By 1880, amateur boxing was experiencing a surge in popularity across the country, particularly in and around London. Numerous clubs had been formed, many affiliated with existing sports clubs and societies like the Thames Rowing Club and the German Gymnastic Society, others linked to military units such as the London Rifle Brigade and the London Scottish Rifles, and some connected to broader institutions including the Civil Service.
Among these new organizations, The London Athletic Club (London AC) became a vocal critic of the Amateur Athletic Club (AAC). Their main contention was the AAC`s insistence on holding championships every March, which London AC believed was too early in the year for athletes to be at their peak fitness, suggesting a date a month or two later.
As a result of this disagreement, London AC had already organized its own independent event in the summer of 1879 and wished to avoid a repeat in 1880. Consequently, they attempted to reach an agreement with the AAC to postpone the date of that year`s championship competition.
J.H. Douglas was a driving force within the London AC and, having won the AAC championship three times himself, he likely anticipated successfully negotiating a suitable compromise with the AAC committee. However, when an agreement wasn`t forthcoming, he quickly moved to forge connections with other prominent amateur clubs, predominantly based in London.
The objective was to establish a rival organization dedicated exclusively to overseeing amateur boxing throughout Britain. A foundational meeting was held at Anderton’s Hotel on Fleet Street in London on October 17, 1880, out of which the Amateur Boxing Association (ABA) was born. In contrast to the AAC, whose administration was dominated by members of the middle and upper classes, the ABA committee largely comprised representatives actively involved in managing the leading amateur clubs of the era, some of whom, including Douglas, had boxed competitively themselves.
The ABA wasted no time implementing significant reforms to the structure and governance of amateur boxing. They undertook a revision of the Queensberry Rules, making minor adjustments, to produce a set of 16 rules that would govern all contests held under their jurisdiction.
One notable omission in Chambers` original rules was a specific statement that, should a contest go the full duration, the winner would be the boxer who had accumulated the most points. Chambers likely considered this self-evident and thus saw no need to explicitly codify it. The ABA addressed this gap with the following explicit rules:
Two judges, a referee and a timekeeper shall be appointed (rule 4).
In all open competitions the result shall be declared by two judges with a referee (rule 10).
The manner of judging shall be as follows; the two judges and the referee shall be stationed apart. At the end of each bout each judge shall write the name of the competitor who, in his opinion, has won (rule 11).
The referee shall have power to give his casting vote when the judges disagree (rule 12).
In all competitions, the decision shall be given in favour of the competitor who displays the best style and obtains the greater number of points. The points shall be for attack; direct clean hits with the knuckles of either hand on any part of the front or sides of the head or body above the belt. For defence; guarding, slipping, ducking, counter-hitting or getting away. Where points are otherwise equal consideration to be given to the man who does most of the leading off (rule 14).
The inaugural ABA championships, held in 1881, marked a significant advancement for the sport. They were staged indoors at a public venue in the heart of London, specifically St James’s Hall on Regent Street. Until this point, boxing events of any kind rarely occurred indoors, let alone within such a prestigious setting as St James’s Hall.
The event saw a considerable increase in participation, with 25 entrants, and introduced a fourth weight category: featherweight. It also attracted a far larger audience than the equivalent AAC tournament, with the “Sporting Life” newspaper reporting that the hall was completely full by early evening.
The championships proved successful right from the outset. In 1884, a fifth weight division, bantamweight, was incorporated, and by 1890, the number of annual entrants typically ranged between 40 and 50. Within just five years of its formation, the ABA had established complete authority over amateur boxing throughout Britain.
Although the amateur boxing movement was initially largely spearheaded by the middle classes, the clubs they founded soon began to attract boxers from lower social standings. The backgrounds of some of the earliest ABA champions reflect a broad spectrum of social positions. For instance, the first lightweight champion, Frederick Hobday, hailed from a wealthy family and worked on the Stock Exchange after his boxing career concluded.
Similarly, Thomas Bellhouse, the first middleweight champion, went on to become a successful solicitor in his native Manchester. The brothers James and Robert Hair, who secured three titles between them in 1887 and 1888, came from a family of clerks, considered a respected profession at the time. Robert Frost Smith, the first heavyweight champion, worked as an advertising agent. In contrast, Arthur Bettinson, who later rose to become the general manager of the National Sporting Club and mingled with the elite, was an upholsterer when he claimed the ABA lightweight title in 1882.
Andrew Newton, who later achieved success as a trainer, was a stone polisher. Alfred Curnick and Manning Salmon both worked as butchers. Henry Thomas Dursley, who won the heavyweight championship three consecutive times starting in 1882, originated from a family of fish salesmen.
Notably, none of these early champions transitioned into professional boxing, except for two. Anthony Diamond became a very capable professional fighter after winning his fourth and final ABA title in 1886. Tom Hill also turned professional following his three victories at featherweight between 1882 and 1884.
