Deptford, England: Tom Cribb had rapidly become a terror in the prize ring with seven of nine victories ending with his foe on the ground, some needing more than a little assistance to merely sit themselves upright again. World champion Thomas Owen, a veteran of 27 mills, is by far young Cribb's toughest challenge to-date. Owen was knocked out in his first appearance in the prize ring back in 1796 and again eight years later at the hands of Joe Lashley; most thought Cribb would get to the old man rather quickly but they were wrong.
The first three frames were slow as the men felt each other out. Cribb landed the only blow of consequence, a thudding cross to Owen's temple in the second, and took two of the rounds. Feeling confident in his youth, Cribb worked in close to Thomas for the next eight rounds landing one devastating blow after another. The old man was battered repeatedly as Cribb landed blows at a two-to-one rate closing Owen's left eye. To the dismay of all in attendance, the champion withstood the barrage and it was he not Cribb that looked fresh and ready to fight over the final four rounds. Cribb had punched himself out and could scarcely avoid Owen's final flurry. Unfortunately for the champ, those middle rounds gave Cribb a huge lead in rounds that simply couldn't be overcome.
The final scoring was eleven rounds for Cribb and four for Owen. The fact that he had remained upright was little solace to the former champ as he watched the REC World Title belt hoisted high by Cribb.
OTHER DOINGS:
Cribb vacated the coveted English belt when he took the REC title creating an opportunity for another youngster named Hen Pearce. Pearce, who hails from Bristol, ran his record to 8/1/1 with a brutal victory over Jack O' the Green at Wormwood Scrubs. While Pearce has only knocked out two men, he has left many an opponent bloodied and broken and appears to already be on a collision course with the newly minted world title holder.
Cribb Unable To Drop Owen