James Figg

United Kingdom
Born 1695~, Thame
Died 1734-12-08

Also known as

James Fig

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)

  • Timothy Buck
    sports_martial_artsEnglish swordsmanship Probable
    Probable
    Single source.
    The evidence favours the claim and nothing credible contradicts it, but it falls short of establishing it.
    fact_checkassessed by FSMverified
    Frederico Muñoz
    Researcher, Martialis
    1 source expand_more
    fact_check
    Single source.
    “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.”
    — James Figg - Wikipedia (English). Wikipedia (English)link history info

Students (3)

  • Thomas Sibblis
    sports_martial_artsBoxing Probable
    Probable
    Single source.
    The evidence favours the claim and nothing credible contradicts it, but it falls short of establishing it.
    location_onFigg's Amphitheatre badge
    fact_checkassessed by FSMverified
    Frederico Muñoz
    Researcher, Martialis
    1 source expand_more
    fact_check
    Single source.
    “His students included early professional prizefighters such as William Flanders, William Gill, and Thomas Sibblis, as well as men of the gentry and nobility.”
    — James Figg - Wikipedia (English). Wikipedia (English)link history info
  • Jack Broughton
    sports_martial_artsBoxing Probable
    Probable
    Single source.
    The evidence favours the claim and nothing credible contradicts it, but it falls short of establishing it.
    fact_checkassessed by FSMverified
    Frederico Muñoz
    Researcher, Martialis
    1 source expand_more
    fact_check
    Single source.
    “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
  • George Taylor
    sports_martial_artsBoxing Probable
    Probable
    Wikipedia only.
    The evidence favours the claim and nothing credible contradicts it, but it falls short of establishing it.
    (1719)
    fact_checkassessed by FSMverified
    Frederico Muñoz
    Researcher, Martialis
    2 sources expand_more
    fact_check
    Wikipedia only.
    “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.”
    — James Figg - Wikipedia (English). Wikipedia (English)link history info

Honours (1)

  • receipt_longChampion of England Confirmed
    Confirmed
    Independent sources state it.
    The evidence establishes the claim: it is sufficient and consistent, and any conflicting evidence is resolved.
    Title (1719)
    fact_checkassessed by FSMverified
    Frederico Muñoz
    Researcher, Martialis
    2 sources expand_more
    fact_check
    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.”
    — James Figg - Wikipedia (English). Wikipedia (English)link history info

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
James Figg - Wikipedia (English). Wikipedia (English)link history info

Identifiers

https://martial.is/entity/01M5JPY6FNBQZ36WZ4QDD1ZST8
Wikidata

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} }
data_object JSON-LDdata_object Turtle

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