JACK SCROGGINS AND NED TURNER
In the days of bare knuckles there was only one champion, and
though there were one or two exceptions--Tom Sayers is the most
notable--little men, or men little by comparison, were quite out of the
running. Champion, therefore, meant Champion--the best man that could
be found. There was no qualification of the title--no middle, welter,
feather, bantam, fly, or paper-weight. If a first-rate boxer of eight
stone liked to fight another of sixteen stone--I suppose he could,
but, rather naturally, he didn’t. In the old annals, though there is
some record of the lesser men--lesser very often only in size and not
in skill or courage--they are overshadowed by the big fellows far more
than they are to-day. Even now, of course, from the spectacular point
of view, big men--heavy-weights--cause far more excitement. And, as
a rule, a good fight between two good big men is better worth seeing
than a good fight between two good little men. The dramatic atmosphere
is more intense, blows are harder, there is (though it is overrated) a
certain splendour in sheer size.
But championship battles both now and in the past have been by no means
necessarily the best battles: rather the contrary. Many a pot-house
quarrel has provided better sport than a stupendously advertised
World’s Championship with heaven only knows how ridiculously many
thousands of pounds “hanging” upon the issue.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century there were, then, plenty
of good little men, though we hear less about them than we do of the
champions. Jack Scroggins was one, Ned Turner another. Scroggins may,
by present standards, be called a light middle-weight: he was just
under 11 stone. Turner was 10 stone 4 lb.--just over the present
light-weight limit.
The first time they fought the ring was broken by rowdy spectators,
and the result was a draw. The second battle took place at
Sawbridgeworth on June 10th, 1817, and Jack Scroggins, who had never
yet been beaten, staked £120 to £80 on the event.
Ned Turner--the Welshman referred to by George Borrow in the passage
quoted in the Introduction--was a very fine boxer, and at the outset
put up an almost impenetrable defence. Some minutes in the first
round went by before the two men really began to fight. Scroggins
was accustomed to dash in and hit his man at the very beginning, but
something in Turner’s attitude daunted him, and he held off. But a
start had to be made, and after a while he did rush, came close to his
man, and gave him a light hit from which he fell. Scroggins had been a
sailor and was a jolly little man, ever eager to see the bright side of
a situation. In the present case he was absurdly elated at his trifling
success, and dashed in again. This time the Welshman caught him hard
on the face twice, following these blows with another in the ribs, but
when they wrestled for a fall he was underneath. Scroggins saw now
that he had taken on a better man than he had ever faced before, and
was correspondingly cautious. Round after round Turner showed himself
quicker with his fists, the sailor stronger in a close. In the fourth
round Turner sent in a vicious blow on his opponent’s neck which,
Scroggins said later on, decided the fight. It is true that he threw
Turner again and again after that, but he was a hurt man. At the end of
the fifth round a troop of Yeomanry were seen approaching, clattering
down the lane which ran alongside the field of battle. It was thought
at first by the ring officials and spectators that these soldiers had
come to spoil sport; but as a matter of fact they had heard of the
fight and had merely determined to see it.
After this the exchanges were almost equal. Each man planted severe
blows, and Turner was undermost when they wrestled for a fall. It was
not until the twelfth round that he succeeded in throwing Scroggins.
In the following round Turner landed a blow which sent his opponent
almost spinning, but the sailorman did not take advantage of it to
fall, but dashed in again with commendable pluck. Turner was now a hot
favourite. He was knocked down in the next round, but not heavily. He
was quick and agile at close quarters, though a bad wrestler; and he
generally managed to put in a series of fierce half-arm blows before
Scroggins could hold him. The seventeenth round was interesting, as it
gave an instance of the same kind of temper in Scroggins, remarkable in
Humphries when he fought Mendoza, the Jew. Turner gave him a mighty hit
in the face which must have hurt him considerably. He turned round, not
from the force of the blow, but in real fear, the instinctive desire to
get away--even to run away, out of reach. And then, even as he turned,
Jack Scroggins remembered himself, swung right round in his stride and
dashed at his adversary again. As they came together Turner hit him
unmercifully, but was yet again underneath when they fell to the ground.
And so the fight went on, Scroggins invariably getting the worst of
the exchange of blows, Turner the wrestling. The twenty-second was a
tremendous round. They began with a furious rally, giving blow for blow
with all their might, got away from each other in a moment, and then
at it again. Scroggins charged in with his head down, and Turner met
him with a vicious uppercut which caught him on the neck; and then, in
trying for a fall, was underneath once more. The plucky little sailor
was now visibly distressed and his wind was badly touched. He gasped
for breath, and though he made his characteristic dash in the next
round, it was clear that he was being out-fought. The betting on Turner
rose to 5 and 6-1, and Scroggins tottered at the scratch, so weak now
that when he lunged forward to hit he fell over. Turner hit him as he
pleased, and Scroggins replied with wild blows which beat the air. He
was nearly done by the time they fell in the twenty-fifth round.
The men’s seconds, for some reason, instead of keeping opposite
corners, nursed their principals between the rounds side by side. As
they sat on the knees of their bottle-holders, Turner stretched out
a hand and took Scroggins’s to show him that he admired his pluck
and that there was no ill-will. And then, immediately afterwards, on
resuming, he planted a blow in the middle of the sailor’s face which
knocked him clean off his legs. Such is sport. It is a wonderful thing
to show your admiration and affection for a man at one moment and then
almost in the same breath to hurt him dreadfully in cold blood. No
wonder that foreigners think us mad. It was at about this period of
the battle that Scroggins had a strong nip of brandy, but he was too
far gone for such mild remedies. Again Turner caught him as hard as he
could hit, and Scroggins backed away to the side of the ring. Turner
beckoned to him and called on him to come and fight, but Scroggins was
getting all the rest he could, and Turner in the end had to go after
him. The Welshman was still fresh, for all the severe falls that he
had suffered. And yet, the sailor with his wind gone, his eyes almost
closed, his face swollen and mutilated, though he could not see to
hit, even in the thirtieth round he continued to throw his opponent.
But Jack Scroggins was quite dazed after that, and only stood at all
by the force of his will. Turner upper-cut him again and again. In
the thirty-third round he went down before a light hit, and on being
carried to his corner gave in. Turner is said to have left the ring
with hardly a mark on his face.
But the plucky little sailorman still believed that he was as good as
the Welshman, and he challenged Turner to a third battle. This took
place at Shepperton, on the Thames, on October 7th, 1818. The fight
lasted for over an hour and a half, and Scroggins was again beaten,
this time in the thirty-ninth round, when Turner hit him so that he
sprawled over the ropes and was quite unable to come up to time.
Otherwise it was a repetition of the previous encounter. Turner was by
far the better boxer and hit his opponent as he liked. Scroggins was
a rushing and dangerous fighter and a really good wrestler, and until
he was weakened by repeated blows, ended round after round by throwing
Turner to the grass. This time Scroggins was exhausted sooner, but with
very real courage refused to give in, and fought as long as he could
stand. As in the previous fight, Turner showed himself a chivalrous and
sportsmanlike opponent, bearing not the slightest ill-will, nor showing
undue elation when he had decisively beaten his indomitable opponent.
The following is an advertisement typical of a hundred years ago which
corresponds to the kind of thing we are now accustomed to see on the
hoardings outside the Albert Hall or the Holborn Stadium.
Holloa! Holloa!! Holloa!!!
A GENTLEMANLY SORT OF A MAN
JACK SCROGGINS
Humbly doffs his Castor to the
_SPORTING WORLD_.
TO INFORM
THE FANCY
THAT HIS
BENEFIT
AT THE
FIVES COURT, St. Martin’s Street,
Leicester Fields, takes place on
_WEDNESDAY, APRIL the 25th, 1821_,
When all the first-rate Pugilists on the List will Exhibit in a
variety of SCIENTIFIC COMBATS.
The Champion of England, Belcher, Spring, Randall, Oliver, Shelton,
Burns, Owen, Turner, Richmond, Martin, Harmer, Cooper, Hickman,
Sampson, Eales, etc., have promised SCROGGINS to be
HAND AND GLOVE with him upon this MOST STRIKING OCCASION.
* * * * *
SCROGGINS begs leave to assure the Patrons of Scientific Pugilism that
nothing shall be wanting on his part to give the utmost satisfaction;
and he trusts that, in being remembered ONCE as a great favourite, he
also with the utmost deference humbly hopes, that Scroggins will not
be forgotten as an Ould SERVANT, who has afforded the Amateurs Lots of
Amusement in
SIXTEEN PRIZE BATTLES,
As the following LIST of his Opponents will show:--
BOOTS
SMITH
NOSWORTHY
EALES
WHITAKER
CHURCH
FISHER
TURNER
TURNER
TURNER
MARTIN
JOSH. HUDSON
DAV. HUDSON
DAV. HUDSON
HOLT, and
PARISH.
In order to prevent his being entirely FLOORED; and that they will lend
their support as _Seconds_, towards PICKING HIM UP, Putting him on his
Legs, and giving him another _Chance_, whereby SCROGGINS may be enabled
to get a House over his _Topper_, where he can
_Serve_ all his CUSTOMERS!!!
_And Sing, as an old Sailor_, God save the King!
To commence at Two O’clock,--Tickets, 3s. each, to be had at all the
Sporting Houses.
⁂ All Tickets issued for February the 27th will be admitted. Tickets
to be had at the Bar.