Young Strapper

Strapper Kemp is a young fighter in Cashel Byron's orbit, learning the trade in a play that sets the ring against the drawing room and finds the ring considerably more honest. He is the apprentice figure — loyal, game, and a little overshadowed by his celebrated master — and his presence keeps the boxing world concrete rather than merely symbolic. He matters to the early arc because he shows what Cashel's profession actually is: a craft with its own discipline, taught to young men who have few other prospects.