Pugilism

Boxing was evidently in vogue in very ancient times in Italy, imported, in all probability, from Greece, for Livy (i. 35) relates that, at the first celebration of the great Roman games (ludi, Romani magnique varie appellati) by Tarquinius Priscus (6th cen tury B.c.), boxers were brought from outlying provinces; and there was an old tradition that a school of pugilism flourished in Etruria in heroic times. During the republic boxing was cultivated as a gentlemanly exercise, and we find Cato the Elder giving his son instruction in the art (Plutarch, Cato Major). Tacitus (Ann. xvi. 3) says that the emperor Caligula imported the best Campanian and African pugilists for the gladiatorial games, and Strabo (iii. 3) records that the Lusitanians and also the Indians, who gave vir gins as prizes, boxed. The art remained popular in Italy down to a late period of the empire.

Pugilism in England.

From the fall of the Roman empire to the beginning of the 19th century pugilism seems to have been unknown among civilized nations with the single exception of the English. The first references to boxing in England as a sport occur towards the end of the 17th century, but little mention is made of it before the time of George I., when "prize-fighters" engaged in public encounters for money, with the backsword, falchion, foil, quarter-staff and single-stick, and, to a less extent, with bare fists, the last gradually gaining in popularity with the decline of fencing. The most celebrated of these fighters and the one who is generally considered to have been the first champion of England, fighting with the bare fists, was James Figg, who was supreme from 1719 to 173o. Figg was succeeded by Pipes and Gretting, both of whom made way in 1734 for Jack Brough ton, who built the amphitheatre for public displays near Totten ham Court road and who was undisputed champion until 175o. Broughton seems to have been a man of intelligence, and to him is ascribed the scientific development of the art of boxing. During his time the sport became truly national and the prize-fighter the companion of the greatest in the land. Among Broughton's suc cessors were Slack, "Big Ben" Brain, Daniel Mendoza (a Jew who flourished about 1790 and was the proprietor of the Lyceum in the Strand), J. Jackson, Tom Cribb, Jem Belcher, Pearce (called the "Game Chicken"), and John Gully, who afterwards repre sented Pontefract in parliament.

To Broughton is ascribed the invention of boxing-gloves for use in practice. All prize-fights, however, took place with bare knuckles in roped-off spaces called rings, usually in the open air.

Pugilists toughened their hands by "pickling" them in a powerful astringent solution. A fight ended when one of the "bruisers," as they were called, was unable to "come to the scratch," i.e., the middle of the ring, at the call of the referee at the beginning of a new round. Each round ended when one fighter fell or was knocked or thrown to the ground, but a pugilist "going down to avoid punishment," i.e., without being struck by the opponent, was liable to forfeit the fight. Wrestling played an important role in the old prize-ring, and a favourite method of weakening an adversary was to throw him heavily and then fall upon him, seemingly by accident, as the manoeuvre, if done intentionally, was foul. The fighting was of the roughest description, low tricks of all kinds being practised' when the referee's attention was diverted, gouging out an adversary's eye being by no means un known. Until 1795 pugilists wore long hair, but during a fight in that year Jackson caught Mendoza by his long locks and held him down helpless while he hit him. This was adjudged fair by the referee, with the result that prize-fighters have ever since cropped their heads. Nevertheless, there were rules which no fighter dared to overstep, such as those against kicking, hitting below the belt, and striking a man when he had fallen.

From the time of Cribb the English champions were Tom Spring (1824), Jem Ward (1825), Jem Burke (1833), W. Thomp son, called "Bendigo" (1839-45), Ben Caunt (1841), W. Perry the "Tipton Slasher" (185o), Harry Broome (1851), Tom Sayers (1857-6o), Jem Mace (1861-63), Tom King (1863), and again Mace, until 1872. In America boxing began to be popular about the beginning of the 19th century. The first recognized national champion was Tom Hyer (1841-48), who was followed by James Ambrose (born in Ireland), called "Yankee Sullivan"; John Mor rissey (afterwards elected to the United States Congress) ; John C. Heenan; Tom Allen (of England) ; Jem Mace (of England) ; J. Kilrain; John L. Sullivan (188o-91). Sullivan was the last of these to fight with the bare fists. Pugilism (i.e., fighting with the bare fists) was driven out in favour of boxing (i.e., fighting with the glove) by public opinion and by the general adoption after 1866 of the Marquis of Queensberry rules. The last championship fight under the old prize ring rules was fought between Frank Slavin and Jem Smith in Belgium, the latter retaining the cham pionship. The old prize ring being illegal and extinct no cham pion can succeed him. See BOXING.

See Egan, Boxiana ; Fistiana (i868) ; American Fistiana (1876).