june nicknamed gem irish bare prize fighter heavyweight boxing champion ireland drawn england larger sums prize money offer hopes heavyweight champion fighters involved fatal fights survivor deceased records began fought era english boxing illegal powerful individuals patronage popularity free corruption heavy betting staged fights fought recorded matches accounts career focus scottish champion english champion vacant championship england injuries received fight resulted death following day rioting home country scotland went lose match commentators believed sufficiently condition fight final contest rounds lasted hours minutes longest recorded prize fight died days later result damage brain caused beating received arrested tried acquitted following death fighter known london prize ring rules introduced clearly define rules prize fighting introduce certain safety measures rules form basis modern sport boxing early 19th century english boxing half 19th century better known prize fighting held curious position british society supported members establishment royal princes downwards considered illegal terms riot act defined riot tumultuous disturbance peace persons assembling authority intent mutually execute violent enterprise terror people boxer died days minute fight english champion event triggered draw set rules help patrons prevent published august rules outlawed hitting seizing opponent body waist striking left discretion rounds fixed length continued fighters knocked thrown ground corner allowed seconds return scratch middle ring failing opponent declared victor sport enjoyed unprecedented surge popularity regency period openly prince regent later brothers championship boxing matches acquired reputation places seen wealthy upper classes match attended thousands people money outcome duke cumberland uncle king george iii reported bet thousands pounds english champion years boxing nest gambling related corruption 1820s era championship reign fighter occasion admitted taking equivalent thousand pounds today lose contest sport widely known corruption blatant cheating commonplace background earned living early life little known early life fact born ireland fight loss lasted rounds spread half hours despite fact time round vary length usually ended man knocked second fight draw earning match scottish boxer won easily rounds earning match prize fight victory soon followed win earning win earning standards day sums enormous surprising offered rematch regardless won experienced beaten easily occasion equivalent versus fight brush notoriety june billed champion ireland fought champion scotland right challenge heavyweight champion england match organized castle tavern champion boxer treasurer fair play club organization oversaw boxing immensely influential boxing world known acted manager sponsor match considered greatest fighters era people attended fights contracts signed spring tavern arranged fight place vast crowd spectators began pouring venue switched minute inside rendering powerless prevent despite publicity billing fifth prize fight defeat hands half years earlier fought won matches earning earned men promised match outcome earned previous fight received promised payment huge improvement fortunes boxing relied strength scientific theory fight lasted rounds collapsed left handed punch throat particularly powerful carried corner regained consciousness complaining severe surgeon scene taken local inn died following evening post examination found cause death brain damage buried following inscription strong athletic frame far native home came fought return stranger warning fate case late fought determine fight death attracted widespread publicity led rioting streets homeland people died injured glasgow people died called quell rioting roman catholic church burned looted mob assumed roman catholic arrested days later board ferry ireland tried leave country incarcerated await trial prospect trial trial held small rural market town buckingham trials local sheep thieves buckingham seen spectacle town inundated journalists merely curious charged charged aiding names jackson spring involved trial potential turn huge establishment scandal people classes bet hundreds pounds outcome boxing match despite banned prize fighting enjoyed huge public support patronage levels younger male members royal family jackson taught box support received trial testimony wealth establishment rallied support represented witnesses london evidence behalf defence produced witness claimed seen fall strike head stones hours fight began sleeping draught introduced water bottle fight illegal public assembly spectators considered court neglect surprising recently case savage skinner deemed attending fight guilty offence trial described human kind man large muscular man magnificent man jury came verdict minutes guilty free man image sport damaged condemned exhibitions called prize fights expressed hope example wealthy monsters affair blood stood saw fellow creature beaten death sport gain wealthy monsters boxing included king george asked country leading act pages coronation heir duke times words fell deaf ears sport continued following year similar legal case occurred boxer killed instance wealthy patrons names involved manager convicted boxer unlike found guilty sentenced years transportation versus ward cleared responsibility death collected prize money winner earned right fight english heavyweight champion fight originally scheduled place leicester march minute ward claimed unfit ill fight disapproval friends rumours circulated ward refused enter ring received prize money plus additional lost event known quarters leicester hoax ward fight years finally met july near fighter paid ward older man prevailed contest hour seventeen minutes seconds withdrew man 33rd round observer commented best condition fight appearance failed favour impression possessed active boxing historian describes fight commentator noted singular fact men black eye external cut worth mentioning versus announced retirement ring letter published january edition london succeeded champion england disputed right title ward refused fight retiring standing feet inches tall weighing handicapped assumed championship defeating prolonged brutal fights known ward faced public criticism refusal fight felt better fighter promised acknowledge victor fight new champion match took place tract common land villages prize man condition fight reduced weight pounds pounds effort effected hard work somewhat impaired natural stamina especially habits far ireland scarcely fitted undergo necessary labour despite hard work looked special muscle compared perfect condition slight height advantage weighed pounds started contest marginal favourite odds corner true style match lasted hours minutes time rounds fought longest recorded prize fight control early stages fight 30th round trapped ropes battered severely body throwing ground fell face throwing blood rounds looked likely winner 49th round recovered sufficiently knock ground hands swollen unable deliver finishing blow round scarcely able stand rolled deaf like ship storm men utterly exhausted continued pepper away body head round collapsed unconscious revived place scratch contemporary newspaper report day describes blow blow account fair match carried inn nearby attended evening fight considered close death course following days recovering sufficiently conscious thank friends condition worsened afternoon saturday june died following day cause death given congestion blood brain reportedly different opinion telling shortly death die beating received died beaten fight left wife children dublin aftermath contemporary view fatal fight earlier contest ward expressed popular poem written publisher london thursday day took ring champion likewise fight pounds man courage bold stop reports ward battle sold arrested tried acquitted july avoided competitive fights time taking exhibition matches retired died tuberculosis years later having reduced poverty following death fighter known match london prize ring rules introduced clearly define range introduce certain safety measures biting kicking forbidden use stones hard object hand thirty second breaks introduced rounds end fighter walk scratch seconds wearing boots prohibited went ground hit disqualified rules form basis modern sport boxing
Simon Byrne