William Abednego Thompson (11 October 1811 – 23 August 1880), also known as Bendigo Thompson and mononymously as Bendigo, was an English bare-knuckle boxer who won the heavyweight championship of England from James Burke on 12 February 1839. He was inducted into The Ring magazine Hall of Fame in 1955, the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame in 2011. His nickname of "Bendigo" lives on in the name of a city and creek in Australia.
Early life Born in New Yard, now Trinity Walk, Nottingham on 11 October 1811, Thompson claimed to be one of a set of triplets named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, after the young men in the Book of Daniel who are thrown into the fiery furnace of Babylon. However, he was baptised at St Mary's Church, Nottingham on 16 October 1811 with his twin brother Richard. Richard died and was buried at the same church on 25 October 1811. If he was one of triplets, then the third must have died at, or soon after, birth.
It has often been claimed that Thompson was the youngest of a struggling family of twenty-one children born to Benjamin Thompson, a mechanic in the lace industry, and his wife Mary, in the slums of Nottingham. However, that is a myth. William was one of six children (possibly seven) and had a younger sister, Mary, who died at the age of four. The eldest child in the family, Rebecca, born 1805, remains a mystery, because further details of her life cannot be found, and William grew up with just two surviving brothers, Thomas and John. William Thompson was strong and well developed as a young man and performed, demonstrating natural ability in various sports. His father died when he was only fifteen and, accompanied by his mother, he was sent to the Nottingham Workhouse. After leaving the Workhouse, Thompson sold oysters on the streets of Nottingham before landing a position as an iron turner, a job that enhanced his muscular build.
By the age of 18, Thompson began fighting to provide for his family. He defeated his first eight opponents, including the champion of the nearby town of Bingham. By the age of 21, he became a professional prize fighter and the details of his contests began to be recorded. Thompson was a southpaw and once, on a bet, he is said to have thrown half a house brick over the River Trent with his left hand. Although being barely tall, he compensated for his lack of height with an incredible ability to punch hard and fast, and was said to be devoid of fear. He was also very agile, earning the name "Bendy" because of his constant bobbing and weaving around the ring. His nickname evolved and "Bendy", in combination with his name Abednego, became "Bendigo".
Though it was his speed and agility that won him his fights, it was Thompson's personality and sense of humour which endeared him to the crowd. He would make up rhymes about his opponents during the fights, and distract them with insults and tall tales of their wives and mothers while making funny faces at them. It wasn't long before Thompson was drawing crowds as large as 10,000 to his illicit fights, held secretly out of town in barns or fields.
First bout against Ben Caunt Thompson's career was punctuated by his fierce rivalry with the Hucknall-born boxer Ben Caunt. On 21 July 1835, the two first met to split a purse of £25. This fight lasted 35 minutes, with 22 rounds, each round being called when either boxer's knee touched the ground. Thompson, who was lighter and shorter, got into difficulties during the fight and started to stumble frequently. That, and his continuous laughter and insults, frustrated Caunt who, in the last round, struck Thompson while he was sitting on his second's knee in his corner, costing Caunt the match on a foul. A reporter present at the bout, wrote of Caunt that he was "full of trickery and treachery — he has no ethics" and Thompson "as deadly and as poisonous as a rattlesnake with about the same ethics."Struck in his corner on his second's knee in "Prize Fighting", The Derby Mercury, Derbyshire, England, pg. 1, 29 July 1835
Over the next two years, Thompson fought three bouts, first dispatching the renowned John Leachman of Bradford in a 52-round contest, before moving to Newcastle the following year to defeat Charley Langham in 51 rounds.
A few months later, Thompson responded to a letter in a newspaper from Liverpudlian William Looney, challenging "... any man in the world for £200 stake and £200 a-side". The two met on 13 June 1838, on a hill known as Chapel-en-le-Frith, the halfway point between their home towns. The fight lasted for 92 rounds, but will probably be remembered for Thompson's reaction to Looney contemplating a haymaker in the fifteenth round, falling to the floor "on his nether end throwing up his legs and laughing". Thompson took control of the fight shortly after and started somersaulting in the ring, endearing him to the crowds. However, despite receiving a continuous barrage of punches, Looney fought bravely on, nearly winning the fight with a massive right hand counterpunch. Eventually Thompson's athleticism shone through and he was declared the winner after dominating over an hour of fighting.
