England Loses Prestige

Boxing was forced into the background in England for a time following the disorder in the Sayers-Heenan battle. The police became more belligerent, the clergy more alert, the attacks on the sport more prevalent. The sport had entered into a rough period.

But two men's names stood out prominently: Tom King, who conquered Heenan; and the great jem Mace, known as the "Swaffham Gypsy," one of the greatest ring men with the gloves that boxing has produced.

On Tom Sayers' retirement, Tom Paddock claimed the British title, and in a bout with Sam Hurst, his challenger, the latter, a 210-pound giant, clinched the championship by stopping Paddock in nine minutes and thirty seconds.

But Hurst lacked color and ability and his reign failed to arouse enthusiasm among the British followers of boxing. It remained for Mace to bring new life into the sport.

A cabinet-maker by trade, he was born at Beeston in Norfolk, on April 8, 1831.

He was one of four brothers, three of whom were blacksmiths. He was extremely fond of music and in his youth he frequently traveled the country as an itinerant fiddler. Though called a gypsy, he and his family denied he had any Romany blood.

Mace learned his boxing in the booths where he would offer his opponent the choice of gloves or bare - knuckles, but invariably he succeeded in having the former used. He discouraged bare-fist fighting and thus brought public attention to the use of the mitts, a procedure later followed by John L. Sullivan.

He won the British middleweight crown and after defeating Slasher Slack and Bill Thorpe, a clever middleweight, he lost to Bob Brettle, then whipped "Posh" Bill' and Bob Travers.

In a return bout with Brettle, he was returned the victor. By this time Mace had grown heavier and he resolved to try for heavyweight honors. He was matched with Sam Hurst for the British title and stopped Hurst in eight rounds lasting fifty minutes.

Thus Mace won the British crown on June 18, 1861. On January 28 of the following year he defended his crown successfully against Tom King, who outweighed him by thirty pounds. The bout went forty-three rounds.

In a second encounter on November 26, 1862, King, on the verge of exhaustion, landed a wild swing on Mace's temple, flooring him. Mace collapsed two rounds later and a new champion was crowned.

Tom King at once announced his retirement. But with Heenan clamoring for the world's championship by virtue of his memorable struggle with Sayers, British sportsmen insisted that King should fight the "Benicia Boy." Public opinion was too strong and King came out of retirement and beat Heenan, who was forced to quit.

Having regained the world's championship for his country, Tom King declared he had fought for the last time. True to his word, he remained in retirement. Later, he became a familiar figure on the English turf. Dame Fortune followed him, for when he died in his fifty-fourth year, October 3, 1888, his estate was estimated at $300,000, a very respectable fortune in those days.

With King definitely out of the fistic picture, Mace was again universally recognized as world's heavyweight champion. In a battle with Joe Goss on September 1, 1863, Mace won in one hour, forty-five minutes and thirty seconds, and proved that as a scientific artist, he stood head and shoulders over all contemporaries.

While Mace was enjoying his victories overseas, Joe Coburn clinched his claim to the American championship after Heenan's retirement, by defeating Mike McCoole at Charlestown, Maryland, on May 5, 1863.

A year later, Coburn went to England for the purpose of fighting Mace.

Mace accepted the challenge and a match was arranged to be fought in the vicinity of Dublin, Ireland, on October 4, 1864. The affair ended unpleasantly when Coburn refused to accept any referee but his personal friend, James Bowler, and the bout was called off. Coburn returned to America and Mace remained idle until May 24, 1866, when he again clashed with his former foeman, Joe Goss, in an unsatisfactory bout that ended in a draw.

Mace was accused of not trying; with his reputation at stake, he offered Goss another match. On August 6, 1866, Mace gave Joe a terrific beating, stopping him in twenty-one rounds.

At this time, public feeling in England was decidedly opposed to the activities of the brethren of the thudding fists. A reform wave swept the country. The clergy preached against the "ruffians of the ring" and staging fights became a perilous pastime.

Ned O'Baldwin was matched with Mace, but the bout had to be cancelled. He then went to America. Tom Allen, Joe Wormwald, Joe Goss and others did the same. The fistic tide was now rising in the United States, where champions in all classes were developing.

With no opponents in sight at home, Mace departed on a tour of Australia, where he gave boxing exhibitions.

In the meantime, O'Baldwin and Joe Wormwald met in a battle at Lynnfield, Massachusetts, on October 20, 1868. The police interfered, and since Wormwald declined to "fight out matters" later, O'Baldwin was declared the winner. There was no title involved, since Mace still reigned as monarch.

By this time Mace decided that his proper base of operations was in the New World and he joined the exodus of pugilistic talent. On his arrival in America lie was matched with Tom Allen. The latter, born in Birmingham, England, had beaten "Posh"o Price, Parkinson, Illes, and fought a thirty-four rounds draw with Goss.

Before Allen took up his residence in the United States, Jim Dunn, Jimmy Elliott, and John Dwyer had each claimed and held the American championship at intervals.

Coburn had retired temporarily. Mike McCoole won from Allen on a foul, and since McCoole refused to meet Allen again, the latter was recognized as the best man to face Mace for the world's title.

The Mace-Allen battle took place at Kennerville, Louisiana, on May 10, 1870, and Mace won in ten rounds.

Coburn then challenged Mace and they met at Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, on November 30, 1871. It was a hard fought combat and was declared a draw.

Mace retired immediately after the Coburn engagement. His name was held in great esteem by his countrymen. He did more to foster the pure science of boxing than any other man of his era.

Great as Mace was when fighting under London Rules, it was as a glove artist that he appeared at his best. Following his retirement, his friends in New York presented him with a huge, handsome silver belt which now rests in "The Ring" Museum in Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Mace passed away on November 30, 1910, in Liverpool, England, at the age of seventy-nine.