52.—The Gipsy was hit down. The Sharpites outrageous in their applause and gestures. (“It is as safe as the day.”)
53.—The hitting of the Gipsy was gone, and his right hand appeared of no use to him. Here Spring whispered to Cooper “to use his right hand, and he must win it.” “I cannot use it,” replied the Gipsy; “I have hurt my shoulder.” The Gipsy fibbed down at the ropes. Another tremendous shout for Sharpe.
54.—The nob of the Gipsy appeared punished severely, and his right eye was cut. Both down.
55.—Sharpe now took great liberties with the head of his opponent, and fell upon him so heavily as nearly to shake the wind out of him.
56, and last.—This was short and sweet to Sharpe; he hit Cooper down, and when time was called victory was declared in favour of Bishop Sharpe. The battle occupied one hour twenty-five minutes.
Remarks.—The judges called the above mill a bad fight—a long innings, and but little to show for it. The face of Sharpe had scarcely a mark upon it; and the Gipsy said “he was not hurt.” A medical man on the ground examined the shoulder of the Gipsy, and he pronounced “the clavicle to be fractured.” (Of course, this sounded more learned than to say “the collar-bone was broken.”) This fracture prevented the Gipsy from lifting his arm without experiencing a grinding of the bones, producing great pain. If the Gipsy had taken the lead instead of retreating from his adversary, it was thought he must have won it. Cooper missed several blows, and at various times did not follow up his success. This was observable in the tenth round, the ninth being a guinea to a shilling in his favour.
A second match with Jack Cooper was fought by Sharpe at Harpenden Common, on the 5th of August, 1823, with the like result, Sharpe proving conqueror in thirty-nine minutes, during which Cooper fought thirty rushing rounds. The two battles were so similar that a reprint would be mere repetition. At Blackheath Sharpe and Cooper met a third time, on November 14th, in the same year, for £100, and fought a draw, daylight closing in on the undecided contest.
On the 10th of May, 1825, Sharpe, after an absence of some twelve months in his seafaring occupation, got on a match for £25 a-side with an aspirant, one Ben Warwick, whom the Bold Smuggler polished off after a one-sided battle of considerable obstinacy in twenty-five minutes, being, as many said, at the rate of a sov. per minute. As Mr. Warwick, to whose credit some previous conquests of outsiders are placed, never again sported canvas in the P.R., we shall not report the battle.
Sharpe, by his victories over Cooper and his drawn battle with Alec Reid, already noticed, encouraged his friends to seek what was expected to be a decisive match with his scientific adversary the Chelsea Snob, more especially as the latter had in the interval beaten Jack Cooper, Jubb, and Savage. The stakes of £100 were made good, and on the 6th of September, 1826, the men met at the renowned battle-field of No Man’s Land, in Hertfordshire.
The “Bishop” set up his training quarters at the “Castle,” Highgate, while Reid took his breathings on Putney Heath, patronising the “Green Man.” In point of age Reid had the advantage, being twenty-four, while Sharpe numbered thirty summers. In the former fight the odds were quoted at six to four on Reid, but on this occasion five to four were laid on the Smuggler. On the Tuesday morning the lads of “the long village” were astir as early as five o’clock, and a lively succession of vehicles bowled along the great North Road.