'Professor' Mike Donovan sparring Billy Edwards, 1905

I don’t know anything about these guys- could you tell me?

 

And Professor Mike was actually about 3 years younger than Billy? I wouldn’t have guessed that.

 

Mike Donovan fought John L. Sullivan, IIRC. He was a very good middleweight who fought with gloves during the transitional period between bareknuckle London Prize Ring rules and gloved boxing. He wrote a manual on boxing that is very well explained and thorough. Taught Teddy Roosevelt.

Billy Edwards was a genuine bareknuckle fighter from before the transition. He claimed the lightweight championship of America under London Prize Ring Rules, and also wrote a very good book. Looking at how he spars, though, his stance is a little different from what he recommended in the book, which is interesting.

Overall, this is probably the earliest window back in time you're going to get for what contender-level London Prize Ring rules striking skills looked like.

 

I will note that I wonder whether either of these men was Edwards. Billy would have been pretty old by then; he died in 1907 of Bright's Disease.

 

In that case, if the other is Edwards, he's really freaking sprightly for a man of his age. And possibly dyeing his hair.

Good genes?

 

@greynotsoold

 

You know what they say today: 58 is the new 38

 

@Pat M

Thoughts on the two videos posted?

 

If we go by looks then 58 is the new 98