Dave Schenkman writes:

It is well recorded in literature thatthe sport of boxing (or the bare-fisted versioncalled "pugilism") was known in ancienttimes. In his standard reference Greek Coinsand Their Values, David R. Sear lists a silverstater (#5394), struck c. 385-370 B.C., thathe describes as picturing "two nakedathletes [standing] face to face,their hands raised in the attitudeof boxers."

With the fall of the RomanEmpire, boxing declined inpopularity, and it wasn't untilthe early 18th century that itbegan to evolve into the sportwe know today. In the 1700s,pugilism was popular among England's working class, but was littlerecognized in the rest of the worlduntil the beginning of the 19th century.

Pugilist Thomas Johnson becamechampion of England about 1787. His most famousfight took place near Banbury two yearslater, on October 22, 1789. The brutal 62-roundbattle, in which he defeated Isaac Perrins, wasmarked by the issuance of a 34mm copper token.

The obverse features a bust of Johnson, while thereverse bears the legend SCIENCE AND INTREPIDITY and date 1789 surrounding BELLA!/HORRIDA/BELLA! ("Wars! Horrid Wars!" a quote fromVirgil's Aeneid). A companion piece carrying abust of Isaac Perrins also was struck. Its reversedesign is similar to that of the Johnson token, butwith the words STRENGTH AND MAGNANIMITYalong the perimeter.

England's boxing champion in 1792-95 wasDaniel Mendoza, who is credited with developinganew style of fighting that incorporated defensivemoves. Mendoza was 5´7˝ tall and weighed only160 pounds, but his innovative approach enabledhim to prevail over larger and stronger opponents.He was so popular in Great Britain that admissionwas charged for his third fight, the first timeonlookers paid money to watch.

Mendoza was immortalized numismatically ona variety of tokens struck in the 1790s. An obversedie featuring his left-facing profile was combinedwith several reverse dies, undoubtedly to createrare types for collectors of the period. ThomasSpence, a London merchant (and one of the mostfamous revolutionaries of his time) who describedhimself as a "bookseller, dealer in prints & coins"on his own advertising tokens, was responsible forthese concoctions, which were struck in copper on29mm planchets.

For more information about the American Numismatic Association, see:
www.money.org

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: JANUARY 10, 2016 : Boxer John L. Sullivan(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v19n02a12.html)