I don’t really get why McGovern is rated as highly as he is. His biggest win over Gans is largely thought to have been fixed and Dixon was past his best. The Erne win was very good at least. So why is he rated as highly as a top 20 P4P ATG? I just don’t get it.
Won the BW title against the excellent Pedlar Palmer with a KO in the first round, the first time a champion had lost his title by KO1. Won his next 15 straight all by stoppage, including a 2nd round stoppage of the brilliant Harry Forbes and taking the FW title from 29 year old ATG George Dixon. He then beat the much bigger LW champion and borderline ATG Frank Erne by 3rd round stoppage, before back to back stoppages of the wonderful Oscar Gardner and the deadly Aurelio Herrera. This run didn't have the longevity of Henry Armstrong's assault on the 3 of the 8 weight divisions, but for as long as it lasted it was equally as extraordinary.
Funnily, when Jim Jacobs showed footage of McGovern to boxing journalists he asked’ “do you know why they call him TERRIBLE Terry?”
Step 1. Look at the divisions in which he was the lineal champion (three in total). Step 2. Look at the timeframe within which he accomplished this, and his age at the time. Step 3. Look into the champions and contenders, that he defeated, and how they were regarded by the media at the time . Step 4. Look how quickly he put those elite fighters away, then ask how common it is for an elite fighter to be destroyed like that, in the weight class in question.
If it wasn’t for his inexplicable loss to a Ralph Wifggum lookalike in gloves (Young Corbett) defeats that had many of the time baffled and his subsequent mental problems, he might of gone on to being regarded as the best ever at his weight. Would have been found out though sooner or later.
McGovern reminds me of Tyson in many ways, both good & bad - a young phenom who blazes a path through his weight range for 2-3 years, bombing out everyone put in front of him, then suffers a shocking upset loss & never really recaptures the same heights again.