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Correspondence of the Dublin Freeman's Journal
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ London, Monday,
Dec. 7.
_
The Congress, the Schieswig-Holstein difficulty,
the French Budget, the 8 per cent of the Bank of
England, even the great storm, are forgotten for the
moment, and the attention of the public is turned ex-
clusively to the great international battle between the
Benicia Boy and Tom King, the ex-champion of
England. The prize is a round sum of £2,000, not
to speak of the honor, and glory, and popularity
which the successful gladiator is certain to achieve.
Should the weather permit, the encounter is to take
place tomorrow, Tuesday, within one hundred
miles of the metropolis. The precise locale is not yet
known, as the Chief Commissioner of Police has issued
special instructions to his subordinates to telegraph to
the constabulary of the Home Counties where any
authentic information can be obtained as to the
whereabouts. It is not, however, believed that the
county police have any real desire to interfere, for on
the last occasion when Heenan and Tom Sayers met
to contend for the champion's belt and one thousand
pounds no attempt was made to interrupt the combat
until it was too late. The two men have been train-
ing almost unintermittingly for the last four months.
Heenan at a farm house on the outskirts of New-
market Health, and King in the neighborhood of Bury
St, Edmond's in Suffolk. Both are represented as be-
ing in first-rate condition. Tom Sayers who is, per-
haps, better qualified to judge of the matter than any
one else, has given some advice to his former oppon-
ent, which the latter will, no doubt, avail himself
of in the coming battle. When Heenan fought Sayers
at Farnborough his hands became so soft after the
first hour that his blows were of comparatively little
effect on the hardened but elastic frame of Sayers.
To prevent a recurrence of so untoward a circum-
stance Heenan has been practicing for many hours
each day at a sack filled with oats suspended in the
air by a rope. By this operation his friends assert
that he has brought his hands to the proper consist-
ency, and, as Tom Sayers has pronounced them to be
efficient, it may fairly be presumed that they are so.
Both men have walked on an average from 15 to 20
miles per day, and both have observed the strictest
regimen with regard to diet, ect. Heenan weighs as
nearly as possible 14 stone, and stands six feet one
and a-half inches. His width round the chest is 46
inches. His opponent, King, is lighter by 14
pounds and his width of chest is but 42 inches,
but he stands nearly an inch taller than
Heenan; he has also the advantage of being two or
three years the junior of the Benicia Boy. With re-
gard to nationality, Heenan may be said to be an
Irishman, his parents being both Irish; while Tom
King asserts that he is "English to the backbone." I
have heard, however, that in reality King is half-and-
half-one of his parents hailing from your side of the
Channel. Be this as it may, both men are splendid
specimens of modern athletes; and each will do
his best to win the crown of victory. Physically
speaking, two finer men have never entered the prize
ring, and perhaps in the annals of the sporting world
so large a sum of money has never previously been
staked upon the issue of such a contest. The friends
of Tom King have made their headquarters at the
West End; but all the "sporting-houses," as they are
styled, have been thronged during the last few days
by the backers and admirers of the men. Owing to
the drawn battle between Heenan and Sayers, and
the circumstances that, perhaps, no other pugilist in
the kingdom but Heenan could have stood up in the
ring for two hours before the accomplished Tom, the
betting is greatly in favor of Heenan, Last week it
was seven against four against King; but within the last
fourty-eight hours the betting has improved a point as
regards the latter, and seven to five may now be
taken as the odds. Outside the immediate circle
of the Prize Ring the prevailing sentiment is
also in favor of Heenan, and his non-professional
admirers have laid large sums on him. On the
other hand, King has a numerous party who
profess themselves sanguine of his success, not
only on account of his superior length of arm, and
the tremendous force with which he concentrates his
blows, and which may possibly (as in the case with
Mace) knock his opponent "out of time. With re-
gard to science, which, after all, will probably win
the day, both men are fairly matched; although,
judging from the battle at Farnborough, it may be in-
ferred that here, too, Heenan will have the advantage.
With regard to the locality of the fight, the start will
be made between 3 and 5 o'clock A.M., to-morrow
morning, and the probability is that the place se-
lected will be on the Great Western Railway, either
in the Counties of Berks or Wilts. The man them-
selves will not arrive in town until a late hour to-
night, and both will avoid their usual haunts in or-
der to prevent the possibility of their falling into
the hands of the police, who have warrants for their
apprehension. The tickets for the special train will
be three guineas each, and to prevent a recurrence
of the disgraceful scenes which took place at the
railway stations preparatory to the two last fights, a
special body guard is to be organized to protect the
persons and pockets of those who may desire to be
present on this occasion. Two of Heenan's brothers
have been residing with him near Newmarket, and
will accompany him to the field. They are both tall,
good-looking fellows, with the slightest possible dash
of the Yankee in their appearance. Heenan is to
have McDonald, a well-known retired veteran
of the ring, for his second, while King will,
I believe, be "waited upon" by Owen Swift,
another quondam professor of the pugilistic art,
who has retired into private life and opened a public-
house. Owing to information which has reached
the "parties," that an attempt will be made to pass
off a great number of forged railway tickets for the
special train engaged for the excursionists, the tick-
ets will not be issued until a late hour to-night, or, in
fact, until within a couple of hours of the actual de-
parture of the train. Those who really wish to be
present at the fight will not, however, find any diffi-
culty in obtaining the necessary vouchers in the
course of the night at any of the sporting houses of
the metropolis. An excursion train has been ordered
capable of conveying 800 persons.
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