A fight to the death - prize fighters
Extract from Tough Times and Grisly Crimes
The North East has long had the reputation of breeding keen fighters but, while most
beat hell out of each other for little or no good reason, there were some who used their
aggression to make their fortune.
Such men were prize-fighters – heroes of their day who were put up to fight a rival
from a neighbouring town or village.
Huge rewards were on offer for these illegal street-fighters who were willing to risk
the wrath of the law as well as the possibility of being beaten to death.
Though shadowy and not well-recorded, this criminal pastime was popular in the 19th
Century, before legitimate boxing was up-and-running.
The arrival of the Queensbury Rules and boxers fighting with padded gloves and
under carefully-controlled regulations put an end to prize-fighting by 1880.
But, while “pugilism” thrived, crowds in their thousands would flock to place bets on
their heroes.
With purses of up to £50 – the equivalent of around £10,000 today - these bareknuckle
fights often lasted hours and involved plenty of spilled blood.
