“Phem heev” Terry Dies in Charity Hospital

Nyob rau lub ob hlis ntuj 22, 1918, former World Bantamweight and Featherweight Boxing Champion “Terrible” Terry McGovern died in New York City’s Kings County Hospital. McGovern checked in a few days earlier with what McGovern thought was a severe upper respiratory infection.

Txawm li cas los, doctors diagnosed pneumonia. McGovern went from walking and talking to unresponsive in just one or two days. McGovern never recovered. His mother and wife saw McGovern only a few hours before he died. McGovern was only 37 years old and left a wife and 19-year-old son, Joe.

McGovern burst onto the boxing scene in the late 1890s with his unusual punching power for a small fighter. McGovern never weighed more than 128 pounds in his boxing career but knocked out 45 of his opponents on McGovern’s way to 65 yeej loj heev.

McGovern won his first world title, World Bantamweight Boxing Championship, from Pedlar Palmer on September 12, 1899. McGovern added the World Featherweight Boxing Championship, when McGovern defeated George Dixon on January 9, 1900.

Nyob rau lub Xya hli ntuj 16, 1900, McGovern fought World Lightweight Boxing Champion Frank Erne in a non-title match in Madison Square Garden. Cov txiv neej nyob fought 128 phaus. McGovern knocked Erne out in the third round.

McGovern carried out all these victories by the time McGovern was 20 xyoo. McGovern looked like an unbeatable machine. Txawm li cas los, Young Corbett knocked McGovern out at the end of 1901. Lighter fighters tend to have shorter careers which end in their 20s.

McGovern fought for five more years but McGovern never won another world title. McGovern divided his time between professional boxing and vaudeville. Newspapers claimed McGovern earned over $200,000 thaum nws cov hauj lwm.

McGovern suffered a nervous breakdown in the 1910s, which may have contributed to McGovern’s early death. McGovern would be mentally healthy for a while. McGovern would suffer a setback and need to return to the hospital.

McGovern spent most of his money. If not for his former manager, Sam Harris, McGovern would have died penniless.

Harris started producing Broadway plays after boxing. Harris managed McGovern’s remaining money. Harris gave McGovern’s widow a check for $10,000, the rest of McGovern’s fortune.

Harris also paid for the funeral to preserve McGovern’s remaining money for McGovern’s widow. An early death for a great champion.

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Qhov chaw: New York Tribune (New York, New York) Lub ob hlis ntuj 23, 1918, p. 12

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