The Lives and Battles of Tom Sayers and John C Heenan, 1860, Bare Knuckle Boxing

Description: The Lives and Battles of Tom Sayers, The Champion of England, and John C. Heenan, "The Benecia Boy" 1860 With full Accounts of their Various Contests in the Ring,Embellished with Life-Like Portraits.To Which is Added the New Rules of the Ring,As Revised by the Pugilistic Benevolent Association of England. The First World Championship This original vintage book was published to cash in on the pre-fight publicity for one of the greatest (and illegal at that time) bare knuckle boxing bouts ever staged. The epic fight also popularized what generally had been considered a disreputable sport. Tom Sayers was an English bare-knuckle prize fighter. There were no formal weight divisions at the time, and although Sayers was only five feet eight inches tall and never weighed much more than 150 pounds, he frequently fought much bigger men. In a career which lasted from 1849 until 1860, he lost only one of sixteen bouts. He was recognized as heavyweight champion of England between 1857, when he defeated William Perry (the "Tipton Slasher") and his retirement in 1860. His lasting fame depended exclusively on his final contest, when he faced American champion John Camel Heenan in a battle which was widely considered to be boxing's first world championship. ---------- John Camel Heenan, also known as the Benicia Boy, was an American bare-knuckle prize fighter. Though highly regarded, he had only three formal fights in his career, losing two and drawing one. Heenan is best remembered for his second contest, when he traveled to England to fight British champion Tom Sayers. The bout ended in chaos when spectators broke into the ring and the police intervened. The referee finally called a draw. ---------- By [1860] the prize ring was in utter disrepute – and virtually ignored by everyone outside the ranks of the Fancy, as the followers of boxing were known – yet the Sayers–Heenan fight caught the public imagination on both sides of the Atlantic. In the words of The Times, "this challenge has led to an amount of attention being bestowed on the prize ring which it has never received before", while in America, the New York Clipper observed that "'Whate'er we do, where'er we be,' fight, fight, fight is the topic that engrosses all attention". ... It was on the face of it an unequal contest: Sayers was conceding forty pounds in weight, five inches in height and eight years in age. ... In the 37th round, the fight descended into chaos when Heenan held Sayers around the neck on the ropes. The ropes were let down and the crowd invaded the ring, and it also became clear that the police were in the vicinity, keen to put a stop to proceedings. The referee, having been "forced from his post" tried to bring the contest to an end but the ring was reformed and five more rounds fought before the referee could finally end the contest. The fight was finally declared a draw, but hostilities continued for some weeks outside the ring, with the American camp claiming that Heenan had been cheated of victory, and the British insisting that Sayers had been on top. According to Iain Manson, a careful study of newspaper reports of the fight and the subsequent controversy leaves little doubt that Heenan was on the verge of victory when the action was stopped. Others say the match was a draw. However, according to Alan Wright's book "Tom Sayers: the last great bareknuckle champion", Heenan's attempted strangling of Sayers did not stop the fight, nor did the subsequent invasion of the ring by Sayers' supporters. This account says that order was nearly restored and the ring re-pitched yards away. The fight continued for four or five rounds with neither man able to box proficiently. When the Police were spotted at the edge of the field, the entire throng, including the fighters, made a bolt for it and the fight ended there. --Wikipedia See photos for a better idea of item's actual condition. The Fine Print: - Please see photos for a better idea of item's actual condition. - All items are sold in "as is" condition. - Descriptions of items' conditions include obvious defects. Additional minor defects may be present. - Multiple shipping options are usually available. If customer chooses a less expensive shipping service they agree to accept full responsibility for mishaps if that service does not include tracking and/or insurance. - International shipping is usually available. When it is, the only services offered are USPS First Class Package International (for items weighing four pounds or less) and/or USPS Priority International. No exceptions. 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Price: 249 USD

Location: Volcano, California

End Time: 2024-11-06T10:14:54.000Z

Shipping Cost: 5.38 USD