EVILS OF OVER-TRAINING. 71 



September, just eleven weeks before the match, his 

 weight was 15st. 71bs. As he stepped into the ring 

 on the 10th inst. he was exactly 14 stones. At the 

 same time King weighed 13 stones, though he was 

 three quarters of an inch taller than Heenan, whose 

 height is 6ft. 1^ in. Those who know what severe 

 training means, will, perhaps, agree with us that Heenan 

 was probably in better condition Jive weeks before meeting 

 his antagonist than on the morning of his defeat, although, 

 when he stripped for fighting, the lookers on all agreed 

 that he seemed to promise himself an easy victory, while 

 exulting in his fine proportions, and splendid muscular 

 development. 



6 It is now clearly proved that Heenan went into the 

 contest with much more muscular than vital power. 



( Long before he had met with any severe punish- 

 ment indeed, as he states, in the third round he felt 

 faint, breathed with difficulty, and, as he described it, 

 his respiration was ' roaring.' He declares that he re- 

 ceived more severe punishment at the hands of Sayers 

 than he did from King, yet at the termination of the 

 former fight, which lasted upwards of two hours, he 

 was so fresh as to leap over two or three hurdles, and 

 distance many of his friends in the race. It was 

 noticed on the present occasion that his physique had 

 deteriorated, and that he looked very much older than 

 at his last appearance in the ring. 



f Without offering any opinion as to the merits of the 

 combatants, it is certain that Heenan was in a state of 

 very deteriorated health when he faced his opponent, 



