Description: Paulson (1819 - 1890) was born in Paxton's Court, Newark, but made his name in boxing matches across the country. He was most famous for his three momentous bouts against Tom Paddock of Redditch which took place between 1851 and 1854. At the time of their first meeting in September 1851, Tom Paddock was one of the rising stars of the prize-ring. He had already achieved success against opponents in the south of England and he was keen to try his luck a little further north. His first such foray, against Nottingham's William 'Bendigo' Thompson in 1850 had resulted in Paddock being soundly beaten (this despite the fact that Bendigo, then in his forties, had come out of semi-retirement to face him). A year later, therefore, when the prospect of a match against another Nottinghamshire man was in the offing, interest among Paddock's followers was intense. As discussed in last week's article, the first encounter between Paddock and Paulson in September 1851 was interrupted by the police (bare-knuckle fighting was illegal); a second contest the following year had also ended inconclusively when both contenders were arrested and thrown into gaol. They each served ten months with hard labour, and on release were encouraged to settle the matter in a third and final bout. A date was set for February 1854 at Mildenhall, near Newmarket, for a top rate purse of £100 a side. Bare-knuckle contests may be considered the forerunners of modern boxing matches, but the rules which held sway in the prize ring were a far cry from those in force today. There were no gloves, no weight restrictions, no set number of rounds and no specified length to the rounds. A round only came to an end when one contender was either knocked down or thrown from the ring. It was not unusual for a bout to run for 90 or 100 rounds over several hours before a winner finally emerged, either by a knock-out (literally) or a submission. By today's standards the barbarity of the sport is almost unbelievable. Paddock's third meeting with Paulson at Mildenhall in 1854 got off to a particularly vicious start when, in only the second round, Paulson claimed 'first blood' by knocking out a number of Paddock's teeth. Over the following 100 rounds, however, the tables began to turn. In the 22nd round Paddock gored Paulson's left eye which began to bleed profusely, leaving his sight confused. Paulson, however, through the liberal application of brandy between rounds, fought on until after two hours and 32 minutes his second refused to allow him to continue. The three bout contest between Paddock and Paulson, played out over three years, had finally come to an end. Paddock - the victor - went on to challenge for the national title and, indeed, came close to taking it. He retired in 1860. Paulson, meanwhile, also continued his career in the prize ring and just two years later found himself embroiled in one of the longest and most notorious contests in prize-fighting history. His opponent, Tom Sayers, was considered one of the most accomplished exponents of the sport and later became 'Champion of All England'. Born in 1826, Sayers was a bricklayer by trade and had worked in London in the 1840s on the big railway viaducts and tunnels then under construction. His first professional bout took place in March, 1849, when he beat his opponent in just 13 minutes. By the mid-1850s he had notched up five victories with just one loss and was looking to test himself against heavyweight opposition. Paulson was the man chosen and the bout was fixed to take place on January 29, 1856, at Appledore in Kent. Sayers had the advantage of youth and nimble footedness, but it was Paulson's weight and experience that initially held sway. It is said that Sayers went down 56 rounds running, and that Paulson ought to have been awarded the fight on two or three occasions. In the end, however, Sayers' stamina won through. After an incredible 109 rounds and three hours, eight minutes, the cut over Paulson's troublesome eye had again opened up rendering him half blind. Bendigo Thomson (one of Paulson's seconds on this occasion), decided that the time had come to finally throw in the sponge. Sayers' win over Paulson propelled him into the ranks of a title contender, and 13 months later he faced the then national champion, William Perry. Sayers won the contest and earned the right to style himself 'Champion of All England'. For Paulson, however, nearing 40, any hope of challenging for the title had vanished with his defeat by Sayers. He had one more notable fight -against Harry Tyson of London, whom he beat in 31 minutes - but even this impressive win could not revive his fortunes. As far as is known, Paulson's meeting with Tyson was his last professional bare-knuckle fight, after which he is believed to have retired from the prize ring. He died in poverty, racked with rheumatism, in 1890 in his 72nd year. He is buried in Nottingham's General Cemetery. Harry Paulson's obituary in the Newark Advertiser made comment that although a rough and ready man, he had always upheld the best traditions of the prize-ring, always fighting fair and square. 'It was the opinion of good judges,' concluded the report: 'that he would have been a champion of England had he been taken in hand earlier.' In June, 1914, friends and admirers of Harry Paulson unveiled a memorial to him in the cemetery which survives to this day - a lasting tribute to one of the last of the old school of bare-knuckle prize-fighters. (information from www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk)