The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-12-22

the innovation He was one Of the c1everests of the early boxers. and his style made an instant appeal to Eng
 ishmen. His successor John Jackson was another clever and polished gen
 era1 of the ring, champion runner and jumper and al1-round athlete as we'll as a pugf1ist% He was popular with all classes. and many nobIes, in cluding Lord Byron, the poet, were numbered among his pupils.
 The first American boxer Of any prominence was Tom Molineux, a Vir- ginia negro, who went to England and challenged Tom Crtb4o for the title. The black almost Won his battle in the early rounds, but. lost out after ter rife struggle. MoI1neux never fought on this side of the Atlantic, and the first real battle in America was fought in 51816 by Jacob flyer ana Tom Beas- ley.
 Boxing was at the height of it's pop u1arity in England a century ago When the monarchrs who were allied with England against Napoleon visited London in 1914. King George III. com manded John Jackson, the retired champion, to arrange a boxing show for the royal guests, and the clever ness, science and fins physical deVel- opment Of the boxers who took part won the admiration of the king1y spec tuators. When George ". was crowned in 1921, eighteen of the leading boxers of England were chosen to act as guards at Westminster Abbey. Many of the boxers of this era of pugilism afterward won fame in other profes- sionss and one of them, John Gully, member of Parliament.
 On this side of the Atlantic the box ing game developed slowly, and 1t was not until 1849 that Tom flyer became the frst recognized American cham pions by defeating ssY ankee'' Sullivan. The first battle for the worlds cham pionship was fought in England in 1860 between Tom Savers, a speedy, clever and game boxer, although rath- CT light, and John c. Heenan, an American giant The Yankee had the. best Of it, but the referee called it a. draw. As Savers immediately retired from the ring, Heenan was undcubt- ed1y justified in claiming the worlds championship. Heenan was defeated by a fellow townsman of Troy, N. Y, John Morrissey, who was the only American boxer who was ever elected to the United States Congress.
 During the '60's, there was a great agitation agtinst boxing in both Eng land and America. Two things saved the game. One was the appearance in the role of champion of Jem Mace, whose science and c1everness did much to restore the ring to favor. Mace
  toned sath1ete, although small for a heavyweight, and his skill and speed were a revelation to followers of the fstic art The other great event in the history of boxing in the '6os was the reformation due 70 the adoption of what is called the Marquis of Queens berry rules. The old Marquis, a dem ocratic scholar and gentleman whose memory has been much Inaligned be- cause of his religious views and his fondness for the manly art" joined with the late Joh-1 G. Chambers in drawing up a, code that would elir1f- nate objectionable brutality from box bers founded the Amateur Athletic club in 1866, and this organization not only kept boxing alive, but renewed it's popularity.
 The next great advance in the refor- nation of boxing was In the general adoption of boxing gloves for all matches, both amateur and ptofes- siona1. The last important bare knuck1e fight was held about a quar- ter of a century ago, when John L. Sullivan defeated Jake Kilrain in Mis- eissippi. The organization of official commissions to regulate the game marks the last step in the movement by which boxing has kept pace with the incr easing refinement of civi1iza- ton, and has justified it's right to ex- istence as a healthfu1, ennobling sport