60.—Grant led off, reached Sayers’ left eye, received one on his damaged listener, and slipped down.
61.—Grant appeared determined to finish the matter off hand, rushed in left and right on Sayers’ cheek and nose. Sayers put in both hands on the left eye and nose; a rally, close, and short struggle, both again coming to the ground heavily—Grant under.
62.—Sayers tried to lead off, but was short; Grant just contrived to reach his nose, but the blow had no steam in it, and Sayers in getting back slipped down.
63.—Both slow to the call of time, and both evidently exhausted. Grant was first up, but he looked much flushed; his face was much swollen, his nose anything but Roman in its appearance, and his left ear presenting an unpleasant spectacle. He rushed in, but Sayers, whose good-natured mug still bore the ghost of a smile, although nearly on the wrong side of his mouth, stopped him cleverly and got away; Grant followed him up, got home with his right on the side of his head, receiving, in return, on the left ear. A close, and long struggle for the fall, which Grant got, throwing his man and falling on him.
64 and last.—Grant came up looking very groggy. The falls in the few last rounds had evidently shaken him. He appeared to be suffering from cramp, but still was determined. He led off, getting slightly home on Sayers’ left cheek bone. Tom retaliated on the left ear. A few sharp exchanges were succeeded by another struggle for the fall, and ultimately both came very heavily to the ground—Grant being undermost—Tom falling across his stomach. Both were immediately picked up and carried to their corners, and on time being called, Jemmy Welsh, on the part of Grant, threw up the sponge in token of defeat. On our inquiring as to the cause of this rather unexpected termination of the affair, we were informed that Grant was severely suffering from cramp, and had moreover injured some part of his intestines in such a manner that it was feared he was ruptured, and he was in such pain that he could not stand upright. Sayers went up to his fallen but not disgraced adversary and shook him kindly by the hand, and was proclaimed the victor amidst the shouts of his friends. Grant was conveyed on a railway truck to a small public-house in the neighbourhood, where every attention was shown to him, but he continued in great pain for some time afterwards. The poor fellow was not actually ruptured; but he had received a severe internal strain, which caused him considerable uneasiness for some time. Grant met with an accident some time before at Manchester, which always rendered him weak in the muscles of the stomach, and he considered that being not fully up to the mark, he was more than usually susceptible of injury. The fight lasted exactly two hours and a half.
Remarks.—The great length to which our account of this “model mill” has extended imposes upon us the necessity of being brief in our remarks. Tom Sayers by this victory established for himself a reputation as a man of science, courage, and endurance, for which few were disposed to give him credit. The manner in which he stopped the determined attacks of his adversary, and the judgment with which he extricated himself from difficulty, and continually refused to struggle for the fall with a man stronger than himself, proved that his headpiece was screwed on the right way, and that although, compared with his opponent, a novice in the Prize Ring, he was perfectly acquainted with the theory of his art, and only wanted the occasion to arise to put that theory into practice. He proved himself a very hard hitter, and managed to get on to his opponent so frequently that even Grant’s iron mug displayed such bumps and contusions as the gallant hero has seldom exhibited in his former engagements. Sayers is a good-tempered, well-behaved young fellow, and bears a high character for honour and integrity. He is by this victory nearly at the top of the tree, and we trust that by his future conduct he will show that prosperity has not, in his case, as it has in many we could name in his profession, had the effect of destroying his good principles. Grant, although not destined on this occasion to wear the crown of victory, was not disgraced by his fall. He manfully disputed every inch of ground with his clever opponent, and showed that his qualifications as a sparrer were quite equal to those of Sayers. His stopping and wrestling were universally admired, while the manliness and care with which he avoided falling upon his adversary in such a way as to cause any dispute, obtained for him the repeated plaudits of the surrounding throng. The fight, as we have before observed, was conducted throughout in a way to leave nothing to be desired.
Tom now remained idle until January of the following year, 1853, when a game, resolute fellow, named Jack Martin, who had disposed of several countrymen, and grown into high favour with Ben Caunt, was brought forward by “Big Ben” to uphold the honour of the “Coach and Horses.” Tom’s standing challenge was accordingly accepted for £50 a side, and Wednesday, January 26, 1853, named as the day of battle. A foggy trip per steamer landed the voyagers in Long Reach, and, the preparations being made, the men stood up and shook hands; Alec Keene and a friend, for Sayers, and Tom Paddock and Jerry Noon as seconds for Martin, joining in the friendly ceremony.
THE FIGHT.
Round 1.—On toeing the scratch it was clear to all that Sayers was a bigger man than his adversary; and, if possible, in better condition. His eye had resumed its brightness, and there was a hardness in his general appearance which made him look all over a perfect gladiator. Martin, who was shorter in the reach than his opponent, showed great muscularity of arm and thighs, but elsewhere he was not nearly so well furnished. He was pale, but there was a good-humoured smile on his mug, which showed that the word fear was unknown in his vocabulary. Little time was lost in sparring—Sayers led off, catching Martin slightly with his left on the nose. Martin immediately rushed to in-fighting, when some heavy hits were exchanged, each catching it on the left eye, and each showing claret at the same moment from cuts on the brow. After a few random shots both were down together. “First blood” was claimed by each party, but was decided by the referee to be a drawn event.
2.—Both bleeding from the left eye, Sayers appearing to have the worst of it. He was undaunted, smiled, led off with his left, catching Martin on the right cheek. Martin again went in, and commenced pegging away with both hands. Sayers was with him, hitting with most precision, and the round ended in both again falling together.