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
“finer drawn” than at their previous meeting, and weighed, when
stripped, exactly 14st. 6lb. He never went to scale so light
before――indeed, it was not an excessive weight for a big-boned man
measuring 6 feet 2½ inches. He had, however, a narrow escape in his
training, for, on the Sunday week previous, in his walking exercise,
he trod on a stone, and turned his foot aside with such suddenness as
to strain the muscles of his leg and ankle so severely that he was
unable to walk for several days, exciting the serious apprehensions of
his friends; with rest and constant surgical care, however, he
overcame the mischief, and was as well as ever. Ward looked to us a
trifle too fleshy. He weighed 13st. 6lb., 10lb. more than when he
fought in February.
Some time previously a subscription had been raised to produce a
“Champion’s Belt,” to be given to the victor on this occasion, and to
be hereafter transferable, should he retire from the Ring or be beaten
by a more successful candidate for fistic honours. This belt, under
the superintendence of a committee, was completed, and now for the
first time was held forth as an additional incitement to bravery and
good conduct. Previous to the commencement of the battle, Cicero Holt,
the well-known orator of the Ring, and second of Nick Ward, approached
the scratch, and silence being called, held up the belt, pronouncing
that in addition to the stakes this trophy had been prepared by a
number of liberal gentlemen, as a spur to the honest and manly feeling
which it was desirable should ever pervade the minds of men who sought
distinction in the Prize Ring. “Honour and fair play,” it was their
opinion, should be the motto of English boxers, and it would be their
proud gratification to see this belt girded round the loins of him,
whoever he might be, who entitled himself in spirit and principle to
the terms of that motto. They were influenced by neither favour nor
affection, nor by prejudice of any kind; all they desired was that the
best man might win, wear this trophy, and retain it so long as he was
enabled to maintain the high and distinguished title of Champion of
England. On resigning, or being stripped of the laurels of
Championship, it would then be his duty to transfer this proud badge
to his more fortunate successor, and thus a prize would be established
which it would ever be the pride of gallant Englishmen to possess, and
its brightness, he trusted, would never be tarnished by an act of
dishonour. It was to be finally presented, he said, when complete, at
a dinner to be given at Jem Burn’s, where the subscription originated,
on Monday, the 31st instant.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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