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
66.—In this round the English Champion put in a tremendous nobber,
and also fibbed Langan down. (“That’s a settler,” said a bystander.
“Indeed it is not,” replied a Paddy, “Spring will not settle his
account this time.” (Laughing.) “Where’s Jack Randall?” says Josh.;
“here’s a countryman for you! Spring’s tired of it. He can’t hit a
dent in a pound of butter.” “Well done, Josh.,” said Spring,
smiling, “chaff away. I’ll give you all you can do, except winning.”
“We can’t lose it,” replied the John Bull fighter.)
67.—Spring was still cautious: he would not give a chance away. Both
down.
68.—Langan’s left hand told on Spring’s body; but the Irish Champion
received a nobber for it. Langan seemed determined to have Spring
down, at all events. The struggle for the throw was severely
contested; Langan got Spring undermost.
69.—Short; a hit or two passed, when both were down.
70.—Langan’s face looked the worse for the battle, but his eye
retained all its fire and animation; the other peeper had been
nearly darkened for an hour and a half. “I am sure,” said Josh.,
“that Langan has made a contract with Spring for seven years; this
is a fine specimen of one of his fighting days.” Both men were
getting weak, but Langan always got up when time was called, saying,
“I am ready!” In the throw, Langan was undermost.
71.—The ring was now in confusion; yet some of the sharpest rounds
were fought. Spring received another fall, and was undermost.
72.—The general opinion in the twenty-four foot ring (which was
nothing else but a crowd), appeared to be, that Spring would win;
nevertheless the countenances of Spring’s backers indicated it was
not quite safe. Spring had no room to get away. Colonel Berkeley,
the referee, said, “I am so disgusted with the treatment I have
experienced, that I will give up the watch. Here is no ring. It is
impossible to stand still a second, without being assailed with a
cut from a whip, or a blow from a stick, and no good done either.”
In no fight whatever was there such a scene of confusion in the
space allotted for the men to fight. In closing, both down. During
the time Spring was on Painter’s knee, Sampson, Oliver and Israel
Belasco, were giving advice. “Hallo!” said Josh., “do you call this
fair play? How many seconds is Spring to have?” and, snatching a
whip out of a bystander’s hand, endeavoured to whip out the ring,
followed by Oliver. “Only give us a chance,” cried Josh., “and we
can’t lose it.” Nothing foul appeared to be attempted on the part of
Spring or on the side of Langan. The constables were mixed in the
mob, struggling for breath; the fighting men hoarse with calling
out, “Clear the ring,” and dead beat from the exertions they had
made. Nothing less than a company of Horse Guards could have made
out a ring at this period, so closely jammed were the spectators.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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