Daniel Mendoza: The Boxing Jew

Often credited with being the father of the sweet science, Daniel Mendoza was the first prize-fighter to rely on footwork, jabs, and defense, rather than the slugging blows that epitomized the brutal world of the prize-fighter of the late Eighteenth century. He stood only 5’7” and weighed 160 pounds (he would have been a middleweight by today’s standards) but he used his speed and agility to triumph over taller and heavier opponents. Pierce Egan, the boxing historian, described him in Boxiana as “a complete artist” and “a star of the first brilliance”. Although criticized by some at the time for being cowardly, his development of concepts such as the guard, the straight left, and sidestepping tactics (some kind of crazy idea - why not meet your advancing bare-fisted opponent chin-on?), led to him becoming a hugely popular fighter who even counted royalty amongst his admirers.

Of Spanish descent, Mendoza was always proud of his heritage and billed himself as “Mendoza the Jew”. The plaque outside his house in Bethnal Green reads, “Daniel Mendoza, the Boxing Jew of East London”. At the start of his boxing career, he was employed in the service of a Jewish family and, in his memoirs, he comments on how the anti-Semitic feeling of the time often gave him an excuse to train on the streets of East London; “I was here frequently drawn into contests with butchers and others in the neighborhood who, on account of my mistress being of the Jewish religion, were frequently disposed to insult her”.

Mendoza’s first recorded victory, a 40-round epic, against Harry the Coalheaver, ended in a knockout. From there, Mendoza went on to gain the patronage of the Prince of Wales (who became King George IV) following his dispatch of Sam Martin, the “Bath Butcher”, in 1787. During this time, Mendoza was trained by Richard Humphries, then one of the most eminent boxers in England. As his protégé became more successful, Humphries turned against him and the two quarreled. A series of fights followed in the years beginning in 1788, when the two fought for almost an hour before Mendoza threw in the towel following a leg injury. Large amounts of money had been bet on Mendoza, his supporters in the crowd were disappointed and there were allegations that he had thrown the fight.

In the rematch the following year, there were no such rumors as Mendoza beat Humphries in 52 minutes - he beat Humphries again in 1790, in the first bout at which spectators were charged an entry fee (the fight is also notable for being hyped in the press by a series of combative letters between Mendoza and Humphries). Mendoza laid claim to the title of heavyweight champion of England when the prevailing champion Benjamin Brain retired. This claim, however, was contested by another top English boxer, Bill Warr, and the two met in May 1792 to fight for the title. After 23 rounds, Mendoza was victorious. The two met again in November 1794, and this time, Warr was dispatched in 15 minutes.

Mendoza eventually lost his English title to a man 4” taller than him and 40 pounds heavier who won in nine rounds using the novel approach of holding Mendoza by the hair with one hand while punching him in the face with the other. The name of this great fighter? John “Gentleman” Jackson.

Despite having earned a fortune during his career, Mendoza also managed to spend his income in an extravagant fashion (sound familiar?) - by the time he died in 1836, Mendoza had fought a number of ill-advised come-back fights (for financial reasons), opened a boxing academy, owned a pub in the East End, wrote his memoirs and even appeared in a pantomime, “Robinson Crusoe (or Friday Turned Boxer)”. He died with enormous debts but left a great legacy for boxing to follow and develop.