THE FIGHT.
Round 1.—On the retirement of their seconds the belligerents at once threw themselves into attitude, the superior freedom of Mace’s style being quite evident to the initiated. He played round his man, watching him keenly; Price looking somewhat puzzled how to begin. Presently Posh broke ground, and retreated, keeping a good guard; Mace followed his man closely, and, getting well within distance, popped in his left on Price’s mazzard, but was countered by Price’s left on the forehead. Mace stuck to his work, and caught Price right and left in the head. Posh fought determinedly in the exchanges, but Mace drove him back, planting the left on Price’s right eye with such severity that the ruby streamed down his cheek. (First blood for Mace.) After a break and a little wincing they again got within striking distance, when some heavy exchanges ended in Price being on the grass.
2.—The men went at once to work, and some slashing exchanges followed, in which Mace, partly from a hit, and partly from a slip, was down. In an instant he was on his feet again, and as the Brum, somewhat surprised, retreated before him, followed him close. Near the ropes Posh made a stand, and hit out with both hands. After some fine two-handed fighting in favour of Mace, Price was on the ground, Mace walking smilingly to his corner.
3.—Mace forced the fighting. He led off with astonishing rapidity, doing terrible damage to the Brum’s dial and cranium. Posh stood to his guns like a man, but Mace’s metal was too heavy for him. Nevertheless, in the exchanges, Price got in a hot ’un on Mace’s jaw, and another on his neck, that made Master Jem look serious, and although the odds had changed, the Brums took heart from the general opinion of Mace’s deficiency of game. In the close both were down at the ropes.
4.—Mace led off rather short, and as he got nearer Price planted his left in the middle of his opponent’s nob. (Tremendous cheering from the Brums). Mace drew himself together, and fighting rapidly, got heavily on Posh’s eye and mouth. The gallant Brum paused a moment, then dashed in, and after a magnificent rally, in which Mace astonished the spectators by the straightness and rapidity of his hitting, Price went down against his will.
5.—Jem lunged out his left, delivering an enlivener on his adversary’s brain pan, and getting cleverly away from the Brum’s returns. After a little sparring, Mace got again within distance, and in some clipping left-handed exchanges got with tell-tale force on the Brum’s dial. Posh, scorning to retreat, stood his ground, and fought up. In the fall both were down, Price undermost.
6.—Mace opened the ball with a shot from the left, when the Brum retreated. Jem followed, and again got in the left with telling effect. They closed at the ropes, when Posh, who was catching pepper, got down.
7.—Heavy counters, each doing execution on the head. As Price retreated, Mace followed, and as the Brum turned on nearing the ropes, Mace caught him a terrific right-hander on the head, just behind the ear, opening a cut from which the carmine ran copiously; Posh, who appeared dazed by the effect of this rasper, went down on his knees in the middle of the ring.
8.—Price came up slowly but steadily; in an instant Mace dashed in with electric rapidity, right and left, in his opponent’s damaged frontispiece; Price was, however, by no means idle, and stuck to Mace in the counter-hitting. In a rally Posh was down.
9.—Mace came with alacrity from his corner; he was almost unmarked, while poor Posh’s countenance was out of shape in every feature. Still he kept his form—such as it was—and tried to stop his man, too often ineffectually. Mace drove him to the ropes, and would have screwed him up for fibbing, but Posh slipped down through his hands.