1743: The story of a Pugilist’s Charter

True to his word, champion bare-knuckle fighter Jack Broughton publishes a set of rules to control boxing. He was said to have been determined on this course since Yorkshireman George Stevenson died of injuries sustained in a gruelling bout with him in 1741. Past practices forbidden under the new rules included hitting an opponent when he is down, kicking, gouging, head-butting and grasping an opponent below the waist.

Broughton was further responsible for introducing 10 oz (300g) gloves called mufflers to protect the hands and face from bruising during training. His gymnasium was among the many boxing establishments to benefit from the innovation, which encouraged interest in the sport from young men previously put off by the prospect of disfigurement. Broughton drew up a set of rules for the sport that were regarded as definitive for around 100 years. The rules stipulated that a round would last until a man went down, and there was to be a 30-second interval between rounds. The rules were applied widely in boxing until they were replaced by the London Prize Ring rules in 1838.

In 1750 he fought Jack Slack. After 14 minutes of the fight, as a result of a blinding punch, Broughton was unable to see his man, and thus had to retire from the bout. The Duke of Cumberland, Broughton’s patron at the time was said to have lost thousands of pounds on the match. After the fight he closed his amphitheatre, and instead ran an antiques business.

Most notable historic snippets or facts extracted from the book ‘On This Day’ first published in 1992 by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, London, as well as additional supplementary information extracted from Wikipedia.

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