The Washington herald., 1918-03-01
M'GOVERN BEST
LITTLE FIGHTER
Bantam, Feather.and d Light
weights All Looked
Alike to Terry.

When the great referee counted out
Terry hcGovern, one n the most
meteoric and brilliant careers In the
ring was brought TO a close
Terrible Terry he was called. end
Terrible Terry he was. not only 10
feather-weights in his swn class. but
even to the greatest Iight-weights Of
his time.
McGovern, the greatest ~ feather
weights. stands out in contrast 10 thu
boxers Of today. Sturdy. with the
shoulders Of a welter-weight and mus
cles which rippled under his skin a.
the muscles Of a leopard. 1.-THE, grace
full. and with q fighting heart which
would not down, McGovsrn was in
deed a king in his division.
McGovern flashed across the sky IN
1885 when he was IL years old. He
had been boxing for two years as a
bantam-weight and his rapid series Of
knockouts had brought him to a place
where he was given a chance against
Pedler Palmer, bantam-weight cham
pion Of England and one Of the great
est little fighters of twenty years ago.
This fight made McGovern. He
knocked out Palmer in the nEst round.
One punch brought him the bantam
weight championship n the world.
and S10.0oe
It was then that some sporting
writer gave McGovern the name by
which he was afterward known, ''TcI-
ribIe Terry"
And Terry earned the title. He was
a typical knocker-out, a rushing. tear
ing battler.
McGovern soon became too big for
the bantam division and went into the
feather-Teight class. Feather-weights.
the best Of the day, and feather
weights Of that day were not the
dancing master Of 1918, fell before his
terrible attacks, one after another.
until he reached George Dixon, who
for ten years had held the title
In 1900 McGovern and Dixon fought.
the little negro falling before Terry
in six rounds
Not satisfied, McGovern went after
light-weights, whipping the great
Frank Erne in three rounds. KID
Broad in six, and Joe Cans, then in
his prime. in two rounds.
McGovern's fall was as sudden and
spectacular as his rise.
Out OF the West in 1901 came Young
Corbett, youthful. strong. confident
II was dificult for McGovern 10 get
matches those days. He had beaten
Aurelio Herrera and oscar Gardner
in a few rounds. Light-weights and
feather-weights were sidesteppinE him.
Corbett looked like a set-Up and q
match was arranged at Hartford.
New York fans by the thousands
fiocked to the ringside. McGOvern
had not fought in the East for more
than a year and Gotham backed its
IDOL at odds ranging from 4 to l TO
to L
McGovern was beaten by a laugh
and an overland punch.
Just before the gong sounded for
the first round Corbett sat in his
corner and laughed at McGovern.
Come on out and take your licking.
Terry" he sneered across the ring.
They were not sneerinE at McGovern
those days and Terry was wild. As
the gong sounded he dashed across
the ring meeting Corbett in his own
corner The two rounds that follow
ed embraced more fighting than q
dozen Of the 1O-round affairs Of to-
day.
An overland right was Terry's
downfall-that and Corbett's sneerinE
laugh, which caused McGovern TO
throw discretion TO the winds
Near the end Of the first round that
right crashed against McGovern's
head and he went 70 the floor. He
was up in a fash as the bell ended
the round.
The second round started even more
furiously than the first.
The round had progressed perhaps
a minute when there happened one Of
the most astonishing occurrences the
ring has ever known. Corbett slowly
extended his left hand and chucked
McGovern under the chin. He was
grinning broadly.
McGovern, astonished, scarcely
moved as Corbett slowly tilted back
his head. Then with lightning speed
Corbett crashed over his deadly over
hand right Terry sank to the floor,
then before the count Of ten slowly
pulled himself to his feet, using the
ropes. Dazed, he weaved against the
ropes. while Corbett, smiling de-
risively, stepped back and watched
him.
wild with rage. Terry charged
straight at the smiling Corbett.
rushing him into a corner and bat
tering him with rights and lefts
The smile left Corbett's face. Then
suddenly. as McGoTern started a
left hook, the crushing right shot
inside the hook. landing fairly on
the chin. McGovern fell at fun
length, knocked out for the first
time in his life.
The following day the two hghf-
ers met accidentally in a New York
cafe.
You didn't win my title" McGov-
ern blazed. You didn't make the
weight"
Keep your title for all care
Corbett grinned. But when ! 50
down the street everyone will ssv,
There goes the man who knocked
out McGovern.'
This was McGovern's last really
great fight. Fast living soon be
gan to undermine his remarksbls
vitality and dissipated his fortune
A few years ago. he was confined d
in a sanitarium, a mental and phys
ical wreck.
When released he went into tn
real estate business in Brooklyn.
gave up dissipation and tried to
gain a new foothold. His death
from Bright's disease was undoubt-
edly due TO his early excesses.