Certamina ludis Historicus et Martialis Artist
Posts about bare knuckle prizefighting and professional gloved contests from the 1850s to 1930s.
John L. Sullivan erat fortissimus pugnae praemium transeuntem heavyweight. He transitioned prize fighting from the bare knuckle era to modern boxing under the Marquis of Queensbury rules by refusing to fight in any more non-gloved bouts. Before he made this pledge, he took part in the Fight of the 19th Century with the formidable Jake Kilrain. Jake Kilrain was
Monogram Pictures released So’s Your Aunt Emma! (1942) pro- 17, 1942. Zasu Pitts stars as Aunt Emma Bates. In her youth, Aunt Emma was engaged to up-and-coming professional fighter Jim O’Banion. Her sister didn’t approve of the match, so they sent her on a trip to break up the couple. Aunt Emma regretted it and starts following the career
Die martis, January 19, 1909, Dr. Benjamin Roller, a Seattle physician and pro wrestler who was good enough to win the American Heavyweight Championship, inexplicably decided to try his hand at professional boxing. His opponent was friend and sparring partner, “Denver” Ed Martin, who would win the Colored World Heavyweight Boxing Championship. Dr. Benjamin Franklin Roller was a unique athlete
Sam McVey tired of the lack of opportunity for black fighters in the United States during the early Twentieth Century. McVey decided to leave for Europe in 1907, where he fought until 1911. McVey fought in Australia for three more years before returning to the United States. This brief highlight film from France in 1911 with “Battling” Jim Johnson shows
In December 8, 1903, Sam Langford pugnavit caestu fortissimus regnantis leve est in patria Bostono, Massachusetts. Prior ad pugnantes Langford, maxime peritorum boxing comissationesque sensit Joe Gans non potuit in legitimo verberabitur. Natus est in Baltimore, Maryland, Gans was able to break the color barrier by winning the World Lightweight Boxing Championship. Sam Langford is often considered
John Morrissey posuit in Mundus risus in nuda Knuckle Prizefighting disputate IRCA Yankee Sullivan in October 1853. Et plagis eius participatione caedis crimine caedis Valerius “Lanio” To, E contra Ioannem constitutum defendere titulo Morrissey. Heenan, “Puer autem Benicia”. “Old Fumus” Morrissey Heenan percussit in October 1858 bout held in
John Camel Heenan was known to 19th Century bare knuckle prizefighting fans as “Puer autem Benicia”. Despite an 0-1-1 record as a professional fighter, Heenan claimed the World Prizefighting Championship based on a draw with Tom Sayer in an 1860 English prize-fight. Heenan’s first professional fight had been with the reigning World Heavyweight Prizefighting Champion John Morrissey’s last professional fight
Tom Hyer parta patrocinium in American Nudis Knuckle Prizefighting 1841. Sicut maxime prizefighting pugiles saeculi XIX, et non dimicavit persaepe. Hyer solet solvit rogationibus quasi exactor quia factionibus politicis in New York,. Originally, Hyer talenta ad Whigs usus est sed ad fidelitates flectendum “Know Nothing Party” with his friend William
Octobris 12, 1853, 23 year-old John Morrissey would meet 40 year-old “Yankee” Sullivan for the American and possibly World Heavyweight Prizefighting Championship. Sullivan had been considered the champion since Tom Hyer, who had beaten Sullivan previously, retired instead of fighting Sullivan in a rematch. Sullivan claimed the title and was backed by Hyer, who had made peace with Sullivan.
In July 1854, the World Bareknuckle Prizefighting Champion John Morrissey, who also severed as Tammany Hall enforcer, challenged William “Bill in Butcher” Poole to a no holds barred street fight. The result was a terrible beating and several month recovery for John Morrissey. Morrissey would have likely won a bareknuckle prizefight with Poole, a part-time prizefighter himself. Morrissey made a