On Thanksgiving day 1901 Terry McGovern was stopped by Young Corbett II in boxings biggest upset at that time.
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You made me take a closer look at this fight, and I got stuck for quite a while. There was plenty to read about it.
One analyst drew parallels to Tyson in the 80s. The man who could beat Tyson was the one who wasn't afraid of him. Apparently, McGovern had the same status [as unbeatable] so I liked the part when a less intimitated Corbett before the fight, when passing McGovern’s dressing room, yelled “come on out you Irish Rat, and take the licking of your life."
It also made me wonder if it was the boxing that turned McGovern into a mental wreck, or if he was just a little crazy to begin with …
JAB5239
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There were a lot of similarities to Tyson in his style and aggressiveness. A thing to note though, McGovern was the first fighter to take this approach. I believe many of his opponents simply weren't ready for this kind of attack because before him because the crowd at the time use to like to see drawn out fights with the fighters exhibiting there skills waiting on the other to make a mistake before going for the finish. Terry changed that with his style and the crowds ended up loving it, much the way the loved the go for the kill antics of Dempsey and Tyson. That's not taking anything from McGovern. He did what he did, and did it successfully.Originally posted by Ben Bolt View Post
As far as how he ended up in a asylum...I'd say a combination of the two. I'd have to dig deeper, but I've read that McGovern use to get high before his matches. If true, between that a punches taken over a career this certainly has to be a factor.
Ben Bolt
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