James "Jem" Mace (8 April 1831 – 30 November 1910) was an English boxing champion, primarily during the bare-knuckle era. He was born at Beeston, Norfolk. Although nicknamed "The Gypsy", he denied Romani ethnicity in his autobiography. Fighting in England, at the height of his career between 1860 and 1866, he won the English Welterweight, Heavyweight, and Middleweight Championships and was considered one of the most scientific boxers of the era. Most impressively, he held the World Heavyweight Championship from 1870 to 1871 while fighting in the United States.Roberts, James, and Skutt, Alexander,Boxing Register, (2006) International Boxing Hall of Fame, McBooks Press, Ithaca, New York, pg. 35
Early life Mace was born the fifth of eight children to blacksmith William and his wife Ann Rudd Mace on 8 April 1831, in the remote village of Beeston, in rural Norfolk, England.Born to a blacksmith in "Jem Mace in His Old Age", The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, pg. 45, 30 May 1909 Before boxing, he was an apprentice sawyer and violinist.https://www.newspapers.com/image/802043996/?match=1&terms=queensberry%20rules%20boxing
Career In the early 1850s, during his days as an exhibition boxer at Nat Langham's Rum Pum-pas boxing club at Cambrian Stores near what is now London's Charing Cross Road, Mace once boxed Archibald William Douglas, the 8th Marquess of Queensberry, known as Viscount Drumlanrig. Douglas had served as a former member of the House of Commons and was the father of John Douglas, credited with helping to establish boxing's modern Marquess of Queensberry Rules. During the same period and earlier, Mace completed what might be considered an apprenticeship in the boxing booth of former English middleweight champion Nat Langham, where he fought many talented amateurs, and a few men with the skills of professionals, touring and often performing at county fairs. He would continue to supplement his income by performing exhibitions and giving sparring and training sessions for Langham's boxing club in London's Westminster through the early 1860s. During his early work at county fairs, he was even known to play his violin to perform for the audience when he wasn't boxing amateurs and volunteers.
In one of his early bouts, at the age of 24, Mace defeated Bob Slack decisively on 2 October 1855 in Mildenhall, northeast of Cambridge, winning in nine rounds and only 14 minutes. On 17 February 1857, Mace defeated Bill Thorpe, an opponent close to his own height and weight, near Canvey Island, North of Kent, off the Thames Estuary in Essex, although the original location was the North Kentish marshes. Mace dominated the fighting and in the 18th round delivered a stinging left and right to Thorpe's nose, with the right causing a knockdown. Thorpe could not rise or continue the fight and his handler threw up the sponge ending the fight after 23 minutes. The match was fought for £50 a side, and saw a good crowd considering both men were novices. Pugilistica took note of Mace's speed, and the precision and strength with which he delivered his punches.
On 21 September 1858, Mace met Bob Brettle on the banks of the River Medway at Thames Haven, on the Essex Coast, for £100 a side, using London Prize Ring Rules, with Mace conceding the bout in only two rounds lasting three minutes. A number of boxing historians now consider the bout to have been for the Welterweight Championship of England. In a second attempt at Brettle, Mace took the Welterweight title in five rounds near Foolness Island, by Yanklett Creek in Essex.
On 25 January 1859, Mace met the undefeated Posh Price for £50 a side at Aldershot Common, Hampshire. In the 11th and last round, Mace hit Price with a strong blow on the left arm causing swelling, and likely a break. Price's seconds threw up the sponge after the injury became apparent in only 17 minutes of fighting. In a rough and damaging match, Mace displayed his characteristic scientific style of boxing. Mace was aged less than 27 in this early match, but his blows were hard and precise, and he showed his customary speed, which would serve him well in his later career.
Mace met the black boxer Bob Travers on 21 February 1860. Travers, like Mace, was a friend of Nat Langham, and had boxed, and entertained, at his club at Westminster's Cambrian Stores. Mace would later compete against Travers in foot races. Their boxing match was for £50 a side, and they first fought six rounds off the Thames at the North Kent Marshes and then, after the police intervened, they moved to a second location which was closer to, but still to the southeast of London. By the 33rd and 34th rounds, it was evident that, though Travers tried to lead, Mace had the better defence, and continued to get in more and harder punches. Having had the better of the match, Mace finally won on a foul that occurred in the 57th round, when Travers appeared to intentionally throw himself on the ground to avoid his blow after one hour, thirty-one minutes of fighting.
