An Upward Trend

With the passing of Molineaux and the rise of Cribb to fistic heights, boxing took an upward trend. Cribb took a fancy to a seventeen-year-old boxer whose name was Thomas Winters but who started boxing under the name of Tom Spring. So pleased was Cribb with Spring's first performance against "Hammer" Hollands, a fighter with great hitting power, that he became Tom's coach and teacher and imparted to him much of the ringcraft and generalship which had gained fame for Cribb.

Spring had defeated Jack Stringer in twenty-nine rounds, following which, through Cribb's influence, he was matched with Ned Painter and Cribb's protégé again triumphed. A return bout was arranged in which Spring injured his right eye and had to default in the forty-second round. This was the only time in a long and honorable career that Spring suffered defeat.

The youngster whipped in turn Jack Carter, Ben Burn, Bob Burn, Joshua Hudson, called the "John Bull Fighter," and Tom Oliver, all top pugilists. It was because of those victories that Cribb announced his retirement as champion and named Spring his successor. But Bill Neate of Bristol, whose battle with Tom Hickman, "The Gasman," gained international recognition through William Hazlitt's literary classic, The Fight, challenged the procedure.

Spring accepted Neat's challenge and the latter was forced to surrender after thirty-seven minutes of fighting on May 17, 1823, at Hinckley Downs. Following his successful title defense, Spring engaged Jack Langan in two bouts, winning each, and then retired.

The years between 1814 and 1824 saw the greatest rise in British pugilism, with the Spring-Langan contests the outstanding ones. The champion scaled 190 pounds to 176 for his challenger. Spring, with his fighting career ended, became an innkeeper and prospered. He died on August 20, 1851, at the age of fifty-six. Langan became a hotel proprietor in Liverpool. He died on St. Patrick's Day, 1846, at the age of forty-seven.

Spring's successor to the heavyweight crown was Tom Cannon, who was named champion after his defeat of Joshua Hudson in two contests. With Spring and Langan retired, Hudson's victory over Jem Ward gained him recognition by the Corinthians as leading contender for the throne.

Can non disputed the claim and their two bouts followed to fettle the matter. Cannon won the first encounter in the seventeenth round and the return affair in one round less. Thus he was acknowledged Spring's successor.

Jem Ward relieved him of the crown the following year. Cannon entered the ring for the last time with Ned Neale as his opponent and won in thirty minutes. He retired and spent his last days in poverty. He died on July 11, 1858, by his own hand.

Ward was the twenty-sixth champion, an excellent fighter but a man of ill repute. Twice he was accused of engaging in fake contests. Despite his skill, his reign brought disgrace to himself and undermined his profession. In each he wagered on himself to lose. He was the first pugilist to receive a championship belt.

He held his honors until Peter Crawley, the "Young Rump Steak," a butcher boy by trade, stopped him on January 2, 1827, in the eleventh round. Peter held the crown only two days, the shortest in ring history. He announced his retirement; Ward reclaimed the title and successfully met a challenge by Jack Carter on May 27, 1828, stopping Carter in the seventeenth round.

Simon Byrne also disputed Ward's claim and lie and Jem fought for the right to wear the crown. Their battle at Warwick on July 12, 1831, ended with Byrne the loser after an hour and seventeen minutes of fighting. Ward was now for the second time proclaimed the heavyweight king, the only person to regain his throne in that division either in the bare-knuckle or gloves era. On June 25, 1832, Ward announced his retirement. He died at the age of eighty-one.

The first globe trotter in ring history followed Ward as wearer of the crown. His name was James "Deaf" Burke. Although born in England, lie had the Celtic tag pinned on him because his parents were Irish. He was the twenty-ninth champion of England and his bouts were more numerous than those of any who preceded him. He fought twenty times and lost only twice. He was a strong, well - built boxer with an abundance of stamina and a master in rough - and - tumble battling.