Fame First title bout with Caunt, 1838
Thompson's star rose steadily. On 3 April 1838, before a crowd of 5,000, Caunt finally obtained his rematch at Skipworth Common, worth £300 in prize money. Although younger by three years, Caunt came into the ring in poorer condition than Thompson, who had trained hard prior to the match. Thompson's superior conditioning gave him greater speed and agility, and better defensive skills. The fight lasted for 75 rounds of furious combat. In the fifth round, Caunt had Thompson on the ropes and nearly strangled him but Thompson fought back, peppering his opponent with body shots and more insults. Desperate for victory and revenge, Caunt was said to have Thompson by the throat strangling him again in the thirteenth round. By the time Thompson's followers had cut the ropes and entered the ring, his face was going blue. A fight broke out between the two sets of supporters and Caunt took a few hits across the back with a ring stake.Crowd size 5000 in "Prize Fight Between Bendigo and Caunt", Sheffield and Rotterham Independent, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, pg. 3, 7 April 1838
When order was restored, Thompson was given brandy and recovered his stamina. In the fiftieth round, it was Thompson's turn for some underhand tactics, lashing out some kicks on Caunt but the referee dismissed the complaint. In the seventy-fifth round, the referee stopped the fight, because Thompson had fallen to the ground without being struck, an illegal tactic according to London Prize Ring Rules. After the fight, Thompson claimed it was a slip, a claim backed up by contemporary accounts, putting him well ahead and coasting. After the referee called the foul against Thompson, pandemonium broke out. His supporters attacked Caunt with whatever weapons were to hand. Caunt was dragged to his coach by his seconds and attempted to flee. The coach was arrested by Thompson's mob who dragged Caunt out, but he escaped during the ensuing melee, riding bareback on a stolen horse.
Champion of England, 1839 On 8 February 1839, when Thompson was 28, he was given the task of defeating the fearsome Londoner James "Deaf" Burke for the All England Title and a purse of £220. The fight was one of the first Thompson fought under the new London Prize Ring Rules. The backers admired his wit and courage, and now a crowd favourite he was a perfect match for the title. The fight was held in a field at No Mans Heath in Leicestershire, near the village of Heather, in front of an unruly crowd of roughly 15,000 people. It lasted just ten rounds, with Thompson battering the helpless Burke, who himself had just successfully toured America. After half an hour, the frustrated Burke became so enraged with the barrage of punches and insults coming from his younger, faster and stronger challenger, he grabbed hold of Thompson and full-on head butted him twice, thus losing on a foul and gifting the championship away. The "Nottingham Jester", Champion Prize Fighter Of All England was presented his Champion's Belt a few weeks later at a ceremony in The Queens Theatre, Liverpool. When he got home to Nottingham, Thompson met his supporters on 23 March 1840, and in his excitement while somersaulting he hurt his kneecap and was laid up for two years.Verified prize amount, number of rounds, and head butting foul in "Pugilism", The Newcastle Weekly, Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, pg. 7, 22 February 1839 Thompson never stepped down from a challenge, and once he recovered from his knee injury he defeated 19 opponents over the next 4 years, including 7 in one month.
Defending the title against Caunt, 1845 On 9 September 1845 at Lillington Level, Suffield Green, Oxford, an unruly and partly drunken crowd of 11,000 came to see the third and final fight between Thompson and Caunt who would settle the score for 200 a side. Thompson's tactics were called into question as he crouched and bobbed his way around the ring, making it harder for Caunt to hit him. Hardly a round went by without a foul being claimed in a notoriously dirty grudge match. The atmosphere was all the more intense because of the fierce rivalry between the two sets of supporters, who had come to finish what they had started six years earlier. The fight lasted a lengthy 93 rounds, with Thompson tactically and methodically breaking his man down until, exhausted after two hours ten minutes, Caunt sat down with his back turned on his "nether end" without getting hit, losing on a foul. Thompson was criticised for putting his knee to the mat to end the round after receiving only a light blow, or possibly no blow, but the referee did not call him for a foul."Contest for the Championship and 200 pounds a side", The Observer, London, Greater London, England, pg. 3, 15 September 1845 Thompson would be declared the winner on a foul despite Caunt's advantage in height, weight, and youth. The fight was described by a contemporary writer as "one of the most scandalous brawls in boxing history. Both men used every foul under the sun and invented a good many others ... Thompson was tossed from the ring ... Caunt trying to crash him on the ring stakes to break his back. Thompson's [followers] attempted to bludgeon Caunt whenever within striking distance ... on one occasion missing by a hairs breadth, the blow landing on Caunt's brawny shoulder ..." Bells Life wrote that Thompson's methods were opposed to the principles of a fair, stand-up fight, and were the actions of a coward.93 rounds, 11,000 people, and 200 a side in "Bendigo and Caunt", The Era, London, Greater England, pg. 7, 14 September 1845
Years later, when speaking on the fight, Lord Longford, a former backer, reacted to Thompson's evangelising with the comment: "I hope you fight Beelzebub with more fairness than you fought Caunt or else I might change sides."
This fight seemed to have taken a lot out of Thompson, who went back to his childhood pastime of fishing. He became very friendly with a well-known angler called William Bailey, who made and sold fishing tackle from his shop in Broadmarsh. Thompson won several All England fishing awards.
Last title bout with Tom Paddock, 1850
Although enjoying his quiet life, Thompson accepted a challenge from young Tom Paddock from Redditch and, on 5 June 1850, the 39-year-old William Abednego Thompson began his last fight. In two minds as to whether to accept the challenge or not, his 82-year-old mother encouraged him by saying "And I tell you this Bendy, if you don't take up the challenge you are a coward. And I tell you more, if you won't fight him I'll send and take up his challenge myself."