Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. prize-fighting, boxing, thus fibbing-match, a boxing match.

1812		Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang. in McLachlan (1964) 240: fibbing-match a boxing match.
1815		T. Moore ‘Epistle from Tom Cribb to Big Ben’ in Morn. Chron. 31 Aug. 3: The only one trick, good or bad, / Of the Fancy you’re up to, is fibbing, my lad.
1821		‘An Amateur’ Real Life in London I 440: Even little Sprites in lily whites, are fibbing it and rushing it, / Your dashing Swells from Bagnigge Wells, are flooring it and flushing it.
1837		R. Barham ‘Bagman’s Dog’ in Ingoldsby Legends (1840) 335: I say, could I borrow these Gentlemen’s Muses, / More skill’d than my meek one in ‘fibbings’ and bruises.

2. (prize-fighting) a beating, a series of blows.

1824		Emerald (N.Y.) 16 Oct. 109/1–2: Round 13. – Soon closed; a decent struggle, and severe fibbing. Kensett down.
1833		Bell’s Life in London 7 Apr. 3/3: Charles was again caught and met with a severe fibbing.
1845		Era (London) 26 Jan. 10/3: Plenty of fibbing at the ropes, which was of a very severe nature.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open 106: Fibbing, pummelling a head while in chancery.
1857		Bell’s Life in Victoria (Melbourne) 23 May 4/1: [A]fter some spirited fibbing, they struggled for the fall.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum 126: fibbing. Short, quick blows when the parties are close to each other.
1860		‘Sayers’ and Heenan’s Great Fight’ in C. Hindley Curiosities of Street Lit. (1871) 124: Such fibbing and such up and down / Lor, how the swells did shout.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict. 132: FIBBING, a series of blows delivered quickly, and at a short distance — Pugilistic.
1870		Aus. Town & Country Jrnl (Sydney) 26 Nov. 17/2: He then grappled with Brown [...] and got what is called in pugilistic slang, a fibbing for his pains.
1889		Times-Democrat (New Orleans, LA) 9 July 3/6: Prize Ring Slang [...] ‘fibbing,’ striking blows in quick succession at close quarters.
1873		Sl. Dict.