Rooms, records & the local circuitThe collected circuit papers
The Kent
BoxerThe local fighting record
← The bout ledgerKBR-001 · North Quay Rooms

Leonard C. Bibby “The Professor” versus Edwin Rook “The Quayman”

Leonard C. Bibby winsStoppage · Round 5
The entry

Bibby, known in the ring as The Professor, prevailed in the fifth round at the North Quay Rooms. He worked at long range behind his lead hand, obliging Rook to close the distance before he could settle. The associated newspaper account gives Rook’s corner as the source of the request to stop the contest.

An upstairs room with a square floor and a narrow approach to the dressing area.

Contest date: . Entry numbers identify records rather than dates.

The contest account

Round by round.

5 rounds

  1. Round 1

    Bibby appeared assured from the outset, setting a firm lead hand between himself and Rook’s compact advance. The Quayman tried to carry the work closer, but much of the opening was spent on the back foot after Bibby’s answers. The Professor kept enough room to begin again without hurrying.

  2. Round 2

    Rook advanced more deliberately and protected the final step, making Bibby work to preserve the gap. Bibby’s left remained the more regular interruption, checking the approach before a longer exchange could settle. Rook nevertheless showed that he could remain organised under the pressure rather than merely retreat from it.

  3. Round 3

    Rook found well-timed counters as Bibby’s lead returned and made several exchanges closely disputed. His answers were resourceful and his guard recovered promptly afterwards. Bibby continued to do useful work from longer range, but the third round required him to respect an opponent who was reading the rhythm more clearly.

  4. Round 4

    Bibby made the first movement less predictable, sometimes stopping the lead short before placing a firmer answer when Rook responded. The adjustment recovered the longer distance and reduced Rook’s opportunities to counter cleanly. Rook remained willing to engage, though his most useful replies now came less often.

  5. Round 5

    Bibby forced the pace again behind the firm left and sustained the exchange as Rook tried to recover his guard. Rook was unable to continue answering effectively. His corner requested that the contest be stopped, and Bibby was recorded as the winner by a fifth-round stoppage.

Associated story

The North Quay clipping.

An account of the fifth-round result appears in the associated Britarchive story, Bibby at the North Quay Rooms.

A newspaper clipping headed Bibby Prevails in Fifth, reporting his victory over Edwin Rook at North Quay Rooms.
North Quay Sporting Chronicle · North Quay Rooms contest,

Clipping transcript

Bibby prevails in fifth. Rook stopped at the North Quay Rooms.

Leonard C. Bibby maintained his unbeaten record yesterday evening with a fifth-round stoppage of Edwin Rook in an organised bare-knuckle contest at the North Quay Rooms. The bout, which was contested under agreed conditions and with proper arrangements, drew a good local attendance and was conducted in an orderly manner throughout.

Bibby, the home favourite, appeared the more assured from the outset, working steadily behind a firm left and keeping Rook on the back foot for much of the first three rounds. Rook showed courage and resource, meeting the pressure with some well-timed counters, and the contest was closely disputed at times, particularly in the third.

In the fifth round Bibby forced the pace again, and after a sustained exchange Rook was unable to continue. The decision to stop the contest was made at his corner’s request, it being plain that he could not safely go on. Bibby therefore wins by a fifth-round stoppage, a result which extends his unbeaten record and further establishes his position among the leading local contestants.