An amateur who was present at the reading of this letter observed, with very bad taste, “that Cooper did not dare to fight Hickman;” and Hickman, following suit, said, “that he would sooner have given 20 guineas himself, than such a disappointment should have occurred in the sporting world.” Hickman made sure, according to his own expressions, that he could “beat Cooper in a canter.”
In consequence of the backers of Cooper having forfeited to Hickman upon the second match, as above stated, the interest in the sporting world was much increased when the third match was made for 100 guineas a-side, in December, 1820, and the battle announced to take place on the ensuing 11th of April.
Cooper arrived in London, from Edinburgh (riding the whole of the 400 miles on horseback), on the 1st of March. From the circumstance of a man like Cooper, who had been defeated in the short space of fourteen minutes and a half, leaving a good business at the Britannia Tavern, Leith Street, Edinburgh, again to meet his opponent, subject to the general opinion of the fancy against him, he was justly pronounced to be one of the gamest men alive. The odds were six and seven to four against him. It was, however, thought by several of his friends, that his “fine fighting” would enable him to win it; and Cooper was confident in the extreme. During his training, at Riddlesdown, where he was taken great care of, he had a severe attack of illness, dyspepsia supervening, and boils breaking out upon his legs; a sufficient warning, we should think, that he was unfit for the hardy exercise imposed by training. The battle lasted but two rounds, and in three minutes our hero bit the dust a second time, from literally a chance shot under the ear! (See the details in the Life of Hickman, post.) The following remarks from a contemporary magazine, will show that there was more misfortune than disgrace in this second defeat:—
“It has created considerable surprise among the fancy, that no mark was left from a blow which effected such terrible execution; but that surprise must immediately cease, when it is explained anatomically. Had the blow come in contact with the angle of the jaw, a bruise might have been perceived; but even a slight hit on the jugular vein is capable of shaking the brain, suspending the circulation of the blood to and from the heart, and creating a sort of apoplexy. In like manner a heavy hit on the fleshy part of the neck may not leave a mark. Had Cooper been in proper condition, in all probability it would not have taken so severe an effect. During his training, ten boils came out on one of his legs, which so crippled him for a week, that he was compelled to rest it on a chair; and when that leg got well, boils broke out on the other; in consequence of which an old trainer (old Joe Ward), advised Cooper to take ‘three sweats’—the doctor also physicked him on the evening previous to the battle. If his leg had not been lanced he could not have walked to the ring; and on the morning of the battle his leg was also dressed half an hour before the fight.” Cooper was anxious for another trial, and several gentlemen promised to back him. “If he did not fight Hickman,” he said, “he would not fight any other person,” as he did not feel himself satisfied, as Pat observed, until he got “the value of a good bating.”
After the unexpected termination of this second encounter, Cooper seated himself beside the ring to witness the following battle between Collier and Evans. He was evidently more hurt in mind than body.
Cooper now lay by for nearly four years; he repaired to London in the spring of 1825, where, after a sparring bout, at the Fives Court, with Bill Eales, at Scroggins’s benefit, on Tuesday, April 26th, he was challenged by White-headed Bob (Ned Baldwin), and £50 was deposited, to be made £200 a-side, and to fight the first week in July. The constitutional warnings above noticed should have deterred Cooper from this contest with a game, fresh young man, but his spirit said no, and on the 5th of July, 1825, the scientific George Cooper closed his career in defeat. In this battle nature deserted him, and he broke the small bone of his right leg, in the 18th round, by a mere twist of the foot, consequent on the length of the spikes in his shoes; nevertheless, he came up three more rounds ere he surrendered.
This was Cooper’s last appearance; he deserved and retained the respect of those who knew him best, until his death, which took place at Laughton Gate, near Liverpool, February 14, 1834, in the 43rd year of his age.
