Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Portrait Of Bareknuckle Boxer For Sale

American John Heenan fought British champion Tom Sayers to a draw in 42 rounds in 1860.

The portrait:



Looks like the inspiration for the Cubist art movement, doesn't he?

Fighting was different back then under the old London Prize Ring rules. A round under those rules only ended when a fighter was knocked down, and there was no provision for technical knockouts. Sayers in the fight described in the story had his arm broken but fought on, concentrating on Heenan's eyes to good effect. A much more brutal sport than today's boxing.

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