In later years, achieving victory in the ABA championships became a crucial stepping stone for young boxers aiming for a successful professional career. However, during the 1880s and 1890s, for the majority of champions, the amateur scene was sufficient, primarily because most had stable sources of income from other professions.
These individuals were amateurs in the true sense of the word. Amateur boxing had rapidly gained popularity and was highly organized, utilizing a single, consistently applied set of rules. Professional boxing now needed to emulate this model.
The sharp decline in the number of bare-knuckle prize fights by 1871 coincided with the introduction of the first professional boxing tournaments where participants wore gloves and competed under the Queensberry Rules. It quickly became apparent to professional fighters that if the authorities permitted amateurs to compete using the new rules, unhindered by the police, there was no logical reason why they shouldn`t be allowed to do the same.
In November 1871, three separate boxing tournaments were held in central London. These were competitive events where professionals boxed each other for a silver cup. Bartholomew ‘Bat’ Mullins (pictured above), a 22-year-old originally from County Cork but by then a true Londoner, won all three events.
Mullins was already a recognized prize fighter, having competed bare-knuckle in six contests between 1867 and 1870 without defeat. He was also well-known within the sporting pubs and saloons of Central London, where he frequently participated in sparring sessions.
On Monday, November 6, 1871, Mullins secured the first of his trophies by defeating W. Whyman of Camden Town on points over three rounds at the Jolly Butchers public house on Ferdinand Street, Camden Town. Available information strongly suggests this was the world’s first professional boxing contest held with gloves under modified rules.
After winning these cups, Mullins never competed in bare-knuckle fighting again. He won a few more competitive events in 1871 and 1872 and subsequently took part regularly in exhibition bouts until 1889, when he had his final professional contest, losing in the final of a 154 lbs championship competition. He is arguably recognized as Britain`s first professional boxer and its first professional boxing champion under the new format.
In April 1872, the first outdoor professional tournament took place at the Running Grounds in Bow, East London. The event attracted a crowd exceeding 2,000 spectators, and notably, the police were present not to stop the event, but to maintain order. Bat Mullins was once again a featured participant and won another competition.
This new format made it possible to organize an entire evening`s boxing entertainment, featuring a series of contests held sequentially, each concluding with a definite outcome. Promoters could now guarantee an evening of entertainment for their audience and also generate a profit. Similar to attending music halls or penny theatres, working men in large towns and cities could now enjoy watching boxing staged indoors.
Therefore, the two critical developments in the birth of professional boxing during this period were, firstly, the willingness to adopt the amateur rules and conditions, with minor adjustments, and secondly, the emergence of the professional boxing promoter. Professional boxing quickly evolved into not only a sport but also a viable business, experiencing rapid growth.
Organizing tournaments similar to those won by Mullins in 1871, which were essentially adaptations of the amateur events happening across London, was one step. However, the true test would involve a more significant match between two fighters of championship caliber, contested over a much longer duration. The first such bout occurred in early 1873, featuring Charley Davis from Stepney competing for what was billed as the English championship.
On April 20, 1873, the superintendent of Grafton Hall in Soho was approached by a gentleman requesting to rent the hall the following evening for what was described as a “sparring match.” The superintendent, perhaps naively, granted permission. The following evening, approximately 400 people arrived to witness a gloved contest between Charley Davis and Ted Napper, who was recognized as the professional lightweight champion.
This was clearly no mere sparring match. Admission cost £1, which represented roughly a week`s wages for a typical working man at the time. This indicates that the audience for this event was of a higher social standing than average. The “Leeds Times” reported that the attendees included “a noble Marquess, two noble lords and three colonels of Her Majesty’s army.” A silver cup was presented, rumored to be provided by the Marquess of Queensberry himself, although this connection was later denied (it is suspected he was the Marquess mentioned as being in attendance).
The fight itself was brutal, with the younger Davis eventually wearing down the more experienced Napper over 25 rounds. The bout received extensive coverage in the press, and the consistent impression conveyed in these reports was that the entire spectacle was disgraceful. Despite being fought under the Queensberry Rules and with gloves, it bore a much stronger resemblance to a bare-knuckle prize fight than to the type of contest fought by Mullins.
The organizers made a considerable profit. Crucially, the entire affair concluded within a single evening, took place in a public hall in the city center, and faced no interference from the police.
Thus, the stage was set for professional boxing to flourish alongside its amateur counterpart. Both branches of the sport utilized the same rule set, competitors wore similar gloves, and contests were held as part of organized, well-advertised events within major cities across the country.
By leveraging the concessions and growing acceptance granted to the amateur sport, professionals successfully established a foothold, leading to the legitimization of their own sport. This allowed professional boxing to begin its significant development and prosperity.
Oliver Croft