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 — John Shaqi
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
“The stage to be boarded with deal planks, at least three inches
thick, and to be six feet from the ground, without turf. The
bottle-holders and seconds to retire to the corners of the ring when
the men shall have set-to, and not to approach the combatants till
one or both of them shall be down.
“The expenses of the stage to be equally borne by each of the men.”
To these conditions Spring took exceptions; first, expressing his desire
that the present deposit should be £100 instead of £50; this objection,
after a few remarks, he waived. He then objected to the day named for
the fight to take place, proposing the 25th of May instead of the 8th of
June; and, lastly, he insisted that the second £50 should be deposited
on the 13th of March, instead of the 17th, upon the ground that the 17th
had been appointed for Reynold’s benefit, and he did not wish to lend
himself to this additional attraction to the public. A good deal of
discussion followed, but, finally, there was mutual concession, Spring
agreeing to fight on the 8th of June, and Langan agreeing to make his
second deposit on the 13th instead of the 17th of March. All
difficulties thus cleared away, there were one or two verbal alterations
made in the articles; and a paragraph was added, by which it was agreed,
“that when the whole of the money was made good, it should be deposited
in the hands of Mr. Jackson.”
Spring, in alluding to the expense of erecting the stage, said he
thought it but fair, as this was Langan’s fancy, that he should bear the
whole expense. To which Langan replied, “See, now, Tom; say nothing
about that, for if I win, and I think I will, I’ll bear the whole
expense of the stage myself. (Loud cheers.) But that’s neither here nor
there; I hope the best man will win; and though we are going to fight,
it’s myself that would go a hundred miles to serve you, for I have no
antipathy or ill-blood towards you whatever.”
The president of the Daffy Club was then appointed stakeholder. The
articles having been signed and witnessed, and everything relative to
the pugilistic tourney having been settled comfortably on both sides,
Langan and his friends made their bows, and returned to finish the
evening at Belcher’s (the Castle).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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