The Abridged History of Female Boxing

The history of female combative sports goes far back into centuries, although not too many historical documents remain. In the past, women were extremely rare guests in unarmed combative activities which were considered as exceptionally men’s. However, in some places and at some epochs, female combative sports were relatively popular for those patriarchal times. Legendary ancient Spartan women, Andean indigenous women in South America, Polynesian women and British women in the 18-19 centuries can be recalled as good examples.

The first evidence of female hand-to-hand combatants has come to us from the Greek mythology. Women in many ancient Greek city-states were involved in some athletic exercises and even in competitions. Every four years the most respected married Greek women organized The Heraea Games, the Olympics for maiden competitors. Women were barred from even attending the Olympics let alone participating.

In contrast to other Greeks, ancient Spartans prized the physical fitness and courage of girls as well as boys. According to Xenophon, who seems to have approved wholeheartedly both of women’s sports and of Sparta’s atmosphere, the legendary Spartan legislator Lycurgus encouraged girls to run, wrestle, box and pankration. Since Spartan men most of the time were out for war and war training, there was shortage of capable men in settlements. That’s why full contact contests in different forms were quite natural for ancient female Spartans. They competed just for fun but sometimes for dominance in the society or over a man. Contests in boxing and wrestling were held according to strict predefined rules which female combatants followed. There are evidences that the ancient female pugilists wore special garments protecting important female functions from damage. Ancient pugilists usually wrapped leather straps called himantes over their hands and wrists. Evidently, married women competed in yearly harvest celebration side by side with girls.

The love poems of Propertius testify that at least one Roman poet was enchanted by the bewitching of physically active Spartan girls. His extravagant tribute deserves quotation:

This content is protected

I must admire the Spartan fighting schools,
But most of all I like the women’s rules…
Girls, like men, can compete nude.
Spartans think such exercises are good for women:
Girls practice in wrestling as Helen,
They bear the brunt of the Pankration match,
Put pygmachia straps on hands, so soft and fair.
They whirl the heavy discus through the air,
Gallop the circuit, helmets on their brow,
Buckling a sword too thighs as white as snow;
With hoar-frost on their hair, they join the chase
With the determination on the face
Like Amazons, breasts naked to the fray…

According to legends, Spartan girls from free classes annually competed in boxing, pancration, or wrestling in order to win the title of the village queen. Such competitions allowed girls to raise their status in the female society for years. According to a tradition, a former village queen was a referee of the competition.

This content is protected

So much is the story of the Spartan Queens


Some indigenous inhabitants of the And highlands have an old tradition of annual festivals in which locals of both genders compete in boxing in one-on-one bouts. Regions across the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes have traditional fighting festivals and ceremonies as an outlet for this type of mountain-born aggression. Rules about who fights who and what weapons you can use, if any, vary from place to place, but the general gist remains the same, as does the expected goal of social catharsis and the collective venting of pent-up steam. As per legends, such fisticuffs go back to the time of the Inca Empire. Crowds from surrounding settlements gather at the central squares of towns and villages of at special playgrounds. People dance, sing and then pairs of fighters come to the arena in order to settle their differences by bare knuckles: men fight against men, women against women. Sometimes fighters use legs, keept weights in their fists; women even seize each other by the hair. People of all ages participate in fights, even quite old women and men. In the old days they fought more brutally, mortal outcomes were common. Traditionally, women come to the fighting arena in colorful traditional clothing: blouses and skirts, sometimes in long gowns. Women usually prefer open sweeping punches which they normally deliver in the head. Such a manner gives women’s bouts piquancy and makes them very spectacular – wide colorful clothes fly away in the wind reminding a primitive ritual dance. The tradition of mass fistfight festivals retain in some areas until now. Two festivals are the most known – “Takanakuy” in Peru and “Tinku” in Bolivia. Nowadays, some women no longer wear colorful traditional attire and wear jeans and t-shirts instead. Recently the Bolivian and Peruvian governments send special guards to these festivals who watch the fights and stop them as soon of one of the fighters evidently prevails.

