Tom King

Tom King (14 August 1835 – 3 October 1888) also known as "The Fighting Sailor" was an English boxer who fought both bare-knuckle and with gloves. Strong, fast, and durable he was a skilled pugilist. One of his quirkier pre-fight rituals was to drink a tot of gin before every bout. He retired from the ring in 1863, as the Heavyweight Champion of England, following his defeat of the reigning champion Jem Mace and American contender John C. Heenan. Early life King was born on Silver Street, Stepney, East London and at an early age joined the Royal Navy, journeying several times to the coast of Africa. While in the service he learned to box, both with and without gloves. Retiring from the navy while still a young man, he became a docker, rising to the position of foreman, where his skills with his fists earned him respect and some limited notoriety, following several brawls with colleagues. Boxing career King's brawling bought him to the attention of the retired boxing champion Jem Ward who began to train him in earnest. During this period, prize-fighting was illegal in England, and likely to be broken up by the police with resulting arrests. Matches were arranged by word of mouth and often held at remote sites, the location being suddenly changed with little notice. The illegality of the sport did not stop spectators attending from a broad spectrum of society, from dockers to the highest echelons of the aristocracy.