Contents

Introduction by Bohun Lynch
I My intention; Experience does it; Four generations; Carpentier the magnetic; Value of limelight; The boxing crowd; An old trick; Notabilities; The man with the watch
II Early days; The boxing booths; Sixty bouts a week; On the racing track; How I won the St. Leger; My manager; Some hurdle!; When there's a will there's a way; How they settle up in Cornwall; I find my job
III My relative pedlar Palmer; the thousand pound belt; Humours and mis-humours of training; The baby's bottle; No smoke without fire; Down the spout
IV Pedlar's fight with Harry Ware; Ware takes a tonic; the box o'Tricks "Palmer the Peddler"; Jem Mace's propecy; Poor Matt; Trap-doors and death traps; Blackguards and safeguards
V The cyclone and the whirlwind; All round the shop; Arrested; A cough drop; A scream of a scrap; Indignation lends horse-power to Lloyd's punch; The handsome fellow
VI The Woolwich infant; Jack Johnson in England; A peach of a punch; Training again; Road ork, hard work; Rolling stones (Avoirdupois); Whip behind; "Heenan and Sayers"; A chrisp K.O.
VII Welsh connoisseurs; Abertillery grand palladium; A man of business; A beer ring; Raising the roof; Two lights go out; Eighty-foot drop; Angles unaware; A gallant page
VIII Tommy Burns, the "Little Corporal"; Quite satisfied; The bark; The princlely retinue; The mystery man; breastlet or belt?; No delay; Beckett takes care of his hands; A good clean fight; Up goes the towel; Youth willl be served; Not so charitable!; A real scrap
IX Beckett's bitter fight with M'Cormck; Prima donnas give place to pugs at covent garden; "I'm the champion; Cupid finds Beckett's mark; A popular "boy"; M'Cormick corn curer; How the London hospital lost a thousand pounds; The mascot; The damaged hand; Ring chaff; Two hard nuts; The last laugh; "A L'Ourance!"; No good arguing
X Kid Lewis and Johnny Basham; Hebrew and celt; A devout cathlic; An unfair advantage!; The rosary; An invitatin accepted; A summer's winter; "Laughing Johnny Basham"; "Crashing, smashing, bashing"; Men-at-arms and babes-in-arms; An indiarubber man; How did he do it?; No superstition; Ears slit and brows gashed; No time for talk; The towel once more; Another game cock; Ring at ring
XI Unsatisfactroiy, but salutary; Colonials both; Hard blow, hard head; Out for the jaw; Stand back!; One blow too many; Irishmen both; gore and sawdust; Kilkenny cats; "All bets are off"; Tireless energy; Armed to the teeth; The limit
XII Bribery and corrupton; "Old chairs to sell"; "Put this in your pocket"; The face of brass; Carp. and "The kid"; A little rumpus; The olympians; The pretty picture; Rib-bending; Right and left; Break away!; The fatal blow; Was it fair?; Taking no chances; A tartar; Four thousands pounds a minute
XIII A needle fight; Piccalilli; The one and only Billy; No poseur; Down his throat; Throught the floor; The one tow style; Haunted inns; All-round sportsman; Two giants; Not the same punch; The bull of Bashan; "Look what he's doing"; Back-chat; Billy comes again; Saved by the gong; Game to the end; Teh red carnations
XIV Lonsdale belts; The luck of the game; One of the luckless; Fifty-eight rounds; The cobbler's whistle; Wanted: A manager; An international affair; The fatal boots; Watering the pitch; Only himself to blame; Two worts of chivalry; Fly tapping; Harrison's swan song; Ledoux wins the rubber
XV Liverpool; "The graveyard"; Good for the game; Championships in cotton wool; A Liverpool chapter; Unlucky rice; A handy man; "Elbows"; Parthian tactics; No shemozzle; Below the belt
XVI Another needle match; Divided opinions; Jews and gentiles; Lewis means business; So does Todd; Grease; Blood; A battle of wits; Todd has the last word
XVII A battle of giants; No light task; Hard hitting; Like a felled ox; Up agan; Down again; Uproar; The diamond pin; Doped; Who is champion?
XVIII Carp. again; A comfortable dungeon; A delay; A league of nations; the bench; Townley gets off the mark; But draws his horns in; Dropped for keeps; Vienna at its best
XIX The mantle of Beckett; A coming man; Preparing for the fray; A straight left; A skilful cook; Rocked his thinkbox; Another hard nut; HIs future in hs hands; A thoughtful husband; A popul;ar ausie; No knock out
XX Mountains of flesh; Fearful wallops; Paolini excudum; La savate; Men of the woods; More telegraphing; Bull baiting; Not me!; the mystery of the blood-stained dress shirt; No glad rags; Yells of triumph; Plenty more gore; And the ladies got some
XXI The game chickens; Little cherubs or little; ?; Non-stop route to fame; No respcter of champoions; Let Glascow flourish!; Annie Laurie; Two wisps of whipcord; No quarter!; Kidney punching; Grim earnest; Hands down; Down and out; The haunted camp; Poltergeist; Ghost laying
XXII Strenuous week; Lewis keeps his secret; A big handicap; The overarm punch; Backwards and sideways; Youth will be served, once more; An object lesson for Milligan; Tricky yankees; A good beginning
XXIII Milan; Hustle; Sweet repose; A fair liaison officer; Meticulous adjustments; Half-an-ounce; Crepe bandages and jazz tapes; A sticky job; A Dempsey charm; "Howdy do" manipulators; The better the day, the better the deed; Gala; Signor referee; No flowers by request; Peculiar catcalls; Enter the carabiners; Where's my wig?; No heart-burning; Boxing abroad; When it's night time in Italy
XXIV Place aux dames!; Feminine athletics; Maids at Monte; The Lady Pack; Well done!; A maid of honour; Nothing succeeds like success; British belles beat the band; The London olympiades; A jolly fortnight
XXV The boxing board of control; A moribund body; Signs of life: kick somebody; Evidence; More evidence; The card; Harvey and Sullivan; Leads mislead; Gilbert and Sullivan!; Who steals my certificate steals trash; Three thousand fights; A prospect that does not please; A clear conscience; Loyal friends; The gong
Index