“A twenty-seven feet ring was formed with ropes, and the heroes, without loss of time, entered and set-to; Maddox seconded by Gully and Bill Gibbons, and Richmond by Bob Clarke and Jack Ward. At setting-to odds six to four on Maddox.”
THE FIGHT.
Round 1.—Maddox went in as usual with great gaiety; Richmond stopped him, and planting two successful blows on the neck, brought him down.
2.—Maddox rallied, and threw his opponent over the ropes.
3.—An excellently contested round, in which Richmond displayed great superiority, both in science and strength, and after good fighting threw his aged adversary with a force which astonished every spectator.
10.—Maddox evidently fought at great disadvantage, but stood up courageously. (Odds were now changed in favour of Richmond four to one.)
The bravery of Maddox, however, spun out the battle for fifty-two minutes, and he displayed as much game as, perhaps, ever was seen. Within a few minutes of the termination of the contest, when quite blind, he was on his knees, and by a sudden effort he sprung up, and holding Richmond round the neck with one hand, continued to deal out some tremendous hits with the other, but nature was at length exhausted, and he fell.
George was liberally rewarded for his prowess by a subscription. This was the battle which the Right Hon. William Windham eulogised in a speech in Parliament, which we have quoted already at pp. 90, 91.
Richmond, having thus “fed fat his ancient grudge,” appears merely as a second in several leading events. Having quarrelled with Power, when seconding “Uncle Ben” (Burn) against Dogherty (see Ben Burn in Appendix), the following turn-up took place, of which we find the record in “Pancratia,” p. 334–5. We extract it as a specimen of the state of society, which, with all our advocacy of legitimate pugilism and a fight in its proper time and place, or when necessity and self-defence compel it, we should be sorry to see restored.
“On May 1st, 1810, a large party of amateurs and pugilists, amongst whom were Gully, Jackson, Richmond, Dogherty, Cribb, and Tom Belcher, dined at the Castle (then called Bob’s Chophouse), in Holborn. After the cloth was cleared, several sporting theatricals being present some capital songs were sung, and the bottle circled freely. Some excellent sparring was then exhibited by some of the first professors, and at length it was agreed that a subscription purse of £20 should be made by the company present, and immediately fought for by young Cribb and Dogherty. Tom Cribb seconded his brother, and Richmond, who is handy on all occasions, seconded Dogherty; betting even. Cribb displayed great gluttony, threw in some excellent hits successfully, and often rallied and beat away the superior science of his opponent; but at the end of an hour, being quite exhausted, gave in, when Dogherty was declared the conqueror. Both combatants were several times hit off their legs.