James Ward.

Jem Ward's Picture of the Great Fight between Tom Sayers & J. C. Heenan at Farnborough April 17th 1860, for the Championship of England & America.

41 x 31 inches

Largely acknowledged as the first truly global boxing match, this fight between two bare-knuckle prize fighters from opposite sides of the Atlantic has gone down in history as much for the civic disorder it created as for its sporting achievement. Such fights were illegal in England at the time but that didn't stop Southwestern Railways laying on special trains to ferry the crowds down from London to Farnborough in Hampshire. It was reported that MPs, Peers and members of fashionable London society were to be seen jostling in the crowd. Representing the USA was John Heenan, also known as Benicia Boy, whilst the home crowd had local lad, Tom Sayers. The fight lasted for over 2 hours and the pair fought for 42 rounds. Things came to a head during the infamous 37th round when Heenan forced Sayer's head down onto the ropes practically strangling him. The ropes were cut and, fuelled no doubt by drink and injustice, the unruly mob stormed the ring. Order was eventually restored and, although largely incapable of fighting, both men struggled on for a further 5 gruelling rounds. Eventually, the police threatened an intervention and a draw was finally declared at the end of the 42nd round! The print is particularly notable for the fascinating level of detail in the faces of the spectators, many of whom would be leading figures of the day. Interestingly, there is not one woman among them!