This content is protected

Female boxing along with wrestling was quite common in some Pacific islands. Customs of indigenous people of both genders were very simple – they didn’t cover their bodies with clothing except loincloths and readily engaged in hand-to-hand contests; fistfight, wrestling or stick fencing. In 1773, Captain James Cook visited Tonga archipelago where he met friendly reception. The captain’s ship's artist John Webber did sketches of the wrestling performances done for the entertainment of the visitors. The British found it remarkable that Tongan women also participated in this combat sport which also included striking the opponent with blows from the wrist. James Cook wrote in his diary: "If unoccupied, Tongans entertained themselves with boxing and wrestling, women sometimes as well as men, and boys and girls… On the part of the natives were displayed single combats with clubs, wrestling and boxing-matches, female combatants, dances performed by men, and night entertainments of singing and dancing."

 

It wasn’t only men who fought for money In Georgian London, the ladies liked a shot at the title too. Of course, women have fought in staged competitions since ancient times, but lady bare-knuckle fighters became very popular in London in the early 18thC. I imagine this was in no small part due to the rise of boxing as a spectator sport, and the high probability of seeing two athletic women stripped to the waist.

The most famous of all the early lady fighters is Elizabeth Stokes. Born Elizabeth Wilkinson, date unknown, by 1722, she was advertising in the newspapers of her upcoming fights and that same year she met Hannah Hyfield, ‘the Newgate Market basket-woman’ for a prize of 3 guineas. They fought with half a crown in each of their fists, and the first to drop a coin lost. Elizabeth won, despite 'the good thumping’ Hannah had promised her in the paper. From then on, she began fighting in James Figg’s venue, the 'Boarded-House’ in Marylebone, or his Amphitheatre 'where cocks and bulls and Irish women fight’

By 1728, she had married Figg’s promoting/venue rival, James Stokes, who fought and had been beaten by Figg on at least one occasion. From then on, she fought at Stokes’s own Amphitheatre, near Sadler’s Wells. The following advertisement appeared in the Weekly Journal on the 1st of October 1726:

At Mr. Stokes’s Amphitheatre - in Islington Road, near Sadler’s Wells, on Monday next, being the 3d of October, will be perform’d a trial of skill by the following Championesses. Whereas I Mary Welch, from the Kingdom of Ireland, being taught, and knowing the noble science of defence, and thought to be the only female of this kind in Europe, understanding there is one in this Kingdom, who has exercised on the publick stage several times, which is Mrs. Stokes, who is stiled the famous Championess of England; I do hereby invite her to meet me, and exercise the usual weapons practis’d on the stage, at her own amphitheatre, doubting not, but to let her and the worthy spectators see, that my judgment and courage is beyond hers. I Elizabeth Stokes, of the famous City of London, being well known by the name of the Invincible City Championess for my abilities and judgment in the abovesaid science; having never engaged with any of my own sex but I always came off with victory and applause, shall make no apology for accepting the challenge of this Irish Heroine, not doubting but to maintain the reputation I have hitherto establish’d, and shew my country, that the contest of it’s honour, is not ill entrusted in the present battle with their Championess, Elizabeth Stokes.

Note, The doors will be open’d at two, and the Championesses mount at four.
N.B. They fight in close jackets, short petticoats, coming just below the knee, Holland drawers, white stockings, and pumps.

Elizabeth Stokes maintained the 'half-crown rule’ (coin in each hand, first to drop it loses) in her fights, which is quite clever, as it stops scratching and gouging, and puts a time limit on the fight. The rougher matches were without rules and it was thought particularly effective to punch and scratch an opponent on the face and breasts. Once again, this rough boxing was popular with the Irish, both as fighters and as spectators and as it was fought on such a low level, few records remain.

In contrast, Elizabeth Stokes’s career was well-publicized. In 1728, the Daily Post carried the following:

At Mr Stokes’s Amphitheatre in Islington Road, this present Monday, being the 7th of October, will be a complete Boxing Match, by the two following Championesses: Whereas I, Ann Field, of Stoke Newington, ass driver, well-known for my abilities in my own defence, whenever it happened in my way, having been affronted by Mrs Stokes, styled the European Championess, do fairly invite her to a trial of her best skill in Boxing, for 10 pounds; fair rise and fall…I, Elizabeth Stokes, of the City of London, have not fought this way since I fought the famous Boxing Woman of Billingsgate 29 minutes and gained a complete victory….but as the famous ass-woman of Stowe Newington dares me to fight her for the 10 pounds, I do assure her I shall not tail meeting her for the said sum, and doubt not that the blows I shall present her with will be more difficult to digest than any she ever gave her asses.

N.B Attendance will be given at one, and the encounter is to begin at four precisely. There will be the diversion of cudgel playing as usual.


