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
13.—If Oliver had gone up to the nob of Abbot he might have spoiled
his “mitre;” but he was more intent on getting away from the blows
of his opponent than punishing him. Abbot went down from a hit.
(Loud shouting.) The time-keeper stated twenty-two minutes had
elapsed, which floored the bets on time, that Oliver won it in
twenty minutes.
14.—Abbot went sharply to work, and made a severe body hit. A pause.
Oliver planted a header, smiling, but put down his hands as if
tired. The right hand of Abbot, which went home on Oliver’s mouth,
sent him staggering, and the claret flowed profusely. At the ropes a
sharp struggle took place, when Oliver threw his opponent. (“Well
done, Tom; go to work and finish it.” Oliver for any odds.)
15.—The right ear of Abbot appeared slightly tinged with blood; but
in other respects the blows of Oliver had scarcely left a mark.
Abbot was sent out of the ring.
16.—Oliver had the best of this round; and Abbot was again under the
ropes.
17.—Oliver, instead of going to work, sparred away his time; but, in
an exchange of blows, Abbot went down, and Oliver fell on him. (“Go
along, Tommy; it will soon be over.”)
18.—The face of Oliver was the most punished, but he had the best of
this round. In following his opponent he caught him at the ropes,
when Abbot would have gone down, but Oliver held him up with one
hand and fibbed him with the other till he was exhausted, when Tom
dropped him. (A roar of artillery. Oliver for any odds.)
19.—On coming to the scratch the face of Abbot did not betray the
severe punishment which might have been expected, which was a
sufficient proof, as the flash term is, that Oliver could scarcely
“hit a hole in a pound of butter.” Abbot tried to obtain a turn in
his favour, and went boldly up to Oliver, but more passionately than
collected; he, however, put in some severe hits, which did Oliver no
good. The latter in return, hit Abbot down. (Great applause for
Oliver.)
20.—If it had been any other boxer than Oliver, that is to say, not
so old a favourite as Tom, the exertions of Abbot would not have
been treated so slightly. He is a strong young man, not a novice in
the prize ring, with a fist as hard as iron; and whenever he planted
his right-handed hit, Oliver felt it, and more than once severely;
yet the feelings of the amateurs were that Tom must win. After some
exchanges, Abbot rushed in. Oliver stopped his opponent skilfully,
and endeavoured to fib him as he went down at the ropes. (Lots of
applause for Oliver.)
21.—In point of punishment, this was the worst round in the fight
for Abbot. The latter went in right and left, but Oliver stopped his
efforts, milled him, and, in struggling, threw him down so violently
on his back that the claret gushed from his nose. (“It’s all your
own now, Tom, to a certainty.”)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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