James Figg The First Champion

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The London Protestant Mercury:

“Yesterday a match of boxing was performed before his Grace, the Duke of Albemarle, between the Duke’s footman and a butcher. The latter won the prize, as he hath done many others before, being account, though but a small man, the best at that exercise in England.”

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"Here’s how Captain John Godfrey, a former student of James Figg’s who in 1747 published his recollections of the early days of boxing in the Treatise Upon the Useful Science of Defence, describes the match:"

"I saw [George Stevenson] fight BROUGHTON, for forty Minutes. BROUGHTON I knew to be ill at that Time; besides it was a hasty made Match, and he had not that Regard for his Preparation, as he afterwards found he should have. But here his true Bottom was proved, and his Conduct shone. They fought in one of the Fair-Booths at Tottenham Court, railed at the End toward the Pit. After about thirty-five Minutes, being both against the Rails, and scrambling for a Fall, BROUGHTON got such a Lock upon him as no Mathematician could have devised a better. There he held him by this artificial Lock, depriving him of all Power of Rising or Falling, till resting his Head for about three or four Minutes on his Back, he found himself recovering. Then loosed the Hold, and on setting to again, he hit the Coachman as hard a Blow as any he had given him in the whole Battle; that he could no longer stand, and his brave contending Heart, though with Reluctance, was forced to yield. The Coachman is a most beautiful Hitter; he put in his Blows faster than BROUGHTON, but then one of the latter’s told for three of the former’s. Pity – so much Spirit should not inhabit a stronger Body!"

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Oh, this is interesting, so how did this story come to have Stevenson die, a myth made up later on ?

 

Fantastic work man, you sure are a good researcher, maybe the best in this forum.

 

Well with that info I suppose me thinking he was dead is indeed forgivable due to the amount of times his "death" has been recounted and the story does give Broughton's rules a "foundation myth" so to speak. Indeed the information you give here is very rare, maybe the only time ever a report contradicts the well accepted story of his death, at least from what we have left available to us.

 

Nice find, did you know that Jack Slack is credited as the inventor of the "rabbit punch" ??? at least before I wrote that somewhere in this forum during the last week.

 

