Rat Fights in an Arena

A rat fight was when you would put a bunch of rats in the arena and then you throw a dog in. People would bet on how many rats the dog would kill over a specific amount of time. The Tribune observed the rapidity with which a well trained dog kills rats is astounding to the uninitiated. Burns also trained boxers. In September 1856 he trained Charlie Lynch for a boxing match in New Jersey. His opponent was British born Andy Kelly.