Joe,
I read a few books on the history of boxing. Around the date of your publication, boxing was illegal in most places. Yet it had appeal to a wide range of society, including the upper class. There are historical accounts of John L. Sullivan, the last of the heavy-weight bare knuckle champions and the first heavy-weight gloved champion, going on boxing tours in England where he performed for British royalty. Some of the exhibitions were held in very upper-class venues, as posh theaters, all the while being illegal. The adoption of the Queensberry Rules served to help dignify boxing as a "sport." There are accounts of spectators wearing tuxedos to boxing matches at this time in history. So I presume the watch company saw the potential of marketing to this segment of society, as counter-intuitive as it seems.
Paul
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