
the forcing until the latter part = the
bout. then cut loose and wore his opponent
s-aEu- The lass round was AL Cans ard