Pugilistica: The History of British Boxing, Volume 1 (of 3): Containing Lives of the Most Celebrated Pugilists; Full Reports of Their Battles from Contemporary Newspapers, With Authentic Portraits, Personal Anecdotes, and Sketches of the Principal Patrons of the Prize Ring, Forming a Complete History of the Ring from Fig and Broughton, 1719-40, to the Last Championship Battle Between King and Heenan, in December 1863Miles, Henry Downes
History
Pugilistica: The History of British Boxing, Volume 1 (of 3): Containing Lives of the Most Celebrated Pugilists; Full Reports of Their Battles from Contemporary Newspapers, With Authentic Portraits, Personal Anecdotes, and Sketches of the Principal Patrons of the Prize Ring, Forming a Complete History of the Ring from Fig and Broughton, 1719-40, to the Last Championship Battle Between King and Heenan, in December 1863
Miles, Henry Downes
Boxing
The remarkable print from which our engraving is furnished, is
certainly, when we compare it with most of the art-productions of the
day, a most creditable production. The descriptions which we have quoted
from witnesses of the fight, and from persons who well knew the
combatants, are fully realised. Although the stoop of Johnson certainly
exaggerated the vast proportion of Perrins, the disparity, upon closer
examination, is not so extreme. The faces, you feel, must be portraits.
The fights which followed will be found under BRAIN (Big Ben) and GEORGE
INGLESTON (note to JOHN JACKSON).
Johnson now seemed to be without a rival to dispute his supremacy; but
about the year 1790, the Duke of Hamilton, who had been the firm friend
and patron of Ben Brain of Bristol (Big Ben), was extremely anxious to
back his _protégé_ against the renowned, and as yet invincible Johnson.
A challenge was accordingly published, the Duke backing Ben for 500
guineas.
“Johnson,” says “Pancratia,” “who the year before possessed the amount
of £5000 acquired by his astonishing success in the battles he had
fought, by an unlucky ‘_leter_’ of shaking the elbow, found himself
obliged, in order to replenish the exchequer, to accept Ben’s offer. The
conditions were agreed upon, and the day fixed for January 17th, 1791.
Never was public curiosity more on tiptoe;” but as this battle belongs
by our system to the memoir of the victor, it will be found in the
memoir of BIG BEN. This was the last fight of both these celebrated
pugilists.
Johnson’s name appears from time to time as second to Hooper, the
tinman, “Gentleman Jackson,” and other pugilists, but no more as
principal. We find Bell soon after his victory over Stanyard, the
Birmingham boxer, (in December 1792) challenging Johnson to “mill for a
guinea;” whereon the reporter remarks: “Tom, however, has lost too many
of the yellow-boys lately to trouble himself to win a single one, and
left the stage.” A sufficient allusion to Tom’s improvidence.
Johnson, becoming a Boniface, took the “Grapes” in Lincoln’s-Inn-Fields.
Here he failed in business, owing to his gambling propensities, which
also caused the loss of his license. He then became the proprietor of an
EO table at races, etc. This, too, failing, he migrated to Ireland. In
Dublin he kept, as we see by advertisements, a public house in
Cooper-Alley: but here again the gaming practices and frequenters
incensed the magistrates, and he was deprived of his license. He next is
found in Cork, where he advertised for pupils in the art of boxing, and
where, on the 21st of January, 1797, aged forty-seven years, the
Champion fell before the arm of the great leveller—death.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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