Pugilistica: The History of British Boxing, Volume 2 (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, 1719-1740, to the Last Championship Battle Between King and Heenan, in December 1863Miles, Henry Downes
History
Pugilistica: The History of British Boxing, Volume 2 (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, 1719-1740, to the Last Championship Battle Between King and Heenan, in December 1863
Miles, Henry Downes
Boxing
9.—Cooper now showed he was no stranger to the science, and adopted
his master’s (Richmond’s) plan of hitting and getting away. He, with
much adroitness, put in a body blow and got away, but the Gardener
was not to be had upon this spoiling suit; by watching the manœuvres
of the enemy with vigour and caution, and by his prudence, he gained
the best of the round, and threw his man.
10.—Cooper now appeared much fatigued, yet his game was good.
Oliver, perceiving the chance was in his favour, lost no time in
going in, when Cooper was levelled. Oliver, the winning man, five to
one.
11.—Oliver showed himself a cool and steady fighter, possessing good
judgment, and determined resolution. He was now winning fast, and
again sent his man down. The exertions of Cooper were manly and
firm, but his strength was so reduced that he could not check the
successful career of his antagonist.
12.—Cooper now only stood up to receive punishment. He was so much
exhausted, that his blows produced no effect upon Oliver.
13 and last.—It was pitiable to view the gameness of Cooper induce
him to make another effort, as he was now so beaten that he could
not deliver a blow, whereupon Oliver was declared the conqueror, in
seventeen minutes.
REMARKS.—Two such boxers do not often meet, and, it might be
observed, it was the best and most evenly contested battle that had
been witnessed for a long time. Bravery and science marked both
men’s efforts. The game of Oliver was clearly manifested with Ford,
but his marked improvement in science claimed peculiar attention. He
was cool, steady, and confident, and used both his hands with much
greater facility than heretofore. The severe checks he received from
Cooper in the fourth, fifth, and sixth rounds, enough to terrify
most men, did not deter Oliver from persevering until he became the
conqueror.
Cooper, although defeated, must be viewed as a pugilist of no common
pretensions. He is a diffident young man, and this operated as a
sort of drawback to him during the mill. It was his second attempt,
he having but a short time previously defeated Harry Lancaster.
Cooper is a first-rate pugilist, a hard and quick hitter, and
possesses courage of the finest quality, with science that gives him
a good place among the list of prime boxers.
Oliver acquired considerable fame in conquering Cooper, and was deemed
an equal match for Painter, who had distinguished himself by two recent
conquests, and was looking forward to the highest honour of the ring.
When this match was first made known, Painter, being the heavier man,
was rather the favourite, but on the night previous to the battle, the
odds had changed eleven to eight on Oliver.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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