Boxing is a combat sport and a martial art in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined amount of time in a boxing ring.
James "Deaf" Burke was an English bare-knuckle boxer active from 1828 to 1843. He primarily competed in Southern England, though he also toured the United States from 1836 to 1838, fighting both exhibition matches and prizefights.
1867 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
Tom Cribb was an English bare-knuckle boxer of the 19th century. He was All England Champion from 1808-1822.
Bare-knuckle boxing is a full-contact combat sport based on punching without any form of padding on the hands.
Jess Myron Willard was an American world heavyweight boxing champion billed as the Pottawatomie Giant. He claimed the heavyweight title in 1915 by knocking out Jack Johnson.
Marton Paul Csokas is a New Zealand actor of film, stage, and television. A graduate of the Toi Whakaari drama school, he has worked extensively in Australia and Hollywood, along with his native country, and often portrays villainous roles.
James "Jem" Mace was an English boxing champion, primarily during the bare-knuckle era. He was born at Beeston, Norfolk. Although nicknamed "The Gypsy", he denied Romani ethnicity in his autobiography. Fighting in England, at the height of his career between 1860 and 1866, he won the English Welterweight, Heavyweight, and Middleweight Championships and was considered one of the most scientific boxers of the era. Most impressively, he held the World Heavyweight Championship from 1870 to 1871 while fighting in the United States.
Daniel Mendoza was a prominent English prizefighter in the 1780s and 90s, and was also highly regarded as an instructor of pugilism. He was of Sephardic or Portuguese Jewish descent.
John Jackson was a celebrated English pugilist of the late 18th century. He became the bare-knuckle boxing champion of England in 1795, when he defeated Daniel Mendoza.
John Joseph Killion, more commonly known as Jake Kilrain, was a famous American bare-knuckle fighter and glove boxer of the 1880s.
Peek-a-boo is a boxing style which received its common name for the defensive hand position, which are normally placed in front of the face, like in the baby's game of the same name. The technique is thought to offer extra protection to the face whilst making it easier to jab the opponent's face. The fighter holds their gloves close to their cheeks and pulls their arms tight against their torso. A major proponent of the style was trainer Cus D'Amato, who didn't use the term peek-a-boo and instead referred to it as a "tight defense." The style was criticized by some because it was believed that an efficient attack could not be launched from it.
Tom Johnson was a bare-knuckle fighter who was referred to as the Champion of England between 1784 and 1791. His involvement in pugilistic prizefighting is generally seen to have coincided with a renewed interest in the sport. Although a strong man, his success was largely attributed to his technical abilities and his calm, analytical approach to despatching his opponents. But Johnson was less prudent outside the ring; he was a gambler and considered by many of his acquaintances to be an easy mark. He is thought to have earned more money from the sport than any other fighter until nearly a century later, but much of it was squandered.
Henry "Hen" Pearce was an English bare-knuckle prizefighter who fought under the London Prize Ring rules and was the recognised English Champion from 1804 until his retirement due to ill health in 1807.
1800 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
Paddington Jones was a British bare-knuckle boxer from 1785 to 1805 who also worked extensively as a second.
James Belcher, also known as Jem Belcher, was an English bare-knuckle prize-fighter and Champion of All England 1800–1805.
Jack "Barty" Bartholomew, (1763–1803) was a bare-knuckle boxer born in Brentford, Middlesex, England.
Russell Crowe is an actor. He gained international attention for his role as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the 2000 epic historical film Gladiator, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor. Crowe's other performances include tobacco firm whistle-blower Jeffrey Wigand in the drama film The Insider (1999) and mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr. in the biopic A Beautiful Mind (2001). He has also starred in films Romper Stomper with Daniel Pollock (1992), The Quick and the Dead with Sharon Stone (1995), L.A. Confidential with Guy Pearce (1997), Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World with Paul Bettany (2003), Cinderella Man with Renée Zellweger (2005), 3:10 to Yuma with Christian Bale (2007), American Gangster with Denzel Washington (2007), State of Play with Ben Affleck (2009), and Robin Hood with Cate Blanchett (2010).
Matt Hookings is a Welsh actor, producer, writer, and entrepreneur. He founded Camelot Films in 2013 in London, United Kingdom.
