Description
English prizefighter and teacher of boxing, backsword, quarterstaff and
cudgel, from Thame. In 1719 he opened an amphitheatre and fighting school in
London; he is counted as the first champion of England, 1719–1730. His pupils
included Jack Broughton, George Taylor and Thomas Sibblis.
Teachers (1)
-
person
Timothy Buck
sports_martial_artsEnglish swordsmanship
Probable
fact_checkassessed by FSMverified
1 source
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“Little is certain about his early life before 1714, by which time he was a
student of the defence instructor Timothy Buck of Clare Market.”
Students (3)
-
person
Thomas Sibblis
sports_martial_artsBoxing
Probable
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1 source
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“His students included early professional prizefighters such as William
Flanders, William Gill, and Thomas Sibblis, as well as men of the gentry and
nobility.”
-
person
Jack Broughton
sports_martial_artsBoxing
Probable
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1 source
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“In 1738, a former pupil of Figg, Jack Broughton (ca. 1703–1789), became
champion.”
— Green, Thomas A.; Svinth, Joseph R.. (2010).
Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation
info
-
person
George Taylor
sports_martial_artsBoxing
Probable
(1719)
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2 sources
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“His mentor was James Figg, whose boxing booth Taylor had fought in since 1719.”
— George Taylor (boxer) - Wikipedia (English).
Wikipedia (English)link
history
info
“His former student George Taylor took over Figg's business after his
death.”
Honours (1)
-
receipt_longChampion of England
Confirmed
Title (1719)
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2 sources
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Independent sources state it.
“Pugilism’s first popular champion was James Figg (ca. 1695–1734). Figg, from
Thame in Oxfordshire, was considered champion of England from 1719 to his
retirement in 1730.”
— Green, Thomas A.; Svinth, Joseph R.. (2010).
Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation
info
“He claimed to have won more than 200 matches during his career, and was
posthumously considered the first boxing champion.”
Sources
“Moreover, Figg taught his pupils the use not only of the fist but also of the
sword, broadsword, and cudgel.”
— Green, Thomas A.; Svinth, Joseph R.. (2010).
Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation
info
Identifiers
https://martial.is/entity/01M5JPY6FNBQZ36WZ4QDD1ZST8
Cite and reuse
CC BY-SA 4.0expand_more
Plain text
Muñoz, Frederico (YEAR_PLACEHOLDER). James Figg. In Martialis: Martial Arts
Lineage Database. https://martial.is/entity/01M5JPY6FNBQZ36WZ4QDD1ZST8 - CC
BY-SA 4.0. Accessed ACCESSED_DATE_PLACEHOLDER.
BibTeX
@incollection{martialis_01M5JPY6FNBQZ36WZ4QDD1ZST8, author = {Muñoz, Frederico},
title = {James Figg}, booktitle = {Martialis: Martial Arts Lineage Database},
year = {YEAR_PLACEHOLDER}, url =
{https://martial.is/entity/01M5JPY6FNBQZ36WZ4QDD1ZST8}, urldate =
{ACCESSED_DATE_PLACEHOLDER}, note = {CC BY-SA 4.0} }
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