Terry McGovern vs. Tommy White
Terry McGovern drew with Tommy White by NWS in round 6 of 6
- Date: 1900-04-17
- Location: Tattersall's, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Referee: George Siler
McGOVERN FAILS TO WIN AT TATTERSALL'S
For eighteen minutes last night Tommy White stood in the path of a McGovern cyclone and emerged comparatively unscathed at the finish. In addition to this the Chicago 126-pounder started a little whirlwind on his own account at the finish which sent the Brooklyn wonder to his corner with a look of regret on his face. McGovern was sad because White had, as he claimed, hung on to him unnecessarily.
The 9,000 spectators who journeyed to Tattersall's to witness the encounter cared naught for this. they had seen the phenomenal Terry in action for six full rounds and had seen a local man accompany him the entire distance. As round after round went by and White walked to his corner the cheering grew louder and louder. And when, in the last round, White started his own little breeze of uppercuts and jabs the crowd broke out in wild applause, which was renewed as the contestants in the memorable battle filed their way to the dressing rooms.
It was a contest that will live long on the local annals of the game. McGovern, who had been seen in four contests in the same ring, had easily disposed of Rotchford, Haley, Smith and Santry, and was thought by most of the crowd to be able to give White his quietus before the end of six rounds. In this he failed signally, and though he lost no friends by his failure, the honors of the go were given to White.
The one weak point of the contest was the agreement that if both men were on their feet there was to be no decision. The concession, it is claimed, was demanded by Sam Harris, McGovern's manager, by reason of his man having to concede ten pounds in weight. It is doubtful if White weighed more than five pounders over his opponent, but he was willing to accede to the request, and the Tattersall's association announced the conditions previous to the contest.
What the result would have been had a decision been rendered rests with Referee Siler.
McGovern was the aggressor in the first five rounds, and though many times wild in his attack he sent home many hard blows on his opponent. White clinched many times to save himself and had a clean knockdown registered against him. All this while he put up a good game fight and kept his faculties in fast working order. In the last round he cleanly outpointed his man, but it is doubtful if his work in this would have entitled him to an even break. White, in addition to having a slight advantage in height, weight, and reach, was in better condition. Not that McGovern was much out of shape, but coming in after being on the road with a show does not leave a man exactly on edge. His vigorous style of fighting, if continued for a few rounds, is bound to tell, and this was the case last night, for after the first three rounds the champion slowed down and his blows lacked their usual steam.
It was 10:40 o'clock before the preliminary bouts were over. These were of mediocre character, the Schultz- Sherlock bout being the best contested. Barney Connors was too heavy and strong for Billy Elmer of San Francisco, the actor-pugilist. Though defeated, Elmer put up a game fight and took a hard grueling until his seconds mercifully threw up the towel. Jack Moffat, who made his first appearance since he broke his left forearm against George Gardiner in New York, entered the ring too soon and again fractured a small bone. The injury, though not so serious as the first one, will keep him out of the ring for some time. In Jim Adams of Omaha he met an opponent fully fifteen pounds heavier than himself. Moffat got the decision.
After the pair had left the ring there was a short pause and then the cheering announced the coming of the principals in the windup. White, accompanied by Harry Gilmore, Henry Stender, and Willie McGurn, was the first to enter the ring. McGovern came a few seconds later with Sam Harris, Kid Bernstein, Charley Mayhood, and his constant attendant, Constable Nelson.
White had seated himself in the corner occupied by McGovern in his previous fights, and Terry, deeming it his lucky seat, insisted on tossing for it. He won, and White smilingly took the opposite chair. After receiving instructions from Referee Siler the men sat smiling, awaiting the tap of the bell. White shook his first at McGovern, who broadened his smile in response.
The gong sounded, and McGovern almost sprinted across the ring to White. White, unliked many of the Brooklynite's victims, did not appear to be hypnotized by the fast moving fists confronting him. McGovern finally let go a right which landed on White's shoulder, and the battle was on. The little Brooklynite was the personification of energy, and White's defensive abilities were taxed to the utmost. He ducked, clinched, and blocked as best he could, but the flail-like arms of Terry were ever on the move, and many blows went home.
