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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

Name: 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
Author: Miles, Henry Downes

Miles, Henry Downes

Boxing

Langan—I’ll accept your challenge if you’ll make it 300, but I’ll not
fight for less—it would be beneath the dignity of the distinction at
which I aim, to fight for a smaller sum.

Ward—I am willing to fight for £300 if my friends will make up the sum.

Here the matter ended, and nothing decisive was done.

The Irish hero arrived in Bristol, on his way to Dublin, on the 11th of
July, 1824, but the packet not being ready to sail, he immediately set
off by the steam-boat for Tenby, in Wales, in order to meet with the
steam-packet for Waterford. In his journey through Pembroke and Milford
he met with a very kind reception from the Welsh people. Langan put up
at the Nelson’s Hotel, in Milford. Crowds of people surrounded the house
during his stay; and the sailors, who were wind-bound, came on shore,
along with the crews of two revenue cutters, just to get a peep at the
Irish milling cove. The inhabitants of Tenby wished him to spar for a
benefit, and some gentlemen amateurs offered him their assistance, but
Langan refused to accept their kind offer, on account of his father’s
illness. He sailed in the Ivanhoe steam-packet for Waterford, on the
14th.

In the second fight with Spring, our hero, during one of his severe
falls on the stage, injured his shoulder so seriously, that upon
Langan’s application to Mr. Cline, the celebrated surgeon, the latter
gentleman informed him he must not fight for a twelvemonth. In
consequence of this advice, Langan kept aloof from the prize ring, and
went on a sparring tour, in various parts of England, with Spring; paid
a visit to Dublin, Cork, and various other parts of Ireland, with great
success, and likewise went on a similar expedition with Peter Crawley to
Liverpool, Manchester, etc. Jack improved considerably during his
practice with the late ponderous host of the French Horn.

Lots of letter-writing passed between Langan and Shelton on the subject
of a fight, but it all ended in smoke. Ward and our hero had also a few
words on the subject of a mill, but no battle was the result. For
several months after Langan’s fight with Spring, the pain in his
shoulder operated as a great drawback to his exertions in setting-to.
Jack could not hit out with effect.

We copy the following letter from a Dublin journal, to show the feelings
of our hero upon the subject of a challenge:


                 “_To the Editor of_ FREEMAN’S JOURNAL.

  “SIR,

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