39 Facts About Tom Sayers

Tom Sayers was an English bare-knuckle prize fighter.

Tom Sayers was recognized as heavyweight champion of England between 1857, when he defeated William Perry, and his retirement in 1860.

Tom Sayers's lasting fame depended exclusively on his final contest, when he faced American champion John Camel Heenan in a battle widely considered to be boxing's first world championship.

Tom Sayers was born in May 1826 in a slum in the Brighton alley of Pimlico not far from the Royal Pavilion.

Tom Sayers was the youngest of the five children of William Sayers, a shoemaker, and his wife Maria, ten years her husband's senior.

At the age of six, Tom Sayers became a Jack-in-the-water, earning a few coppers performing small duties for holidaymakers and fishermen on Brighton beach.

Tom Sayers became a bricklayer and for the next seven years shuttled between his home town and the capital.

Only fifteen years old, Sarah was unable to marry without her father's permission and her daughter, Sarah, and son, Tom, by Sayers were consequently illegitimate.

Tom Sayers next fight was with Jack Martin, who was backed by Ben Caunt, and the fight took place on 26 January 1853 with Sayers winning after 23 rounds.

In 1853, Tom Sayers challenged Nat Langham, who, despite the absence of formal weight divisions, was widely accepted as England's middleweight champion.

Tom Sayers was still reluctant to quit and one of his seconds, Alec Keene was forced to "throw up the sponge" to signify the end of the contest.

Once his eyes were healed, Tom Sayers requested a re-match but Langham announced his retirement from the prize-ring.

Still, Tom Sayers had fought well, and defeat did not damage his career.

Tom Sayers had one further victory against a fighter near his own weight before taking on much heavier men.

The one-sided contest took place at Longreach on 2 February 1854, Tom Sayers knocking his opponent out after 4 rounds of fighting, taking just 5 minutes.

Tom Sayers took a liking to Sayers after watching him fight Langham and stepped forward to become Sayers' manager.

The first contest ended in a draw after 62 rounds of fighting but Tom Sayers won the subsequent bout on 10 February 1857.

Tom Sayers first fight as champion was with Bill Benjamin on the Isle of Grain on 5 January 1858.

Tom Sayers won easily after 3 rounds of fighting, which took just 6 and a half minutes.

On 5 April 1859, Tom Sayers fought a rematch with a much improved Bill Benjamin.

Tom Sayers came out on top, defeating his opponent in 11 rounds.

In 1859 Tom Sayers accepted a challenge from US champion John Camel Heenan known as the Benicia Boy.

However, in the next round, which one reporter called "a fine specimen of stratagem and skill", Tom Sayers struck several blows around and on Heenan's right eye, which had the effect of closing it for the remainder of the fight.

In October 1861, it was announced that Tom Sayers had purchased the circuses of Howes and Cushing as well as "Jem Meyers's Great American Circus".

Tom Sayers' marriage had broken down in the mid 1850s, after which time he and his two children had been living with a married woman called Charlotte.

However, in early 1863, this relationship came to an acrimonious end, as the couple appeared in Clerkenwell Police Court, where Tom Sayers accused Charlotte of breaking his windows and Charlotte accused him of breaking her furniture and throwing her out.

Tom Sayers' appearance was explained as conforming to the "etiquette of the profession".

However, it was clear from his appearance at the fight that Tom Sayers was unwell and he was unable to assist Heenan during the fight, which Heenan lost.

Tom Sayers had bet heavily on Heenan, losing hundreds of pounds.

In Liverpool on 25 and 26 January 1864, Myers' American Circus was hired by John Heenan, who invited Tom Sayers to recreate the "Great Battle of Farnborough".

In June 1864, it was reported that Tom Sayers was promoting a benefit evening for the boxer Jem Mace, hiring the Standard Theatre, Shoreditch for the occasion.

In December 1864, Tom Sayers appeared in the betting ring together with Heenan at the Croydon Steeplechase meeting.

Tom Sayers died at No 257 Camden High Street on 8 November 1865, in the presence of his father and two children and his funeral a week later attracted some 100,000 people to Camden Town.

Tom Sayers's estranged wife, who now had three sons by the man for whom she had left him, went to court to disinherit her two children by Sayers.

The parents' subsequent marriage had not changed their legal status, and a judge ruled that, while they were certainly illegitimate, it could not be proved that Tom Sayers was not the father of his wife's other three children.

Tom Sayers is buried in Highgate Cemetery, his marble tomb, the work of the sculptor Morton Edwards, guarded by the stone image of his mastiff, Lion, who was chief mourner at his funeral.

Hardy's version of Tom Sayers was an Edwardian actor-manager, touring Britain's theatres and music halls with staged recreations of his boxing triumphs in a career move very loosely based on the real Tom Sayers's circus venture.

Tom Sayers is mentioned in Dorothy L Sayers's mystery novel The Nine Tailors.

Tom Sayers appears in George du Maurier's first novel, Peter Ibbetson.