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On the Horizon:
Annals of the Prize Ring
- Abstract
When Gentleman Dick Humphries ascended the stage at Odiham, Hampshire, on January 9, 1788, for his widely heralded first match with Daniel Mendoza, his fighting dress consisted of a pair of fine flannel drawers, white silk stockings with gold-colored clocks, pumps, and black shoe ribbons. After twenty-nine minutes of fighting, during which he had been severely punished, Humphries counter-attacked, and Mendoza, “milling in retreat,” slipped on the rain-soaked stage, wrenched his ankle, and was forced to give in. Immediately after the fight Humphries sent word of his triumph to his patron: “Sir, I have done the Jew, and am in good health.” Thus, with stylish pageantry and a laconic report, did modern boxing begin.
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