Nor did they look in vain.
Billy was quite satisfied with the work he had done in the
preceding round. Now he would show them another style of
fighting! And he did. From the tap of the gong he rushed his
opponent about the ring at will. He hit him when and where
he pleased. The man was absolutely helpless before him. With
left and right hooks Billy rocked the "coming champion's"
head from side to side. He landed upon the swelling optics of
his victim as he listed.
Thrice he rushed him to the ropes, and once the man fell
through them into the laps of the hooting spectators--only
now they were not hooting Billy. Until the gong Billy played
with his man as a cat might play with a mouse; yet not once
had he landed a knock-out blow.
"Why didn't you finish him?" cried Professor Cassidy, as
Billy returned to his corner after the round. "You had 'im
goin' man--why in the world didn't yeh finish him?"
"I didn't want to," said Billy; "not in that round. I'm
reserving the finish for the fifth round, and if you want to win
some money you can take the hunch!"
"Do you mean it?" asked Cassidy.
"Sure," said Billy. "You might make more by laying that
I'd make him take the count in the first minute of the
round--you can place a hundred of mine on that, if you
will, please.
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