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
Round 1.—On stripping, the fine condition of Hudson astonished the
spectators, and to give him a showy appearance, he sported silk
stockings. Scroggins did not look well; but it was observed he was
not so bad as had been represented. The combatants sparred for
upwards of two minutes, when Scroggins let fly with his left hand,
slightly touching his opponent’s eye. In attempting to make another
hit, Hudson got away. More sparring. Scroggins now went to work in
his usual heavy style, and drove Hudson to the ropes, when, after
some exchanges, Hudson went down, receiving a heavy hit on his ear.
(The shouting was loud; and “Well done, my old boy, you can’t lose
it. The stale one for £100.”)
2.—Hudson did not wish to be idle, and went up to his man and fought
with him, when a rally ensued, in which Scroggins had rather the
best of it. The men separated, and Hudson put in a severe facer that
brought the claret. In struggling, both went down.
3.—The men were on their mettle, and fighting was the order of this
round. Scroggins received a jobber in the front of his nob; but he
returned to the charge with vigour, till he went down from a slight
hit. (“Go along, Davy! a young one against an old one any time.”)
4.—Scroggins received a sharp hit in the body; he, nevertheless,
went boldly in to his opponent, and put in three nobbers. In
struggling for the throw, Hudson undermost. (“Bravo, Scroggy!”)
5.—The face of Scroggins was much pinked, and one of his eyes rather
damaged. Some good exchanges, till Scroggins was undermost.
(Shouting for Hudson.)
6.—Hudson stopped the hits of his adversary well, and went again to
the nobbing system till both down.
7.—This was a terrible round. It was all fighting; and the struggle
at the ropes was desperate in the extreme, till Scroggins found
himself on the ground, undermost. The applause on both sides was
liberally dealt out, and the combatants were pronounced good men all
round the ring.
8.—Scroggins began to pipe, and symptoms of a worn out constitution
could not be concealed from his adversary. The advantages of youth
were evident to every spectator, and Scroggins went down.
9.—Well contested on both sides; but although Scroggins repeatedly
hit his opponent in the face, he did no damage to him. Both down.
10.—In this round a faint ray of the original quality of Scroggins
was conspicuous: he put in a severe hit under Hudson’s right ear,
and also bored him down. (Six to four was, however, offered on the
latter.)
11.—Sharp exchanges; but Scroggins went down so weak that Tom Owen
offered four to one.
12 to 15.—Scroggins had rather the best of some of these rounds, but
never the best of the battle. He, however, threw Hudson over the
ropes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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