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
7.—Spring was as fresh as if he had not been fighting; and, although
it was now a guinea to a shilling, and no chance of losing, yet
Spring was as careful as if he had had a giant before him. The
latter got away from a blow. (“We can fight for a week in that
manner,” said Belcher. “Yes,” replied Painter; “but we have got the
general.” Neat received a severe hit on his head, and fell down on
his knees. The shouts of joy from the partisans of Spring, and roars
of approbation from the spectators in general beggared description.)
8th and last.—Neat endeavoured to plant a heavy blow on the body of
Spring, but the latter jumped away as light as a cork. A pause.
Spring was satisfied he had won the battle. Spring put in a hit on
Neat’s face; and when the latter returned, he again got away. In an
exchange of blows, Neat was hit down. When time was called Neat got
up and shook hands with Spring, and said his arm was broken, and he
could not fight any more. The battle was at an end in thirty-seven
minutes.
REMARKS.—We must admit that, as championship contests, there was
certainly a different colouring visible in the fights between Gully
and Gregson, and Cribb and Molineaux; to witness two big ones
opposed to each other for upwards of half an hour, and no mischief
done, was not likely to give satisfaction to the old-fashioned
admirers of milling. But the torrent of opinion was so strong in
favour of Neat, both in Bristol and London, on account of his
tremendous hitting, as to carry away like a flood all kind of
calculation on the subject. Spring was to have been smashed, and
nothing else but smashed. One hit was to have spoilt the science of
Spring: two were to have taken the fight completely out of him; and
the third to have operated as a _coup de grace_. Then why did not
Neat smash Spring, as he did the Gas? We will endeavour to answer
the question for the fallen Neat. Because he had a man of his own
size and weight, a boxer of superior talent to himself, pitted
against him: one that was armed at all points, and not to be
diverted or frightened from his purpose. His blows were not only
stopped, but all his efforts to break through the guard of his
antagonist were rendered of no avail. Hence it was that the fighting
of Neat appeared so defective in the eyes of his friends and
backers. He was out-generalled; and the fine fighting of Spring
laughed to scorn all the much-talked-of tremendous hitting of his
opponent. In truth, Neat could not plant a single effective hit. In
the fourth round, Neat asserted his arm received a serious injury,
and one of the small bones was broken; but we have no hesitation in
asserting, that Spring had won the battle before it occurred. Spring
triumphantly disproved the current libel on his character, that “he
could not make a dent in a pound of butter.” To give punishment, and
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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