A Period of Transition

Among top pugilists who at various intervals wore the heavyweight crown, "Gentleman" Jackson and Jem Belcher are listed as two of the most popular. Each had a colorful background which had an appeal for fiction writers.

Jackson at the age of nineteen, despite parental objections, decided on a boxing career, and his initial contest was a victory over a renowned pugilist, Fewterell of Birmingham, a giant in stature and scaling 230 pounds. Jackson weighed only 195. The battle took place at Smitham Bottom on June 9, 1788, and was attended by a distinguished group including the Prince of Wales.

A year elapsed before young Jackson again appeared in a bout. He then fought George Ingleston, known as "The Brewer," and at Essex on May 12, 1789, on a floor made slippery by a heavy downpour, Jackson turned his ankle and was forced to quit. The defeat hurt his pride and he retired for six years, during which Mendoza ruled the roost as champion.

It was only after Mendoza's rise to fame and the praise he was receiving as a master of boxing that Jackson, now called "Gentleman" Jackson by the Fancy, decided to return to the ring. He fought Mendoza on April 15, 1795, at Hornchurch in Essex, in a swift and melodramatic combat in which his ring generalship electrified the spectators. Jackson was crowned new champion after eleven minutes of activity.

With that victory began a new era in British boxing. Jackson was the first to show that a hit was not effective unless distance had been properly judged. He also was the first to give considerable attention to footwork.

Among his numerous admirers was Lord Byron, who paid him many tributes in his literary works. His was a warm friendship for the gentleman pugilist. Jackson did more for the uplift of boxing in his era than any of his predecessors. He died on October 7, 1845, at the age of seventy-seven.

Jem Belcher, known as the "Napoleon of the Ring," was the grandson of Jack Slack, fourth boxer to hold the heavyweight crown. Like Jackson, he was a magnificent boxer, lithe and graceful. His brother Tom also was a pugilist. Jem was born April 25, 1781. He was eighteen when he made his boxing debut. His agility and speed in hitting were his best assets.

On December 6, 1805, at Blyth near Doncaster, Belcher, handicapped by an injured eye, lost the title to Henry Pearce, the "Game Chicken." Friends urged him to quit, but twice more he fought, each time against Tom Cribb.

In the first bout at Mousley Hurst on April 8, 1807, Belcher was forced to retire at the end of forty-one rounds. He was whipped again in the second contest two years later at Epsom Downs when he broke his right hand. He was the originator of the use of "colors" attached to a post in the ring.