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I.
LONG was the great Figg, by the Prize fighting Swains,
Sole Monarch acknowledg’d, of marrow-bone Plains;
To the Towns, far and near, did his Valour extend,
And swam down the River from Thame to Gravesend;
Where liv’d Mr. Sutton, Pipe-maker by Trade,
Who hearing that Figg was thought such a stout Blade,
Resolv’d to put in for a Share of his Fame,
And so sent to challenge the Champion of Thame.
II.
With alternate Advantage two Tryals had past,
When they fought out the Rubbers on Wednesday last.
To see such a Contest, the House was so full,
There hardly was Room left to thrust in your Skull.
With a Prelude of Cudgels we first were saluted,
And two or three Shoulders most handsomly fluted;
Till wearied at last with inferior Disasters,
All the Company cry’d, Come, The Masters, The Masters.
III.
Whereupon the bold Sutton first mounted the Stage,
Made his Honours, as usual, and yearn’d to engage;
Then Figg, with a Visage so fierce and sedate,
Came and enter’d the List with his fresh shaven Pate;
Their Arms were encircled by Armigers Two,
With a Red Ribbon Sutton’s, and Figg’s with a Blue.
Thus adorn’d, the Two Heroes ’twixt Shoulder and Elbow,
Shook Hands, and went to’t, and the Word it was Bilboe.
IV.
Sure such a Concern in the Eyes of Spectators,
Was never yet seen in our Amphitheatres:
Our Commons and Peers from their several Places,
To half an Inch Distance all pointed their Faces,
While the Rays of old Phoebus, that shot thro’ the Skylight,
Seem’d to make on the Stage a new kind of Twilight;
And the Gods, without doubt, if one could but have seen ’em,
Were peeping there thro’ to do Justice between ’em.
V.
Figg struck the first Stroke, and with such a vast Fury,
That he broke his huge Weapon in Twain I assure you;
And if his brave Rival this Blow had not warded,
His Head from his Shoulders had quite been discarded;
Figg arm’d him again, and they took t’ther Tilt,
And then Sutton’s Blade run away from its Hilt.
The Weapons were frighted, but as for the Men
In Truth they ne’er minded, but at it again.
VI.
Such a Force in their Blows, you’d have thought it a Wonder,
Every Stroke they receiv’d did not cleave them asunder;
Yet so great was their Courage, so equal their Skill,
That they both seem’d as safe as a Thief in a Mill.
While in doubtful Attention Dame Victory stood,
And which Side to take could not tell for her Blood,
But remain’d like the Ass ’twixt the Bottles of Hay,
Without ever moving an Inch either Way.
VII.
Till Jove, to the Gods, signify’d his Intention
In a Speech that he made them, too tedious to mention;
But the Upshot on’t was, that at that very Bout,
From a Wound in Figg’s Side the hot Blood spouted out.
Her Ladyship then seem’d to think the Case plain,
But Figg stepping forth with a sullen Disdain,
Shew’d the Gash, and appeal’d to the Company round,
If his own broken Sword had not given him the Wound?
VIII.
That Bruises and Wounds a Man’s Spirit should touch,
With Danger so little, with Honour so much!
Well, they both took a Dram, and return’d to the Battle,
And with a fresh Fury they made the Swords rattle;
While Sutton’s Right Arm was observed to bleed,
By a Touch from his Rival; so Jove had decreed;
Just enough for to shew that his Blood was not Icor,
But made up, like Figg’s, of the common red Liquor.
IX.
Again they both rush’d with as equal a Fire on,
That the Company cry’d, Hold, enough of cold Iron,
To the Quarter-Staff, now Lads. So first having dram’d it,
They took to their Wood, and i’faith never sham’d it:
The first Bout they had was so fair and so handsome,
That to make a fair Bargain, ’twas worth a King’s Ransome;
And Sutton such Bangs to his Neighbour imparted,
Wou’d have made any Fibres but Figg’s to have smarted.
X.
Then after that Bout they went on to another,
But the Matter must end on some Fashion or other;
So Jove told the Gods he had made a Decree,
That Figg shou’d hit Sutton a Stroke on the Knee.
Tho’ Sutton disabled, as soon as it hit him,
Wou’d still have fought on, but Jove wou’d not permit him;
’Twas his Fate, not his Fault, that constrain’d him to yield,
And thus the Great Figg became Lord of the Field.
(SOURCE: London Journal, 27 May 1727)

 

yes it is true, it is a pointer to the mindset of the time, I think it pays to remember that swords used to play a large part in winning battles and wars yet at this time the cannon ruled the battlefield and the musket due to the military genius's of the last century like Gustavus Adolphus, Turenne, Oliver Cromwell and above all, John Churchill, Duke of Marleborough who had put all the tactics and strategy of those three guys into a perfect and terrible perfection, the sword still played a part in cavalry but rarely did the man on foot carry a sword, he would carry a dirk on him for several uses, some innocent like cutting their food, others more gruesome. I refer to these generals and the warfare for another reason apart from showing what had happened to the sword in general but also to point out we are dealing with gruesome times and gruesome people. To these people boxing was a bit of a sideshow but was growing and developing slowly but surely and yet, despite boxing at this time being far more gruesome than at any time in the later future, they would not have seen it as thus, to them this was the SOFTEST contact sport they had, the old time football they played back then in England actually made boxing look gentile by comparisin, football was a chaotic bloodsport but the sword was what they really want to see, swords are the ultimate bloodsport, it's close up, gory as hell, people die, are maimed permanently and above all, it reminds these people of thir relatively recent past, the sword had now taken on a reminiscent quality it was nostalgia, soon, within 50 to 60 years or so duels with a sword will be illegal and even by the 1750's most duels between nobility will be settle by the pistol, settling disputes very surely and suddenly.