The Times Online has a great article about the first bare-knuckle world heavyweight contest. On April 18, 1860, the British heavyweight boxing champion, Tom Sayers, met T. J. Heenan of the USA in what was to be the first world heavyweight contest, and the last of the brutal bare-knuckle bouts under the rules of the Prize Ring.
The fight went to 42 rounds and lasted nearly two and a half hours. Each round ended only when there was a knock-down, with some dragging on, blow by vicious blow, for as long as 20 minutes. Sayers, at 5ft 8in, was six inches shorter than his opponent, and stones lighter. His right arm was thought to have been broken half way through the fight, but he fought on one-handed, and managed to blind Heenan with some deadly left-handed punches.
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