English heavyweight champion, 1861
On 18 June 1861, he first won the title of Heavyweight Champion of England by defeating reigning champion Sam Hurst in 8 rounds, and 40 minutes at Medway Island, Kent. Langham had carefully schooled Mace in the finer points of boxing. Though Hurst was as much as 50 pounds heavier, and at least three inches taller, he may have been better schooled and experienced in wrestling, and had broken his leg the year before, likely affecting his speed and form. He was considered by many to be an awkward boxer and to lack speed due largely to his weight and size. After taking a commanding lead, in the eighth, Mace stepped back after lightly hitting Hurst, who had lost nearly all ability to defend himself. Hurst unwisely made another charge, and Mace was forced to land another blow, after which Hurst's seconds threw up the sponge, ending the match after 50 minutes. Mace showed skill both in his defence and attack. Hurst, who fought relatively few professional bouts, retired from the ring not long after his loss.
Heavyweight title defences
His victory over Hurst led to his first defence of the English heavyweight title against Tom King on a cold and rainy 28 January 1862 for £200 a side, before a crowd of around 400. This first title defence, staged in Godstone, England, was fought bare knuckle under London Prize Ring Rules and lasted for 43 rounds and 68 minutes. Mace had studied King and taken careful notes on his style, but King outweighed him by as much as 20 pounds and had a height advantage as well. For the first 30 rounds King fought evenly with Mace, the reigning champion, but in the second half of the fight Mace took control, and despite being nearly blinded in both eyes by King's blows in the early fighting, finished King with a crushing blow to the throat in the final round. In the 30th, Mace tripped King with the back of his heel, pushing him forward, and King fell hard, awkwardly landing on his head. In the 40th, Mace downed King with two uppercuts to the jaw, and fell upon him. In the 43rd and final round, Mace landed another uppercut to the jaw or throat prior to several close in blows, and then threw King who collapsed and was unable to rise. Mace's most prominent injuries were to the left side of his face and eye.Cheshire Observer, Chester, Cheshire England, pg. 3, 1 February 1862Additional fight details in "The Fight", The Era, London, Greater London, England, pg. 14, 2 February 1862
Mace and King met at Medway, 28 miles from London for a rematch less than a year later on 26 November 1862 for £200 a side. King was four years younger than Mace, roughly four inches taller, and approximately 20 pounds heavier. Mace seemed to dominate the infighting, though the pace of King's blows may have been faster, and he appeared to have won the 13th.King took the 13th and later won the fight with a right in The Bristol Mercury and Daily Post, Bristol, Bristol, England, pg. 12, 29 November 1862 In the opinion of several ringside reporters, Mace had a moderate lead up until the 20th round, when he landed a left to King's face. At this point, Mace still led the betting at 4–1.
About to administer a similar blow, Mace's foot slipped slightly and King administered a strong right under his eye on the left side of his nose, sending him to the ground and nearly causing a knockout. In the 21st, King administered the same blow to Mace with his right, again knocking Mace to the grass, and causing the vanquished boxer's seconds to concede the match after 28 minutes of fighting. King took the heavyweight crown, and Mace and his seconds fully conceded the loss."The Second Struggle for the Championship", Birmingham Daily Post, Birmingham, West Midlands, England, pg. 5, 27 November 1862"Pugilism", Reynolds Newspapers, London, Greater London, England, pg. 5, 23 November 1862The knockout blow was a right by King in the 20th and 21st in "The Fight-Wednesday", The Nottingham Guardian, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, pg. 8, 28 November 1862
On 24 February 1863, Mace was presented the Windham Gold Cup, a boxing trophy, by Sir William Frederick Windham at Criterion Hall, the precursor to the modern Criterion Theatre, in recognition of his winning the heavyweight boxing championship of England. The trophy, said to contain 100 ounces of gold, was presented at Westminster's Leicester Square not far from Nat Langham's Cambrian Stores tavern and was considered to be worth £80,000 in modern currency.Date of presentation in Illustrated Sporting News, London, England pg. 476, 7 March 1863, pg. 476
English middleweight champion
Mace was first recognised as English Middleweight champion on 1 September 1863, following his 19-round victory over Joe Goss, first staged at Wooton. The two boxers fought at catchweights of 10 stones, 10 pounds, or roughly 68 kg (150 lbs.), currently in the very light middleweight range. Very little fighting occurred at Wooton, and when the police intervened after 13 minutes, the fight was moved first to Bassett, then finally to Purfleet, Essex, near London. The purse was an exceptional £1000 to be split between the two boxers and the fighting ended at Purfleet after 18 rounds taking two hours and ten minutes. In the final round, Mace landed a right handed lunge to the left of Goss's jaw that knocked him out. Puglistica wrote that "Goss was entirely overmatched in science, length, and weight"."Great Fight for £1000 between Mace and Goss", Sheffield and Rotterham Independent, Sheffield, England, pg. 3, 2 September 1863First location lasted only 13 minutes before police intervened in "The Fight Between Jem Mace and Goss", The Morning Post, London, Greater London, pg. 7, 2 September 1863
Regaining heavyweight championship