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
3.—The scene was so changed that twenty guineas to two were laid
upon Hickman. The latter smiled with confidence on witnessing the
execution he had done; but the game displayed by Oliver was above
all praise: he appeared, after being hallooed at by his seconds, a
shade better, and he fought a severe round. The Gas received a
terrible body hit, and some other severe exchanges took place. The
cunning of Gas was here witnessed in an extraordinary degree; with
his left hand open, which appeared in the first instance as if his
fingers went into the mouth of Oliver, he put the head of Oliver
a-side, and with a dreadful hit, which he made on the back part of
his opponent’s nob, sent him down on his face. A lump as big as a
roll immediately rose upon it. The Gas in this round was very much
distressed; his mouth was open, and it seemed to be the opinion of
several of the amateurs that he was not in such high condition as
when he fought Cooper, or he must have finished the battle. The Gas
once stood still and looked at his opponent; but Oliver could not
take advantage of it.
4.—Hickman endeavoured to plant his desperate right hand upon
Oliver’s face, but missed and fell. Oliver, in trying to make a hit
in return, fell over Hickman; the Gas laughed and winked to his
second. It was, perhaps, a fortunate circumstance that Hickman
missed this hit, as it might have proved Oliver’s _quietus_.
5.—The left eye of the Gas was rather touched; but his confidence
astonished the ring. The confident look of Hickman developed his
mind. Oliver broke away, and also jobbed the Gas-light Man’s nob;
but as to anything like hitting, it was out of him. Hickman not only
bored in upon Oliver, but punished him till he went down stupid.
(Hickman for any odds.)
6.—Oliver came up to the scratch heavy, but he smiled and got away
from the finishing hit of his opponent. Singular to observe, in
closing, Oliver, by a sort of slewing throw, sent the Gas off his
legs, and he was almost out of the ring. (The applause given to
Oliver was like a roar of artillery.) The Gas got up with the utmost
_sang froid_.
7.—Oliver put in a facer, but it made no impression; and the Gas
with his left hand again felt for his distance against Oliver’s nob,
and the blows he planted in Oliver’s face were terrific. The
strength and confidence of Hickman was like that of a giant to a
boy.
8.—Oliver came up almost dozing, and began to fight as if from
instinct. Hickman now made his right and left hand tell upon
Oliver’s head, when the latter went down like a log of wood. (It was
£100 to a farthing. “Take him away; he has not a shadow of a
chance.”)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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