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Customer
Comments
This
really packs a punch, 10 October, 2000
Reviewer: dave from Norfolk,
England
This was great. I never realised what a big sport bare
knuckle boxing was. The guys who fought all those years ago
must be some of the hardest blokes in history. Amazing.
Brilliant,
this book is a great read, 10 October, 2000
Reviewer: A reader from London, England
Bare Fists is a brilliant social history of prizefighting
from the 1700s through to the end of the 19th century. Back
then fist fighting was as popular as football is today; it
was the sport of the landed gentry, huge bets were wagered
and it wasn't unusual to see royalty at ringside. The author
paints a vivid picture of the fighting achievements of these
men, who used to have only weeks, sometimes days, between
fights. But many of them died early due to the poundings
they took and their hard-drinking ways. The sport died out
in the 20th century,despite the fact that the likes of Lenny
McLean and Roy Shaw, who fought in the 1970s, liked to make
out they were continuing a proud tradition. The author
rubbishes their claims to being bare-knuckle fighters. In
truth they were thugs, a world away from the greats of the
18th century. This is a wonderful read for anyone who wants
to know about the social history of sport, the origins of
boxing, and the truth about The Guvnor, and other late 20th
century imitations.
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