Abstract
This chapter includes a brief history of prize-fighting in Britain and—later—the USA, from the days of James Figg, through Jack Broughton, Daniel Mendoza and Richard Humphries to ‘Bendigo’, Tom Sayers and Jack Heenan. Throughout this period, The Times and the judiciary campaigned for the abolition of prize-fighting, whilst at the same time the best fighters were sponsored by the aristocracy and the biggest fights attracted both Royalty and tens of thousands of spectators, despite also being the target of the legal authorities. Prize-fights were often organised by an ephemeral group known as ‘The Fancy’, who even invented their own language, but the fight-game’s popularity fell with the increasing influence of criminal gangs.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Allen, J. (2009). The Bristol Boys: The Untold Story of Bristol’s Champion Boxers. Redcliffe Press.
Batchelor, D. (1955). Big Fight: The Story of World Championship Boxing. The Sportsman’s Book Club.
Bean, J. P. (1981). The Sheffield Gang Wars. D & D Publications.
Bodner, A. (1997). When Boxing Was a Jewish Sport. Praeger.
Breines, P. (1990). Tough Jews. Basic Books.
Egan, P. (2001). Boxiana; or, Sketches of Ancient and Modern Pugilism, from the Days of the Renowned Broughton and Slack, to the Championship of Cribb: Volume 1. Adamant Media Corporation (re-print). (Original work published by George Virtue, 1830).
Fraser, G. M. (2008). Black Ajax. Harper.
Furniss, H. (Ed.) (1905). Police Budget Edition: Famous Fights Past and Present, X, 122.
Inglis, S. (2014). Played in London: Charting the Heritage of a City at Play. English Heritage.
Mace, J. (1908). Fifty Years a Fighter: The Life Story of Jem Mace (Retired Champion of the World). Arthur Pearson, Ltd.
Paine, T. (1791). Rights of Man: Being an Answer to Mr. Burke’s Attack on the French Revolution. J. S. Jordan.
Sidney, S. (1851). Rides on Railways Leading to the Lake and Mountain Districts of Cumberland, North Wales, and the Dales of Derbyshire. W. S. Orr and Company.
Winchester, S. (2002). The Map That Changed the World. Penguin Books.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Bell, M., Armstrong, G. (2021). The Attraction of ‘Fisti-Cuffs’. In: A Social History of Sheffield Boxing, Volume I. Palgrave Studies in Urban Anthropology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63545-9_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63545-9_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-63544-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-63545-9
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)