| 词条 | James Figg |
| 释义 |
James Figg (1684 – 7 December 1734, surname sometimes spelt 'Fig'[1]) exhibited and taught methods of fighting with swords, cudgels and fists from a base in London in the eighteeenth century. He is widely recognized as the first English bare-knuckle boxing champion, reigning from 1719 to 1730. LifeJames Figg was born in Thame in Oxfordshire[1], "during the reign of William III",[2] and fought his early prize fights there. In 1719 he started his own school based at an ampitheatre in Tottenham Court Road, London, where he taught boxing, fencing, and quarterstaff.[1] He also demonstrated his skills at booths and rings set up on parks and fields. In 1725, the poet John Byrom visited Figg's ampitheatre where, at a cost of 2s 6d, he saw Figg fight Sutton. He reported: "Figg had a wound and bled pretty much; Sutton had a blow with a quarterstaff just upon his knee, which made him lame, so then they gave over".[3] On 11 October 1729, it was reported that Figg had been made gate-keeper to Upper St James's Park by the Earl of Essex.[4] In October 1730, it was reported: "yesterday the invincible Mr. James Figg fought at his Amphitheatre Mr. Holmes, an Irishman, who keeps an Inn at Yaul near Waterford in Ireland, and came into England on purpose to fight this English Champion". It was reported that during the bout, Holmes had his wrist cut to the bone and was therefore forced to retire. It was stated that this fight was the two hundred and seventy-first contest fought by Figg without defeat.[5] In December 1731, Figg contested a sword-fight with a Mr. Sparks before the vising Duke of Lorraine.[6] Although records weren't kept as precisely at the time, the common belief is that Figg had a record of 269–1 in 270 fights. His only loss came when Ned Sutton beat him to claim the title. Figg demanded a rematch, which he won, and also went on to retire Sutton in a rubber match. After 1730 he largely gave up fighting, and relied on his three protégés to bring in spectators: Bob Whittaker, Jack Broughton, and George Taylor. Taylor took over Figg's business upon Figg's death in 1734, though Broughton went on to become his most famous protégé.[7] Figg died in 1734 and was buried in St Marylebone Parish Churchyard. The Gentleman's Magazine of April 1735, published the following epigram:[8]
Legacy
Relationship with William HogarthWilliam Hogarth was reputedly a friend and fan. Figg sometimes featured in his pictures, such as Southwark Fair (where he can be seen riding a horse on the far right).[14] It is not unlikely that Hogarth used Figg as model for some of his well known works such as A Rake’s Progress[15] and a A Midnight Modern Conversation[16]. But as records in this time are unreliable (Hogarth himself warned against finding likenesses of individuals in his depiction of drunks, stating that "We lash the Vices but the Persons spare")[17] this cannot be ascertained with certainty. A typical example is James Figgs' trade card which was believed to be engraved by Hogarth[18], but the general consensus is that it was engraved by somebody else, it is even suggested that the trade card itself is a forgery.[19] In popular cultureJames Figg's great-grandson appears as a central character in the Marc Olden novel Poe Must Die and appears alongside other historical figures including Edgar Allan Poe and Charles Dickens. Whilst he is a fictional adaption, Olden's character references the life and experiences of the real Figg. See also
References1. ^1 2 {{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/pugilisticahisto01mileuoft|title=Pugilistica: the history of British boxing containing lives of the most celebrated pugilists|last=Miles|first=Henry Downes|date=|publisher=J. Grant|others=|year=1906|isbn=|location=Edinburgh|pages=8-12|volume=1}} 2. ^{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/fightsforchampio01hennuoft|title=Fights for the championship : the men and their times|last=Henning|first=Fred W. J.|date=|publisher=Licensed Victuallers' Gazette|others=|year=1902|isbn=|location=London|pages=6-11}} 3. ^{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=9mJVAAAAcAAJ&dq=John+Byrom+figg&source=gbs_navlinks_s|title=The Private Journal and Literary Remains of John Byrom: Vol. I, part I.|last=Byrom|first=John|date=|publisher=Chetham Society|year=1854|isbn=|location=Manchester|pages=117|language=en}} 4. ^{{cite news |title=London, Oct 2 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000085/17291011/005/0001 |accessdate=1 April 2019 |work=Newcastle Courant |via=The British Newspaper Archive |date=11 October 1729|page=1|subscription=yes}} 5. ^{{cite news |title=London October 15 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000191/17301010/010/0004 |accessdate=1 April 2019 |work=Ipswich Journal |via=The British Newspaper Archive |date=10 October 1730|page=4|subscription=yes}} 6. ^{{cite news |title=Yesterday a Prize was fought |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000045/17311209/004/0003 |accessdate=1 April 2019 |work=Caledonian Mercury |via=The British Newspaper Archive |date=9 December 1731|page=3|subscription=yes}} 7. ^{{cite book | author = Derek Birley | title = Sport and the Making of Britain | publisher = Manchester University Press | year = 1993 | isbn = 0-7190-3759-X | page = 118}} 8. ^{{cite book |last1=Urban |first1=Sylvanus |title=The Gentleman's Magazine, Volume 5 |date=1735 |publisher=Edward Cave |location=London |page=209 |url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=aUcDAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=figg&f=false |accessdate=28 March 2019}} 9. ^{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=mOBbAAAAQAAJ&source=gbs_navlinks_s|title=A Treatise Upon the Useful Science of Defence: Connecting the Small and Back-sword, and Shewing the Affinity Between Them|last=Godfrey|first=Captain John|date=|publisher=|year=1747|isbn=|location=London|pages=|language=en}} 10. ^Figg on the Pugilism.org website 11. ^James Figg on the IBHF Website 12. ^Listing on the website 13. ^1 James FIGG (1684–1734). Oxfordshire Blue Plaques 14. ^{{cite book |last1=Wheatley |first1=Henry Benjamin |title=Hogarth's London, pictures of the manners of the eighteenth century |date=1909 |publisher=E.P. Dutton |location=New York |page=432 |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924014878023/page/n573 |accessdate=29 March 2019}} 15. ^James Figg on BBC Oxford 16. ^[https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/811532/a-midnight-modern-conversation A Midnight Modern Conversation (1733)] on the website of the Royal Collection Trust 17. ^A Midnight Modern Conversation on the website of the Indianapolis Museum of Art 18. ^[https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/416882 James Figgs'trade card] on the website of the Metropolitan Museum of Art 19. ^The trade card on the website of British Museum External links
5 : 1684 births|1734 deaths|Bare-knuckle boxers|People from Thame|English male boxers |
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