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
The succeeding ten rounds were fought in the same
style. Little worthy of note occurred; each in turn
obtained some trifling advantage in the hitting or
failing but neither exhibited any disposition to say
enough, although we thought that Bendigo from his
repeated falls, began to evince symptoms of fatigue.
The confusion round the ring continued most annoying,
although, the ropes and stakes were still preserved
entire. Many persons, from the pressure of those
behind, were completely exhausted, and happy to beat a
retreat. For ourselves (Ed. of _Bell’s Life_) we had
repeatedly to bear the weight of some half-dozen
neighbours, to which the bodies of both Caunt and
Bendigo were occasionally added as they fell over the
ropes on us. During all this time the members of the
London Ring, with one or two exceptions (Macdonald and
Johnny Broome in particular), were perfectly quiescent,
and looked on with modest timidity, evidently afraid to
interfere with the “club law” of the Nottingham bands,
who were regularly organised, and obeyed the signals of
their leaders with a discipline worthy of a better
cause. [An impartial observation convinced us that
Caunt’s partisans quite rivalled those of Bendigo in
riotous ruffianism.――ED. “Pugilistica.”]
58.――Bendigo “jumped Jim Crow” round his man, tipped
him a left-handed smeller, and dropped without a
return.
59.――Caunt followed Bendy to the corner of the ring,
hitting out left and right, but without precision, and
certainly without doing execution. Bendy nailed him
with his left in the old style, and slipped down, but
instantly jumped up to renew the round. Caunt, instead
of stopping to fight, considering the round over, ran
across the ring to his corner, Bendy after him, till
they reached the ropes, and after a confused scramble,
in which Bendy used his left and right behind Caunt’s
back, both were down, amidst general expressions of
distaste at this style of fighting, but loud applause
for Bendy.
60.――Caunt no sooner on his legs than to his man, but
Bendy escaped his intended compliments left and right,
threw in his left on the mouth, and dropped, Caunt
falling over him.
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