OT: 19thC Boxing. Popular with the Upper Class?

[D. Bergin]

Interesting. Thanks for posting that.

No big names from what I can see, but Tim Murphy and Mike Leonard had decent pro careers with some very good opponents. Jack Van Houten fought Frank "The Coffee Cooler" Craig at one time also.

[vintagesportscollector]

Interesting, thanks Dave. You've peeked my interest on researching this more. I know nothing of Boxing, and aside from some old gloves and a couple T218 cards, this is my only piece. I bought it really because of the Spalding adv, and it was 19th Century ephemera - and for $1, why not .

Where would be a good place online to research names? Is there a decent record of boxers dating back that far? Googling a couple other names I saw a couple names were noted as managers at some point.

[springpin]

boxrec.com

Incredible recordkeeping on thousands of boxers over the ages.

[Runscott]

I have three hardbound British magazine collections from 1822-24 'Annals of Sporting and Fancy Gazette' that document even the most trivial boxing match in any part of England. They cover all sporting events, but particularly cricket, boxing and hunting. Given that boxing is given seeming equal status to the other two sports, I'm thinking it was popular with the upper class (who would have been into hunting and cricket), at least in England.