John Heenan vs Tom Sayers: How British-American Rivalry Invented Boxing

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by Diagoras, Oct 8, 2025 at 2:21 PM.


  1. Diagoras

    Diagoras Active Member Full Member

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    Why did two men - John Heenan and and Tom Sayers - illegally meet in a field in Hampshire, in 1860, to brutally fight one another, captivating Britain in the process? What can the fight tell us about the nature of Britishness in the 19th century? Was this the birth of boxing? Who won the infamous boxing match? And, how did the fight change the course of British sport, forever?

    In this week’s episode, Tom and Dominic are joined by Professor Robert Coles, to discuss one of the most legendary clashes in English history
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    Diagoras, Oct 8, 2025 at 2:21 PM
    Diagoras, Oct 8, 2025 at 2:21 PM
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  2. Senya13

    Senya13 Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    Sayers had had his first professional fight in 1849, not 1850, called Tom Sears in Bell's Life's report. So, by the time he met Heenan, he had had 15 professional fights, not 14.
    Wilkes' Spirit of the Times was the newspaper that was involved in organizing the fight in the US, not Porter's Spirit of the Times. It's just that the Bell's Life originally quoted the challenge from Porter's, but the challenge was published by other US newspapers at the time, as well, New York Herald and New York Clipper among them.
     
    Senya13, Oct 9, 2025 at 7:10 AM
    Senya13, Oct 9, 2025 at 7:10 AM
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  3. Senya13

    Senya13 Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    Had to look it up to refresh my recollections of the fight, but per Bell's Life editor's statement, the ropes had never been cut:

    "We have made diligent inquiries, and find at length that the ropes were never cut at all, but that the stake which Heenan had hold of to assist him in his efforts to squeeze the Champion was forced out of the ground, and so the ring was broken in."
     
    Senya13, Oct 9, 2025 at 7:49 AM
    Senya13, Oct 9, 2025 at 7:49 AM
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