The Bare-Knuckle Era

Modern boxing emerged from the bare-knuckle prize fights of 18th- and 19th-century England. The Broughton Rules of 1743 — established by London champion Jack Broughton — were the first attempt to civilise the sport: no hitting a man when he was down, no grabbing below the waist, a 30-second count if a fighter was knocked off his feet. The London Prize Ring Rules of 1838 (revised 1853) refined them further: rounds ended only when a fighter went down, and after a 30-second rest the fighter was given 8 seconds to reach a scratch line drawn in the centre of the ring. A bare-knuckle fight could last 50, 70, even 100 rounds, often lasting hours. The English heavyweight Jem Mace dominated the 1860s; the Irish-American John L. Sullivan succeeded him from 1882. Sullivan's 1889 fight with Jake Kilrain — 75 rounds in 110-degree heat in Mississippi — was the last great bare-knuckle championship bout in America. By the early 1890s the Marquess of Queensberry Rules had largely replaced bare-knuckle.