Henning, Fred – Fights For The Championshipo. The Men And Their Times

Description

Henning, Fred ‘Fights For The Championship. The Men And Their Times’ Volume I. 1900 2nd edition. 334-pages. Leather covered spine with gold gilt lettering and at the very bottom of the spine in gold letters is the name L.J. Welsh who apparently purchased the book in 1936 according to the sales order laid inside the book and pictured. Worn and stained covers. Straight with tight binding and clean. Good condition overall.

Fights for the Championship: The Men and Their Times by Fred Henning (writing under the pseudonym “Tourist”) is a seminal two-volume history of early British boxing published around 1900. The text was originally serialized as a collection of popular articles in the Licensed Victuallers’ Gazette—a London publication heavily tied to the pub trade, sports, and entertainment—before being compiled into standalone hardcovers.

Chronological History of the Prize Ring: The book chronicles the grand narrative of the British bare-knuckle prize-fighting era, tracking the major championship lineages, legendary fighters, and historic bouts from the 18th century up until 1889.

“The Men”: Henning provides deeply detailed biographies and fight breakdowns of foundational ring icons. It explores the careers of early masters like James Figg and Jack Broughton, through the golden Regency era of Daniel Mendoza, Tom Cribb, and the remarkable John Gully.”

Their Times”: True to its subtitle, the book goes beyond mere statistics to serve as a vivid social portrait of the eras. Henning paints a rich picture of the cultural and political landscape surrounding the sport—detailing the heavy aristocratic patrons, the high-stakes gambling culture, the rowdy crowds, and how boxing subculture intertwined with British public life and high society.

Visual Archive: The 2nd edition volumes are highly regarded for containing over 850 combined pages packed with vintage illustrations, period advertisements, and black-and-white portraits reproduced directly from rare old prints.

The book is celebrated by modern boxing historians for capturing the gritty, firsthand ambiance of the Regency and Victorian fighting worlds before bare-knuckle brawling officially transitioned into modern gloved boxing under the Queensberry Rules.