Boris out for count

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reads a statement outside 10 Downing Street formally resigning as Conservative Party leader.

The consummate boxing writer AJ Liebling has an anecdote which might commend itself to the still (last time we looked anyway) British prime minister Boris Johnson as he contemplates his future this weekend.

In his book The Sweet Science Liebling recounts the story of a now almost forgotten heavyweight encounter at Madison Square Garden between Tommy “Hurricane” Jackson and the Cuban Nino Valdes. 

Jackson was something of a favourite with the ringside press who liked his flamboyant style and eccentricity. 

“I like to get hit,” he once told them, “it makes me feel good and feel strong.” 

On this occasion, he did get hit. He was counted out twice but declined to climb out through the ropes to head back to the loser’s dressing room. 

Liebling wrote: “Jackson was standing in his corner, shaking his head and refusing to leave the ring. He demanded the privilege of being hit some more." 

He looked, Liebling added: “like a priest who has found he has no vocation, or an actor hissed from the stage.” 

We know that Boris is a rugby fan and played the Eton wall game. Whether his sporting tastes extend to boxing we do not know, but he might find its study instructive, and even helpful, during the dog days of his premiership.