Boxing and Athletics. 27 



jockey who is under a cloud, and cannot get employed by 

 the leading men of the turf. 



All the evidence that I have ever collected tallies exactly 

 with what I have heard from the late Old Tom Cribb, Tom 

 Sprmg, Alec Keene, and Young Read (rather long in the 

 tooth, perhaps, now, for a young 'un, but alive and well, 

 and teaching the present generation the noble art) ; which 

 evidence is, that there was a real pleasure in fighting, 

 springing from a love of boxing and an honest struggle for 

 superiority. We all know that there was a black side to 

 it, and so much blackguardism crept in, that gentlemen of 

 position turned their backs on it, and practically it died 

 out. 



And it is a matter of immense congratulation that there 

 has arisen from the ashes of the old Ring a love of boxing, 

 which has produced a large school of amateurs, who 

 perhaps are quite equal to a great number of the good men 

 of the past with the gloves. Whether they are hard 

 enough to do it without the gloves is another thing, and is 

 not of much consequence. On the other hand, it is a 

 matter of much regret that the police are encouraged to 

 pry into every contest under the Queensbery rules for a 

 cup. There should be a little discretion allowed. When 

 they know that two low beershop-keepers are puttmg up 

 two youngsters to box for an endurance match, to see 

 which will last it out, they might put in an appearance, as 

 a man may die of exhaustion quite as much as from an 

 unfortunate blow ; and for the sake of a small stake and a 

 few bets, a contest may be prolonged for the good of no- 

 body, and possibly the death of one of the boxers ; but 

 when a combat of three rounds only is to take j)lace, to be 

 decided by experts in points of excellence, they had much 

 better stop away. The evidence is always the same, and 

 the police say that from information they received it was 