After Jem Ward, who had whipped Byrne for the heavyweight title of England, announced his retirement, Burke laid claim to the crown. His record entitled him to the laurels but Harry Macone challenged the claim and was accommodated and defeated in fifty rounds of tough milling. Thus Burke clinched the title.

Now Simon Byrne of Ireland came forth to contest Burke's right to such honors and in a struggle at St. Albans that lasted ninety-eight rounds for a total of three hours and sixteen minutes, the longest championship fight on record, Burke won. Unfortunately, however, his opponent died from a ring injury and thereafter Burke was hounded both in his own country and in America, where he went in disgust at the treatment he was receiving.

In America his arch enemy, Samuel O'Rourke, who had crossed the Atlantic to make his fortune, slandered Burke and took every opportunity to antagonize him. In this he succeeded and because of their feud, a fight was arranged for New Orleans where O'Rourke, a gambler and gangster, awaited his arrival, prepared with a mob to do Burke bodily harm.

Their rough battle went only three rounds when Burke was attacked by O'Rourke's gangsters, who cut the ropes and engaged Burke's followers in a free-for-all in which even firearms were used. Burke escaped and came to New York, where he had one more bout at Hart's Island with Paddy O'Connell.

After winning that fight he returned to England, where he lost his championship to William Thompson, known- as "Bendigo."

O'Rourke's end was written in blood. He drifted to a lumber camp in Canada, lost his money in gambling and turned to smuggling. He was found murdered by a fellow lumberjack. Thus came to an end the career of one of the most notorious characters in the early history of American fisticuffs.

"Bendigo" retired after an accident which injured his left kneecap, and Ben Caunt, better known as "Big Ben," claimed the title. Five years later "Bendigo" recovered from his injury sufficiently to re-enter the ring. Twice "Bendigo" and Gaunt had fought, each scoring a victory on a foul.

In the third bout they fought seventy-five bitterly contested rounds, when `Bendigo" slipped to a fall and the referee awarded the decision to Gaunt on the plea that "Bendigo" had violated the Prize Ring rule which disqualified any boxer who went down without being hit.

"Bendigo's" last fight resulted in a victory for him over Tom Paddock on a foul. Then he retired to become a clergyman. He was the first man in ring history to leave a championship for the pulpit. He died following internal injuries sustained by a fall down a flight of stairs on August 23, 1880.

Ben Caunt, a giant in size, lost the championship to Nick Ward, a younger brother of the veteran ex - champion, jem Ward, but recaptured the title from his conqueror in a return match. Caunt then adventured abroad, visiting America, where he scored a big financial success with exhibitions throughout the country.

Receiving a challenge from Charles Freeman of Michigan to fight for $10,000 and the world's championship, Caunt returned to New York. He declined the challenge when he learned that Freeman was six feet ten inches tall. Instead, he took Freeman on a tour of Europe.

When they reached England, William Perry, "The Tipton Slasher," decided to tackle the American. Seventy rounds were fought when the referee called a halt on account of the gathering shades of night and ordered the bout continued the following day. However, Perry, who had suffered severely, succeeded in having the continuation of the battle put off for two weeks.

The referee disqualified Perry in the thirty-seventh round in the second stage of the battle and Freeman was declared the victor.

Shortly after that, Freeman became seriously ill, a victim of tuberculosis, and died on October 18, 1845.

Perry, outside of his defeat by Freeman, decisively defeated the best men of his day in England, and when "Bendigo" retired in 1850 he was matched with Tom Paddock in a battle for the championship that terminated in a victory for the Slasher in the twenty-seventh round on a foul.

On September 29, 1851, Perry dropped the title, losing on a foul to Harry Broome.

Tom Paddock, who had three times contested for the championship, was the man to wrest the title from Broome on May 19, 1856, winning in fifty-one rounds of gruelling fighting. About two years later, on June 16, 1858, the greatest fighting man of his inches in England-Tom Sayers-defeated Paddock for the heavyweight crown in a battle lasting one hour and twenty minutes.