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
“This is to certify that Messrs. Swiney and Cope, being appointed
umpires in the fight between Langan and Vipond, declare that the
fight was fairly won by Langan.
“W. SWINEY,
“ENOS COPE.
“_Buxton, April 30th, 1823._”
Langan, after his conquest over Vipond, left Lancashire for the Emerald
Isle, to exonerate his bail; honesty being at all times his polar star.
He had scarcely landed in Dublin, when he was compelled to spend his
time in the Marshalsea, in consequence of not being able to raise the
sum of money necessary to repair Miss Katty’s damages. Langan ultimately
got out of his love adventure by the adverse party not opposing his
discharge at the Insolvent Court; nevertheless, this bit of a love
affair made great havoc in his cash account. Shortly after our hero’s
liberation from durance vile, he received a letter from Tom Reynolds,
informing Jack that Rough Robin could be backed against him in
Manchester. He lost no time in obeying the summons; but to his great
regret, he found out it was “no go”—the Rough One did not appear at the
scratch. Langan issued a challenge to all the Lancashire boys, but
without the desired effect, and the Irish Champion could not pick up a
customer. A sporting friend recommended Langan to visit Ned Painter, at
Norwich, and under his auspices to enter the P.R. Jack would readily
have availed himself of his advice, but Tom Reynolds, under whose
guidance he was at that time, wished Langan to have a shy with Josh
Hudson, at Doncaster Races, for a subscription purse—the John Bull
Fighter having announced himself ready to meet any boxer at that
sporting town. Many slips, however, happen between the cup and the lip;
the manager of the Manchester Theatre had engaged Spring and Cribb for a
sparring exhibition; the placards announced Spring as the Champion of
England, and stated, at the same time, that the latter celebrated
pugilist was ready to fight any man in the world. Langan conceived that
the validity of Spring’s title to the championship at least demanded a
trial, and therefore, without hesitation, challenged Tom Spring for
£100. This, in the first instance, was refused by Spring, but after
several negotiations upon the subject, a match was made for six hundred
sovereigns, and the battle took place at Worcester, on Wednesday,
January 7, 1824, as may be seen detailed in the preceding chapter.
Langan, accompanied by Reynolds, appeared in London a few days after his
defeat at Worcester, and exhibited the art of self-defence at the Surrey
Theatre. He was warmly received by the Sporting World.
Thinking he was not fairly treated in his fight at Worcester, Langan
entered into a second match for 1,000 sovereigns.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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