163: Fighters and Fashion: The Story of Georgian London's Public Combat

Spotify episode description

London’s forgotten fighting history comes alive in this episode of the London History Podcast. Hazel Baker explores the brutal, theatrical and hugely popular world of Georgian bare-knuckle boxing — a sport that shaped London’s streets, entertainments and social life.

From James Figg, celebrated as the “invincible master,” to Jack Broughton’s influential rules of combat and Daniel Mendoza’s revolutionary style, this episode follows the fighters who made the ring a defining feature of eighteenth-century London. Hazel also examines women’s involvement in the boxing world and the writing of Pierce Egan, whose accounts give us a vivid window into the culture of prizefighting.

Discover how boxing moved from taverns, amphitheatres and the margins of the city into the centre of popular London life — and why its legacy still matters today.

In this episode:

• The rise of prizefighting in Georgian London
• James Figg and the early fighting schools
• Entertainment, gambling and the city’s rougher edges
• Women in the boxing world
• Jack Broughton and the first formal boxing rules
• Daniel Mendoza and the changing art of combat
• Pierce Egan and the storytelling of the ring

For full show notes, sources and more London history, visit the London History Podcast website.