The cudgel display was not only a diversion: Elizabeth Stokes was also known to fight with weapons, including the short sword and the cudgel, and apparently she was very skilled. Stokes and her husband took on other couples in mixed fights. She is perhaps the most famous female fighter of the 18th and 19th centuries, but there were others, including the famous 'Bruising Peg’ who was of Amazonian proportions and quite terrifying also very rough, and in 1795 two famous male boxers Mendoza and 'Gentleman Jackson’ acted as seconds in a fight between Mrs Mary Ann Fielding and a 'Jewess of Wentworth Street’. The fight lasted 80 minutes and there were over 70 knockdowns between them for a prize of 11 guineas. Hattie Stewart, Anna Lewis, Mamie Herbet, Mabel Brown, and of course Hannah Hyfield:

Lives Of The Most Remarkable Criminals Who Have Been Condemned and Executed For Murder, the Highway, Housebreaking, Street Robberies, Coining or Other Offences (1735): “I, Elizabeth Wilkinson, of Clerkenwell, having had some words with Hannah Hyfield, and requiring satisfaction, do invite her to meet me on the stage and box with me for three guineas, each woman holding half-a-crown in each hand, and the first woman that drops her money to lose the battle.” The reply: “I, Hannah Hyfield, of Newgate Market, hearing of the resoluteness of Elizabeth Wilkinson, will not fail, God willing, to give her more blows than words, desiring home blows and from her no favour.” Sporting Magazine, July, 1808, refers to this advertisement source from a Diurnal Print, June, 1722. James Peller Malcolm (1810), refers to this June, 1722, article as the London Journal: “Boxing in public at the Bear-Garden is what has lately obtained very much among the men; but till last week we never heard of women being engaged that way, when two of the feminine gender appeared for the first time on the Theatre of War at Huxley in the Hole, and maintained the battle with great valour for a long time, to the no small satisfaction of the spectators.”

This content is protected

-------------------------------------------------

https://www.amazon.com/Bare-knuckle-1722-1889-Christopher-Shelton-ebook/dp/B00OW6U2JM

http://www.fscclub.com/main/main.shtml

http://georgianlondon.com


Goddamn word cap.

I just thought maybe it's about time for something a little bit different.

 

I'm currently trying to hunt down that "Jewess" who worked with Mendoza

 

Purity of the sport I'd say. Most of us as fans can appreciate a low skill fight provided it's a well matched fight.

I can't say I watch current female boxing, but then again I wouldn't know where to look or how to follow. I don't watch much Japanese HW boxing and I am interested in that so maybe that speaks more to how current boxing doesn't rep it's ladies for dick than my appreciation for the feminine side of the sport.

I can tell you in other sports I watch even though the ladies are not as good as the men they are entertaining and it has nothing to do with sex selling in this case.

In American Sumo, I respect Japanese Sumo but it's difficult to follow over here and they go full ass out which is also difficult, anyway in US Sumo we allow female matches. In Japan I think it's sacrilege or some ****, either way they don't allow it at all.

Of course the female sumos have nowhere near the power of the men, but when the pairing is good and you see solid, albeit basic, technique being employed on both sides to achieve the chess match situation, well, them ladies earned my respect. That's good Sumo. Obviously, no disrespect to BBW if that's yer thing, but it ain't their bodies i'm interested. Sumo is cool because a 30sec match is kind of a long match.

In Ice Cross Downhill, a circuit race sport on ice skates down an ice track sometimes a natural mountain, but usually a man-made. The ladies are absolutely covered in pads and wear hockey and motocross helmets. They're about as sexy as Samus Aren in her man-looking powersuit, but a good close race is a good close race. I also appreciate a skillful cheat.

In Ice Cross the ladies bring a different flair as mens races. They won't get down the track as quickly as the men, there will be much more wrecking, but when the fellas hit a jump and trick off of it it'll be something you might expect from a inline skate video whereas the ladies will do some ballet ****....or bust their asses.

I appreciate that their races last a little longer and that they struggle more to get down the track. It makes for much more intense back and forth. In the mens you've jockeying in the early part of the race but usually once the leader is out in front that's where he'll stay and wrecks are rare so they guys in the back hardly have a chance to catch him down the stretch. With the ladies they can stay on their skates long enough for you to ever know who's actually gonna win.

I guess what I mean to say is the guys make Ice Cross seem like it's just a race, but the ladies will remind you it is or at least it used to be a bit of a roller derby on ice, which is cool..to me


I know it's not really what you're looking for, but best argument I could muster.