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

<p>Spotify episode description</p><p>London’s forgotten fighting history comes alive in this episode of the <em>London History Podcast</em>. 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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>In this episode:</p><ul><li>The rise of prizefighting in Georgian London</li><li>James Figg and the early fighting schools</li><li>Entertainment, gambling and the city’s rougher edges</li><li>Women in the boxing world</li><li>Jack Broughton and the first formal boxing rules</li><li>Daniel Mendoza and the changing art of combat</li><li>Pierce Egan and the storytelling of the ring</li></ul><p><br></p><p>For full show notes, sources and more London history, visit the <a href="https://londonguidedwalks.co.uk/podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">London History Podcast website.</a></p>