The Sun. — 1861-06-19 (London, England)

FIGHT FUR THE CII.IIIIPIONSIIIP.  It is, perhaps, no information ever. for those leas acquainted with the dirty arcana of the prize ring to be told that the champion's belt, for the possession of which Hunan and Sayers struggled with such cruel obstinacy, was eventually awarded to neither. The trophy was left open to public competition, though as the belt happens to be one of those peculiar gifts of fortune which are not to be had for the asking, and as its possession entails some personal responsibility, in the way of having to fight all corners, no matter how many or how big, the number of candidates for the dangerous honour was, on the whole, decidedly limited. The first claimants were Hurst and Paddock. Hurst is the champion wrestler of Lancashire, a man of gigantic frame and almost superhuman strength, but perhaps the most unskilful boxer that ever entered the prize ring. In his contest with Paddock he was dreadfully punished, but almost by accident contrived at the close of the fight to hit his adversary one blow, and one blow from such a Goliah was quite sufficient, for Paddock was all but killed by it. Hurst therefore came into full possession of the turbulent honours of the belt, to which a boxer named Mace at once laid claim. Mace is a very small man, though possessed of wonderful strength and activity, almost a harder hitter than Sayers himself, and reputed to be the most scientific pugilist alive. Yet, even with these advantages, it seemed almost monstrous to suppose that he could contend for an instant with any chance of success against an adversary so overpowering in strength, and size, and weight as Hurst. Nevertheless, a match was made for the championship, and yesterday it was fought to an issue on an island in the Medway, and resulted in Mace punishing his gigantic antagonist so fearfully that he may lite". ally be said to hare almost killed him without receiving a single blow in return. The contrast between the two men as they entered the ring was even more startlinglydisproportionato than that between Heenan and Sayers. Hurst stood nearly six feet three inches in height, and weighed 16 stone, while his gigantic swarthy chest and limbs, in which the muscles stood out in great folds and knots like bosses of bronze, made his figure look even larger and more formidable, if possible, than it was in reality. In looking at his massive proportions, and the evidences of tremendous strength as the thews and sinews crept and rolled with every movement; one felt a kind of fascinating terror, which chat_ the changed to almost sickening apprehension for the fateo man who had dared such a Colossus to as combat. Among ordinary men Mace would haveseemed a terrible antagonist for any to cope with, but, dwarfed and almost overshadowed by the tlgrantshort he had sechallenged, his venture seemed e stone barely over sft. Sin., 'his madness. His height is a half; yet, as he prepared himself for weight only tenthe e contest yesterday, there was an easy air of nonchalance about him which,coupled with his compact, fair frame, but and lithe and active figure, on which the small, hard and welldeveloped muscles, showed out in startling relief, made his venture appear less desperate than it was to those acquainted with his skill and strength. Hurst to his other advantages added that of winning the choice of corners, and of course took that with his back to the sun, leaving its fierce rays full in the face of his antagonist. When at last, after shaking hands, the men stood l a one in the centre of the ring, it seemed almost like conniving at a murder to permit a contest between two men so dis