Pugilistica: The History of British Boxing, Volume 3 (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, 1719-40, to the Last Championship Battle Between King and Heenan, in December 1863Miles, Henry Downes
History
Pugilistica: The History of British Boxing, Volume 3 (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, 1719-40, to the Last Championship Battle Between King and Heenan, in December 1863
Miles, Henry Downes
Boxing
REMARKS.――The report of this fight tells its own tale.
Nick Ward’s conduct completely confirmed the suspicions
of his chicken-hearted pretensions. He wanted that one
requisite of all others indispensable to a
pugilist――courage; and although his science was
unquestionable, it can only be displayed to advantage
in the sparring school. As he said himself after his
fight with Sambo Sutton, he “was not cut out for a
fighting man;” and the best advice we can give him is
to retire altogether from the Ring. Caunt, who from the
first booked victory as certain, sustained his
character for bravery, and left off as fresh as when he
commenced, although somewhat damaged in the
frontispiece. His right eyebrow and cheek were much
swollen, and the back of his head displayed a prominent
bump of combativeness from the fall against the stakes.
His hands were little damaged, but the knuckle of his
right hand showed that it had come in ugly contact with
Nick’s “pimple” or ribs. He was much improved in his
style of fighting since his former exhibitions in the
Ring; instead of hitting over the guard, as was his
former practice, he hit straight from the shoulder, and
having learned to lead off with his left, was enabled
the more effectively to bring the heavy weight of his
right into useful play. He still, however, hit round
with his right, and the most severe blows which Ward
received during the contest were those which were
planted on the ribs and side of the head with this
hand. These blows, with the heavy falls, to which was
superadded the weight of his antagonist, no doubt
tended to extinguish the little courage he might have
possessed. Caunt was carefully seconded by his aged
uncle and Atkinson, and although, had it been necessary
to carry him to his corner, they might not have been
able to afford him the requisite assistance, as that
necessity did not arise no fault was to be found.
Throughout the battle excellent order was maintained,
and there were none of those irregularities observable
on the former occasion. Jem Ward and his friends
conducted themselves with great propriety, and
submitted to defeat as well as to the loss of their
money with as good a grace as could well have been
expected. To the amateurs and patrons of British boxing
the conduct of Nick Ward was most displeasing, and they
one and all declared that they had never seen a man
whose pretensions to the Championship had been more
disgracefully exposed. Caunt came to town the same
night, accompanied by Tom Spring, and on reaching the
“Castle” was received with universal congratulations.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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