John Jackson (1768 – 7 October 1845) was a celebrated English pugilist of the late 18th century. He became the bare-knuckle boxing champion of England in 1795, when he defeated Daniel Mendoza.<ref>Henry Downes Miles, 1906, Pugilistica, the History of British Boxing, volume 1, pages 89-102</ref>
Early life and early boxing career
John Jackson was born in London in 1768 to a middle class family, originally from Worcestershire. His father was an eminent builder. In an era when the great majority of prizefighters came from lower working class backgrounds, Jackson's middle class background led to his nickname of 'Gentleman' Jackson.
In his boxing prime, Jackson stood 5'11" (1.80 metres) and weighed 14 stone (195 lbs; 88 kg). His symmetry in frame and muscular development made him a prized model for sculptors and painters. Aged 19, Jackson 'became a frequenter of the sparring schools, and displayed such talents as proved that he was destined to eclipse the most favoured of his contemporaries [...] He soon found patrons of the highest grade'.
Shortly afterwards, on 9 June 1788, Jackson fought his first prizefight against William Fewterel of Birmingham. The location was Smitham Bottom (currently Coulsdon on the outskirts of Greater London). Fewterel was considered a formidable opponent, with 18 previous victories to his name. A near contemporary account of the fight records as follows:Fewterel was a man of extremely great bulk, so much so, that at first setting to it was doubted whether Jackson would be able to knock him down, but this he never failed to do, whenever he could make good his blows. The contest lasted an hour and seven minutes, its decision being very much procrastinated by Fewterel's frequently falling without a blow, and when down, remaining so long on the floor, as often to require the interposition of the umpires to remind the seconds of time [i.e. to remind them that a fallen fighter had 30 seconds to get up and continue the fight]. Fewterel, however, gave up the contest, and Major Hanger, by command of the Prince of Wales, who was present, gave Jackson a present of a banknote.'The well-known caricaturist and printmaker James Gillray was also present at the fight and made it the subject of a popular print of the day.
In Jackson's second prizefight he faced George 'The Brewer' Ingleston on 12 March 1789 at the Swan-yard, Ingatestone, Essex. Ingleston had been instructed in pugilism by the champion of the day, Tom Johnson, and was a taller man than Jackson, standing at over six foot. He was said to have 'fought slowly but struck very hard'. The contemporary report of the fight ran as follows:At first setting to, betting was even; Jackson gave the first knockdown blow, and before the fourth round odds changed to seven to four in his favour, when, from the stage being wetted by rain, Jackson slipped down, dislocated his ankle and broke the small bone of his leg; in consequence of this unfortunate accident, he was obliged to give in, and the Brewer was declared victorious.
Jackson is recorded as having offered to be strapped to a chair to continue the contest, if Ingleston would agree also to fight seated in a chair. Ingleston, however, refused.
For the following six years Jackson fought no further prizefights and may be presumed to have continued to work in the family business as a builder, and as an artist's model. He seems to have remained in prizefighting circles during this period, however, and to have been well connected and held in rather high esteem. He worked as bottle-holder for Richard Humphries in his 1790 bout vs Daniel Mendoza, and performed the same service for Bill Warr in his unsuccessful 1792 championship bout against Mendoza.
Beating Mendoza to become English Prizefighting Champion
Jackson's previous experiences of watching champion Mendoza at close quarters will doubtless have proved useful to him in 1795 when he was matched against Mendoza for a sum of 200 guineas a side. The bout took place on Monday, April 15th, at Hornchurch, Essex, and was fought on a stage erected in a natural hollow capable of accommodating upwards of 3,000 spectators. Jackson was five years younger than Mendoza, taller, and heavier (Mendoza would these days have been classified as only a middleweight). Mendoza, however, was an experienced campaigner who had previously beaten larger opponents, and it was only Jackson's third fight. In the run-up to the bout, opinion was split on who would be the more likely to win, with the betting circulating at around 5-4 in Mendoza's favour.