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
4.—Whether it was owing to the recollection of what Oliver had once
been in the prize ring could alone be answered by Abbot himself, but
his nervous trepidation was evident. Abbot, however, made a heavy
right-handed hit on his opponent’s mouth which produced the claret.
Some slight exchanges occurred, and, in a struggle for the throw,
Oliver fell on Abbot in rather an awkward manner; but not wishing
his opponent should entertain a bad opinion, Oliver said, “I beg
your pardon; I could not help it.” “Book that,” said one of the
time-keepers to the writer of this article, “as it serves to show
the fancy it is a gentlemanly fight.”
5.—Oliver got away from a hit. A pause. “Go to work,” said
Paddington Jones: “What are ye both about?” Abbot planted a bodier,
and not a light one. Oliver gave a facer, and followed his opponent
to the ropes, where they endeavoured to hold each other’s hands to
prevent fibbing, when Abbot got down. Oliver seemed to smile with
contempt on his adversary, as much as to say, “There was a time that
such an opponent could not have stood before me for five minutes.”
6.—A scuffle, and both down. While Oliver was sitting on the knee of
his second, the Gas, with a grin upon his mug, sarcastically
observed, “Why this is a lark, ain’t it, Tom? Surely you don’t call
this fighting.”
7.—Oliver got away, when Abbot, in following him, hit short and napt
a facer in return. They followed each other to the ropes, when the
wretched condition of Oliver was evident to all the ring, for
instead of fibbing Abbot, he literally pushed him away, gasping for
wind; but Tom was so much the favourite of the amateurs, that they
were completely blind to his defects. Abbot went down, and the
shouting was loud in Oliver’s behalf.
8.—Some little milling took place. Abbot was sent out of the ring,
and Oliver fell from weakness. “The Sprig of Myrtle” stepped up to
Abbot and told him it was all right. “We are sure to win it,”
answered Scroggins.
9.—Oliver appeared to view Abbot in the light of a plaything; still
his blows did not do any mischief. Abbot threw Oliver and fell
heavily on him.
10.—Oliver threw his opponent right away from him. (Thunders of
applause.) In fact, at every movement that Oliver made, either good
or bad, he was cheered by the surrounding spectators.
11.—This round was decidedly in favour of Oliver. Abbot turned
completely round from a hit, when Oliver took advantage of this
circumstance, planted a nobber, and sent Abbot down. (The
costermongers were now cheering to the echo, and Ned Turner offered
£10 to £1, but no person would have it.)
12.—This was also a tidy round; Oliver best, but both down.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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