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Spring by name and spring by nature |
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Cribb the mentor
The Duke had heard that Spring was keen to further his boxing career, so invited him to join the troupe of boxers on the lawns. Spring jumped at the opportunity, and proved himself to be tough and resilient and a good sportsman in the roped square – he fought all-comers and was never beaten. This was a great delight to the Duke.
Spring gained weight, height, strength and experience, and in 1814 he had another lucky break. Tom Cribb, the All England Champion and supreme name in bare-knuckle fighting of the day, was visiting Spring's home area on a national sparring tour. 
Tom Cribb was more than an opponent to Spring
© Courtesy of Jon Hurley |
It was Spring's chance to make his acquaintance and make an impression. Spring and the towering Cribb became close friends very quickly, and Cribb’s fighting experience was readily passed on to the up and coming Spring.
The relationship between Spring and Cribb flourished but in 1821, Cribb’s fighting days came to an end and Spring's sprung forward.
Thistleton Gap, in Leicestershire, was the venue for a fight of epic proportions. A muscle bound black American by the name of Molyneaux stood in the opposite corner of the fenced ring staring at the lean and finely toned Crib.
Twenty thousand Cribb fans roared their support, and the fight started with Cribb taking a leaping lunge at Molyneaux with a barrage of punches – Molyneaux was floored. But the fight continued with as ferocious a contest as had ever been seen. The blood was splattered everywhere, but the final blows from Cribb won the day.
After the fight, Cribb was heard to say that nothing would ever tempt him to fight again. Despite him being a revered fighter this was the point that ended his career. But it was soon to be the real start of Spring’s. With the title now being vacant, Tom "Light Tapper" Spring, as he had become to be known, fought two bouts with Jack Langan to establish the new title holder. The two fighters' styles were totally contrasting. They were one of a nimble fast footed Spring against the other of the labouring lunges of Langan. But there was no doubt about the outcome. Spring took both fights and with them the title.
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