The Spring and Langon Championship Fight , Part 3 The First 32 Rounds At 12.35 Spring arrived with Tom Crib as second, from Croome Court, where they had been staying as guests of Lord Coventry. Most of the nobility of the Midlands were present, including three peers, but Langon was nowhere to be found. Because of legal difficulties, the two boxers had not been displayed. Langon's name was called, but it was not until 1pm. that Langon stepped into the ring to the roar of his supporter's cheers. Spring was taller and more muscular, and half-a-stone heavier.
The fight started at1.40 with Lord Deerhurst and Sir James Musgrave as timekeepers, and Col. Berkeley as umpire. The rounds in those days were not of equal length, and the first four rounds were 10 minutes each, and were taken up with sparring, in which Langon was cleaverly stopping the champion, and aiming at his wind. In the 3rd round Langon was down, and in the 4th they were both down, but the betting was still 50 to 5 on Spring. Spring was thrown heavily, to return next round to punish severely. So the battle swayed each way with much rolling and wrestling.
In the 31st round, Spring felled Langon viciously, who fell with his head beneath him, and spectators feared his neck was brokern; but Langon came back to fell Spring in the 32nd round. The favourite appeared to be in some danger, and Langon was accused of biting, and the crowd, who fancied their bets going astray, broke into the ring, and force had to be used to keep out the mob.
84 Rounds
So the battle continued with much wrestling and hugging; with vicious bursts from both men; Langon still trying for Spring's wind. Both men were exhausted, but Langon landed a tremendous blow to Spring's head, which left him staggering about blindly. The champion's backers were now very worried, for it looked as if he could not last; but he gathered his strength and came back incredibly, and dominated the fight. In the 84th round Langon fell bleeding and exhausted; and the organisers, worried as to the consequences of such punishment, called on his seconds to take him away. Langon violently protested : 'Clear the ring. I have not given in. I can fight for another hour', His seconds however, gave in. It was 4.15, and Tom Spring was carried away in triumph.
Both men were medically examined, and were fit again in a few days. Though Spring won, many of his supporters lost their bets, as Spring had been expected to win easily in shorter time.
After the Fight
When Mr.Justice Park presided over Worcester Assize two months later, and dealing with a calendar that included a prize fight at Bromsgrove, where a fighter named Levi Brown had died from injuries received in the ring, he took the opportunity to admonish all concerned with the Worcester fight, especially as the extra stands had taken three days to erect, and that many of the chief county magistrates were officiating at the fight.
