Sean and Alex have both expressed a desire to develop a bare knuckle method. Jersey Jon agreed to fight me bare knuckle this year. My mechanical and cognitive deterioration would make that a sad affair. Alex said he would fight down to my level, which Jon would as well. My amended proposal, is that the three of us do a demo in which the men stand real close and we go light and slow with no gloves to demonstrate that bare fist is something that can be done, and can be drilled for defense. With Alex and Jon using their hand skills as a base line, Sean will call out a historical boxer for me to mimic. I trained in these old forms on bags and in mirrors to make sense of them in the context of my 7 punk affairs, using small gloves in 2000 to 2002 to apply the methods in 8 experimental with Chuck Goetz. James will do 10-30 second rounds with these men alternating. Then, for the last three demonstrations, Jon and Alex can do a minute, with James advising on methods.
Starting with Babylonian boxing in 1700 B.C. and finishing with James Jay Corbet and John L. Sullivan in the 1891, in a bout that was instead done a year later with gloves, heralding a new era. It would be nice to do this in real close confines, on wood. If this is amenable, the list is below. Also, Jon and Alex should start soaking their hands in brine 20 minutes a day. This is out of my head, so dates are approximate.
1.) Babylonian: 1700 B.C.
Heavily dressed, to a drum, on an unknown surface.
2.) Greek, Heavy Hand: 500s B.C.
Naked, oiled, on dirt, best boxers Tisander & Glaukos
3.) Greek, High Hand: 400s B.C.
Naked, oiled, on dirt, best boxer Euthymus & Theogenes
4.) Etruscan: 300s B.C.
Naked… boxers unknown
5.) Dutch: 1600s
Heavily clothed, self defense, on wood or cobble stones, out of fencing and jacket throwing traditions
6.) James Figg: 1720s Fencing/Boxing champion
Fully clothed, on wooden stage, after Hogarth, out of sword and stick traditions
7.) Broughton & Stevens: 1730s
Bare chested, on cobble-stones, after Captain Godfrey
8.) Jack Slack “The Butcher”: 1750s
Bare chested, on turf, versus an old Broughton, students of Figg, Broughton being the first pure boxer
9.) Mendoza “the Dastard Jеw”: 1790s
Bare chested, on turf, with cleats, milling, which Mendoza seems to have modeled after stick fighting.
10.) Hen Pearce “the Game Chicken”: 1804
Bare chested, on turf, with cleats, milling
As we get into the modern art, James will advise Jon and Alex, beginning with a discussion of milling, which was used effectively with bare fists and gloves down to Jack Johnson in 1919. Let’s make these rounds 60 seconds, slowly.
11.) “Sailor” Tom King: 1860s
Bare chested, on wooden decks, with Jon in the tall classic bare knuckle guard and Alex milling.
12.) Mike Donovan: 1880s
Bare chested, turf, stage, ring
For the Donovan demo, Jon should spar as Donovan from King’s guard, looking for the pivot punch, or spinning back-fist, and Alex as John L. Sullivan, using the rake and hammer attack he was famous for.
13.) John L. versus James J. Corbett
If they had fought at the San Francisco Athletic Club, in a ring, with Alex as John L. and Jon as Corbett, using high cut off punches based on Tom King’s classic style.
We can finish with Alex and Jon discussing the feel of the methods, and also their ideas on how Figg might have submitted the “Pipe Fitter” in 1727 with a standing arm lock of some kind.
