Prizefighting in mid-Victorian Britain.

This study critically analyses the supposed decline of prizefighting in Britain from 1860 to 1880, focusing on the transformation from bare-knuckle prizefights and major international bouts in the early 1860s to glove boxing in the 1870s. It challenges the common portrayal of a simple decline due to disorder and waning aristocratic support. Instead, it emphasises a nuanced transition marked by geographic expansion and diverse participation in the prize ring. The thesis reveals the integration of prizefighting and British popular culture during this era. It examines variations in prizefighting through chronological, spatial, structural, and demographic lenses, utilising a quantitative and qualitative assessment of primary sources, mainly printed media and court records. Exploring how broader social changes in mid-Victorian Britain, such as industrialisation, urbanisation, and migration, influenced the reception and perception of prizefighting while addressing key themes such as its relationship with class, social control, patronage, and masculine, local, and national identities, as viewed through concepts of ‘place’ and ‘space.’ Most research into prizefighting focuses on the earlier Regency Golden Age or the period post-Queensberry Rules. This thesis addresses an important historiographical gap concerning the specific characteristics of bare-knuckle prizefighting as it transitioned to glove boxing. It expands the understanding of pugilism in the 1860s and 1870s, pivotal decades for professional and amateur boxing. The transition from bare-knuckle prizefighting to glove boxing was shaped by changing social attitudes, particularly through increased regulation. Critics condemned prizefighting for its brutality, while even supporters expressed concerns about disorder and cheating, and it faced competition from safer ‘rational’ leisure activities. The thesis demonstrates that prizefighting did not vanish abruptly but experienced a gradual decline, with some resurgence in popularity after notable fights and in new contexts. Though it never reached previous heights, prizefighting's legacy continued and still influences British popular culture.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

PhD

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

De Montfort University

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Duncan-Jones, Ben

Licence

• https://dora.dmu.ac.uk/bitstreams/95fab0de-0e08-417c-98bc-eae3729d9ad4/download