Terry McGovern (boxer)

Terry McGovern ( born March 9, 1880 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania as John Terrence McGovern, † February 22, 1918 in New York ) was an American boxer.

The Irish -born McGovern grew up in Brooklyn and never attended a school. He was discovered when he took part in a sawmill during his work on Juxkämpfen and doing so well pulled out of the affair, that his superior in 1897 persuaded him to professional boxing.

On September 12, 1899, he beat the undefeated British bantamweight world champion Tom Pedlar Palmer in the first round KO and became world champion. In 1900 he defeated the aging legend George Dixon also by knockout and won the featherweight title.

In the lightweight he defeated, among others, Frank Erne and Joe Gans. Later, however, it turned out that the fight against Joe Gans was faked, which led for the next 26 years at a temporary prohibition of professional boxing in the state of Illinois.

In November 1901, he lost his featherweight title to Young Corbett II by KO in the second round. Even the rematch in March 1903 he lost prematurely. In 1906 he failed in his attempt against Battling Nelson to win the lightweight world title. Finally, in 1908 ended his career McGovern.

The " Ring Magazine " rated him as the second best featherweight of all time. It also applies in addition to Sandy Saddler and Naseem Hamed as one of the most powerful featherweight history. 1990 McGovern was induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.