The I-told-you-so portion of the crowd settled down, looking for a speedy termination. White slipped over, and rested on his knee for a count of eight. He then jabbed Terry's face to show he was still in the fight. McGovern then fell over, and a few seconds later White did the same thing. McGovern then let go a left swing, which avoided by dropping to his knee. The bell rang and the first stage of the journey was reached.
The looked-for knockout did not materialize in the second round. McGovern began a fusillade of short-arm blows for the body, but here White's generalship came into play, and he soon clinched to a safe position.
In the middle of the round White took a hand at attacking, and two stiff jabs on Terry's nose brought applause. Terry never let up in his attack, but many times was wild. He would make a short swing with his left and then send his right hard, followed by another left, and they came so fast that White, clever as he was, had to take them. Terry went to his corner, his reddened face showing signs of his exertion.
Early in the third round McGovern sent his right over White's right eye, cutting a bad gash from which the blood flowed freely. Terry was anxious and wildly forced the pace. He tried a hard left uppercut and fell against White on the ropes. After much hard fighting Terry swung his left to the breast, scoring a clean knockdown. White did not appear dazed, but took a count of eight, and when Terry foxily walked behind him he wheeled around on his knees and faced him. The sound of the bell brought a rousing cheer from the crowd, which began to realize that White had a good chance to go the limit.
In the fourth round McGovern again fell over after making two wild swings. McGovern got White in the corner and rained in several savage blows, but White came out strong and fought back.
Fighting in the fifth round was slower. When the sixth started most of the spectators looked for a repetition of the previous rounds, with White mostly on the defensive. After several clinches White suddenly let himself out. Starting his attack with a long, swinging uppercut, he connected hard with Terry's body. Then he drove a similar blow to the chin, fololowed with another. McGovern was astonished, even if not damaged, and set out to reply in kind. White met him with a stiff left jab and then again uppercut him. He had all the better of the round, and stalled McGovern's hard rush at the finish by clinching.
McGovern said after the battle that it was a hard task to give a man weight and then have him hang on.
"He's too quick and too heavy for me," the little champion added, "and let me tell you that anybody who says White can't hit hard is a fool. He hit me harder than anybody I ever met."
White said: "The blow which cut my eye was not one that McGovern delivered, but was the result of his rushing into me; but of course that is the luck of a fight. The blow which McGovern landed on my jaw in the first round was the hardest I ever got in my life; but when I got up I was all right and I said to myself: 'Well, I don't believe he can land one any harder than that and it didn't put me out, so I'm all right.'"
The first preliminary to the McGovern-White fight was between Young Malone and Sammy Keefe of Chicago at 118 pounds. The fight was stopped in the third round, Keefe being practically out.
Kid Schultz was given the decision over Joe Sherlock at the end of the sixth round. The men fought at 122 pounds.
Barney Connors of Chicago defeated Billy Elmer, the actor, of San Francisco, in the third round, the fight being stopped by Referee Siler. Elmer was knocked down clean in the first round, again in the second, but knocked Connors against the ropes immediately after regaining his feet.
Elmer was groggy when he went to his corner in the second and was weak when he came up for the third. Connors battered him badly, and when the fight was stopped Elmer was covered with blood. He made a remarkably game fight, and resisted fiercely when his seconds tried to take him to his corner. The round had gone one minute and ten seconds when Connors was given the decision. The men fought at 150 pounds.
"Kid" Garfield was given the decision on points over Henry Lumbard at the end of six rounds.
Jack Moffat of Chicago outpointed Jim Adams of Omaha in six rather slow rounds. This was Moffat's first appearance since he broke his left arm in a fight in New York several months ago, but in spite of that handicap the fight was his from the first. Moffat injured his arm in the final round, but not seriously.
--Chicago Tribune, 1900-04-18.