The American Legion Weekly [Volume 3, No21 (May 27, 1921)] . the ground withoutbeing struck. Going to grass toavoid the old timers considered goodstrategy, which accounts for some ofthose four and five hour battles ourgrandfathers tell about. Next came the Marquis of Queens-berry rules, and with them a new eradawned on Fistiana. The three pre-vious efforts to correct abuses had donemuch for the sport, but not prize-fighting in the sixtieshad fallen into ill-repute. Fixed fights,gambling, rowdyism such as witnessedat the Heenan-Sayers contest, when thecrowd cut the ropes and
The American Legion Weekly [Volume 3, No21 (May 27, 1921)] . the ground withoutbeing struck. Going to grass toavoid the old timers considered goodstrategy, which accounts for some ofthose four and five hour battles ourgrandfathers tell about. Next came the Marquis of Queens-berry rules, and with them a new eradawned on Fistiana. The three pre-vious efforts to correct abuses had donemuch for the sport, but not prize-fighting in the sixtieshad fallen into ill-repute. Fixed fights,gambling, rowdyism such as witnessedat the Heenan-Sayers contest, when thecrowd cut the ropes and rioted in thering, undermined the sport andthreatened its destruction. Thengamblers beat and nearly killed a sport-ing editor, a cripple, who foolishly con-sented to referee a contest. This wasthe last straw. Public opinion turned its thumbsdown on the Fancy. Stringent lawsforbade fighting. The police hunted pro-fessional pugilists over meadow andheath to prevent mills. Englands bestfighter, Joe Goss, served a term in jail,and Mace, the champion, fled to. The 1789 crouch — Tom Johnsonvs. Isaac Perrins at Banbury, Eng-land. Johnson originated thephrase, The bigger they are theharder they fall. But the boutWent the other way America. But the game did not die. It was the amateurs saved English aristocrats who recog-nized its value as an exercise sparredwith the gloves at Oxford and Cam-bridge. After graduation, to keep alivetheir interest in boxing and othersports they organized at London in1865 the Amateur Athletic Club underthe leadership of John G. Chambers,who was graduated from Cambridgethat year, where he had won fame asa boxer, swimmer and all-aroundathlete. In true promoter fashion Chambers announced in 1866 a grandathletic tournament for gentlemenamateurs, including track and fieldevents, water-sports and boxingmatches. As, no rules existed forsparring, Chambers sat down andwrote out a set which became famousas the Marquis of Queensberry rules. They were s
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