Fencing . e by the men as they are, butwhat would be the effect of their blows and parries if the gloveswere off. This at least is the fairest way of deciding as to themerits of a pair of competitors. If, adopting a different system,points are given to a man for every blow which comes home tothe head or body of the adversary, it becomes necessary to countthose flips with the end of the fingers which in a real fight gofor nothing at all. On the other hand, if the value of a blow isestimated by the simple effect it produces through the gloves^then a false conclusion is formed, because in sparrin
Fencing . e by the men as they are, butwhat would be the effect of their blows and parries if the gloveswere off. This at least is the fairest way of deciding as to themerits of a pair of competitors. If, adopting a different system,points are given to a man for every blow which comes home tothe head or body of the adversary, it becomes necessary to countthose flips with the end of the fingers which in a real fight gofor nothing at all. On the other hand, if the value of a blow isestimated by the simple effect it produces through the gloves^then a false conclusion is formed, because in sparring or glovefighting a dull heavy thwack is the most telling stroke, whereasin real fighting it is the quick, sharp knocks that do the damage,cutting open a cheek or lip, and ornamenting the ribs withaching bruises, whereas the slow slogging blows, even if theyget home, are apt to shatter the strikers knuckles or dislocatethe muscles of his forearm rather than to do adequate damageto a well-trained Figure VII.— Slipping THE OLD SCHOOL 145 Glove fights were adopted, when the Ring proper came to abad end, as the nearest possible approach to the old-fashionedprize fights. Some very good rules were drawn up for them bythe Marquess of Queensberry, who also instituted the amateurcontest hereinafter to be described. They differed in severalimportant respects from those of the , and chiefly in regu-lating the length of the rounds by time instead of by thecapabiHty of both men to keep on their legs. The admixtureof wrestling and * hugging with true boxing was also prohibited ;the time between each round (of three minutes) was extendedto one minute ; and the time allowed for a fallen man to get up,which he must do by his own exertions, was cut down to tenseconds. Most of the other rules were similar to those of , and the stakes were of course to be awarded to the manwho held out the longest. For the reasons already mentionedand several others, the glove fight is a p
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