by Ron Robbins

Created on: April 06, 2007   Last Updated: May 09, 2007

John "Jack" Broughton (1703-1798) was not only the inventor of the the boxing glove, but a bare-knuckle fighter who fought for many years, beginning in the 1730s. He became prominent as a semi-professional, earning a sizable reputation, and attracted so many fans at one of his events that a spectator was crushed to death.

Broughton became the Champion of England after beating George Taylor in 1734. Records of fights during this era are rare, but suggest that Broughton remained undefeated and kept his title until at least 1750. Here, he came out of retirement to settle an argument with a Butcher named Jack Slack who was insulting him.

Despite Broughton being a heavy favorite, Slack landed a punch 14 minutes into the fight that created so much swelling around Broughton's eyes that he was forced to quit. This was said to be John "Jack" Broughton's first loss as a fighter in a career that spanned nearly 20 years.

Broughton used the money gained from his bare-knuckle contests to open an amphitheater which hosted many other events aside from bare-knuckle boxing, such as "bear-baiting" and weapon fighting. In this amphitheater, Broughton codified the first set of rules to be used in fighting contests now called Boxing, which included the use of "muffles", or the modern day equivalent of the boxing glove. These rules have been changed many times throughout history into what they are today.

John Broughton passed away in 1789 and was buried in Westminster Abbey. For nearly 200 years, the Dean of the Abbey felt Broughton's epitaph request was inappropriate. Finally, in 1988, John Broughton's request was filled and the words "Champion of England" were carved into his headstone.

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