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while their skill in offence and defence is displayed as much as when 

 they have battle spurs. I am glad to say I saw only two cock-fights 

 with artificial spurs, and most certainly I shall never look at another, 

 but I often saw cocks spar with gloves, and I hope to see the same 

 again. 



Prize-fighting with the bare fists, as carried on formerly, was brutal 

 and degrading, but, after all, the combatants were rational beings, and 

 if they chose to batter each other till one was beaten, and to be well 

 paid for doing so, why, it was their own concern. Therefore, I don't 

 look on prize-fighting as badly as I do upon cock-fighting, where 

 two poor birds are set at one another, and death alone decides the 

 battle. 



Men in the highest position in society have upheld prize-fighting 

 down even to the very present day. Admiral Rous, only a few 

 years back, looked upon its suppression by the authorities as a national 

 calamity. He thought as many others did, and do still, that it tended 

 to encourage and sustain the pluck and endurance that the British 

 were always celebrated for. Whether it did or not, there is no denying 

 the fact that prize-fighting could not, in this enlightened and senti- 

 mental age, be tolerated. At the same time, it must be explained 

 that during the last few years of the history of the ring there was very 

 much more brutality shown among the roughs and seam of the earth 

 who were the spectators than was shown by the men within the ropes. 

 In the days to which the following article refers there were seldom 

 rows or bad conduct at the ring-side. It was later on that ruffianism 

 crept in, until at last almost every fight ended in riot and disorder. 

 This, of course, disgusted the upper classes, and they withdrew their 

 patronage. When left without that support the P.R soon got perfectly 

 •demoralised, and had to be stamped out by the authorities. 



The last great genuine fights were on November 26, 1862, and 

 December 8, '63, when Tom King on both occasions was victorious, 

 beating, on the respective dates. Mace and Heenan. The former battle 

 was decided by the most terrific blow ever given in the ring, King, 

 with a counter, knocking Mace so completely out of time that he did 

 not recover consciousness for over half an hour. Some time before 

 that the celebrated battle between Sayers and Heenan took place at 

 Farnborough, of which I give, later on, an account. 



Prize-fighting was not attempted to be revived for some five-and- 

 twenty years, but efforts were then made, and so-called fights were 

 brought off. So disgraceful were the exhibitions, owing to the 

 Tulfianism of the spectators, the cowardice and want of skill of the 

 men, and the fact that each * fight " was invariably got up for dis- 

 honourable motives, that the public immediately got quite disgusted 

 and would not tolerate a revival of prize-fighting, and it is to be hoped 

 we have seen the last of it. The fight at Bruges between Slavin and 

 Smith, where a brave and good boxer like the former was denied even 

 !the fair play Englishmen always boast of showing, particularly to a 



