Both parties had been a month in training. All the patrons and admirers of pugilism having gained information on the preceding evening of the seat of combat, early in the morning Blackheath was thronged. A ring was formed, and about eleven o’clock Cribb entered, accompanied by Richmond, the black, and Joe Norton, as his seconds. Blake soon followed, with Dick Hall and Webb, for his attendants. They stripped, and immediately set-to. Bets even, but odds generally considered in favour of Cribb, from his known agility and skill. The combatants met each other with great eagerness, and each put in some exceedingly good blows. For a quarter of an hour bets remained stationary, and both champions in that time had displayed a degree of science and courage almost unprecedented. Cribb, however, being longer in the reach than his opponent, it was seldom Blake could effectively get home a blow. At the end of an hour Blake began to show great symptoms of distress, and odds were now strongly betted in favour of Cribb. Still Blake stood up manfully, and displayed a great deal of his usual dexterity. Until within the two last rounds of the battle, Cribb astonishingly supported his advantage; but here Blake brought his utmost, both in strength and skill, into action. He put in several excellent straight hits about his opponent’s head; Cribb rallied most determinedly. Blake recovered and returned to the rally, but overreaching himself, Cribb threw him a cross-buttock.
The next round decided the contest; Blake found he was fighting at an overpowering disadvantage, and gave in. Blake was extremely weak; he could hardly stand; and Cribb showed marks of his antagonist’s dexterity.
Belcher, Warr, Mendoza, Bittoon, Berks, Maddox, and Jack Holmes were there. Several amateurs offered to back Cribb against any pugilist going, but no one accepted the challenge.
Cribb was not allowed to rest long upon the laurels he had thus acquired by two victories in two months. A ponderous Jew, known as Ikey Pig, well known among the sparring schools, fancied he could take the shine out of the Black Diamond, whom many declared to be “slow as a top.” Fifty guineas was posted, and Blackheath named as the rendezvous. On May 21st, 1805, the battle came off. Tom Jones seconded Cribb, and Will Wood, the coachman, picked up the Jew.
For the first quarter of an hour Ikey made good use of his strength. He closed at the end of each round, and brought Cribb down heavily more than once. Cribb fought very steadily and cautiously, generally drawing his man after him. Being, however, down and undermost at the end of several rounds, superficial observers thought that Cribb had the worst of it, and betted against him. In the eighth and ninth rounds, however, though Cribb was down, Ikey’s friends perceived their man had much the worst of it. He was not only much disfigured but sadly distressed by some heavy half-arm hits which Cribb had delivered with the right on his left side. They fought two more rounds, making eleven in all, when Ikey, who was terribly distressed, refused to fight any more, alleging that he had sprained his wrist. “This defeat sadly mortified many of the Israelites, who considered Ikey had shown ‘the white feather.’ It was afterwards, however, agreed that he had no chance of victory.”
Cribb was unquestionably “going the pace,” and “it is the pace that kills.” The next month (June), he was matched to fight George Nicholls, on the 20th July. They met at Broadwater, and here Cribb experienced his first and last defeat. The details will be found under Nicholls’ memoir in the Appendix to this Period.
As colour or country made no difference to Tom Cribb, any more than to his smaller successor Tom Sayers, Cribb entered the ring on the 8th October, 1805, with Bill Richmond, the black, at Hailsham, Sussex, after Gully had been defeated by the accomplished Pearce, the Game Chicken. The purse was 25 guineas, twenty to the winner.
“At any other time,” says the reporter, “a contest between these men would have demanded the greatest attention, but so highly were the minds of the amateurs excited by the merit of the first contenders, that little notice seemed paid to the present battle. To call it a battle, however, is to disgrace the synonyme of fight. It was a most unequal match. Richmond, finding he could not get at his steady and formidable opponent, hopped and danced about the ring, sometimes falling down, at others jigging round in the style of an Otaheitan dance. Cribb appeared somewhat puzzled by his opponent’s long black pegs, and could not be persuaded to go in and lick him off hand, as every one knew was well in his power. Twenty minutes elapsed without a single blow of any consequence passing. In this manner they spun it out for one hour and a half, when Cribb was acknowledged the victor, without being the least hurt. Among the numerous sporting equestrians present was the Duke of Clarence.”
Cribb now rose into general notice, and John Jackson having introduced him to the renowned Captain Barclay, of Ury (of whom more anon), that excellent judge quickly perceived his natural good qualities; he took him in hand, trained him under his own eye, and backed him for 200 guineas against the famous Jem Belcher, whose prestige was still so great, that, despite the loss of an eye, six to four was laid upon him so soon as the match was made.
On the classic hurst of Moulsey, on the 8th April, 1807, in a twenty feet roped ring, Tom Cribb and Jem Belcher met. Gully and Bob Watson, of Bristol, waited upon Belcher; Bill Warr and Bill Richmond (last defeated by Cribb), waited on the champion.