CHAPTER XXXI 



THE PRIZE RING 



In the eighteenth century the Prize Ring was one of the 

 most popular of national sports among all classes. And 

 for that popularity one man was mainly responsible, to 

 wit, John Broughton, the " Father of British Boxing." 

 There were so-called champions before him who included 

 boxing among their displays of sword-play and single- 

 stick, cudgel and quarter-staff; but Broughton was the first 

 to reduce fist-fighting to a science. He was a waterman 

 by trade — a big man, standing over 5 ft. 11 ins, and 

 weighing between 14 and 15 st. His fine, athletic figure, 

 his keen eyes and intelligent face, won him general 

 admiration. His patron was the Duke of Cumberland, son 

 of George II., afterwards execrated as the "Butcher of 

 Culloden," but then a handsome young soldier, whose 

 gracious manners made him universally popular. Under 

 this distinguished patronage Broughton beat every man 

 that was matched against him and the Duke won thousands 

 of pounds by backing his protege. For ten years Broughton 

 held the Championship unchallenged. He set up a big 

 amphitheatre in Hanway Street, off Oxford Street, where 

 the public was entertained by combats between picked 

 bruisers. 



In addition to his public performances, Broughton opened 

 a house in the Haymarket for private pupils, to encourage 

 whom he invented the gloves, or mufflers. The first 

 advertisement of the use of boxing-gloves appeared in the 

 Daily Advertiser in February 1747 : — 



" Mr Broughton proposes, with proper assistance, to open 

 an academy at his house in the Haymarket, for the instruc- 

 tion of those who are willin"; to be instructed in the 



