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
50 to 64.—Holt continued as game as a pebble, and nobbed Hudson
desperately; but he could not take the fight out of him. (The odds
were now decidedly against Holt, and cries of “Take him away.”)
65 to 83.—Both of their nobs were terribly punished, particularly
Holt; but he had not the slightest intention to resign, though
persuaded so to do by his friends and backers. It was thought Holt
had lost it, from going down without a blow. (“Never mind,” said
Owen, “we’ll give them that in; we can’t lose it.”)
84 to 89 and last.—Holt continued to fight, but he could not stand
up to receive the hitting of Hudson, and went down repeatedly;
while, on the contrary, Hudson seemed to be getting fresher, and he
often ran and jumped to get in at Holt. The latter would not give
in, and he was taken out of the ring by the desire of a noble lord
and other amateurs. It occupied an hour and three-quarters.
REMARKS.—This was a capital fight on both sides: the men covered
themselves with pugilistic glory. Holt was rather too stale for his
opponent; he had also some of his teeth dislodged. Hudson promises
to be conspicuous in the ring: a better bit of stuff cannot be
found. A handsome subscription was made for Holt.
Hudson had now got so greatly into favour with the amateurs that he was
backed against the fearless Scroggins for 50 guineas a-side. The battle
took place on Monday, March 13, 1820, at Dagenham Breach, Essex, about
eleven miles from London.
The road exhibited much bustle about ten o’clock in the morning, and the
distance being short, the amateurs arrived at the destined spot rather
earlier than usual. However, owing to neglect somewhere, to the great
chagrin of the fancy, Scroggins had not been made acquainted with the
scene of action, and it was two to one whether he appeared at all. The
“hardy hero,” somehow, at length reached the Ship and Shovel, and waived
all impediments like a truly game man.
At half past one o’clock, Hudson, attended by his brother Josh. and Tom
Owen, threw his hat up in the ring. Scroggins, followed by Oliver and
Randall, repeated the token of defiance. The odds were both ways in the
course of a few minutes; and, from the remembrance of what Scroggins had
once been, the old fanciers rather took the latter for choice. Tom Owen,
to give an air of importance to his _protégé_, graced the ring with his
hair curled and powdered, to the no small merriment of the multitude.
THE FIGHT.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account