***ish greats

[Rockybigblower]

Tony Danza

[Marchegiano]

In regards to The *** I feel simply mentioning his name is a disservice.

Damn near everything understood as "boxing" comes from Daniel. Prior to him boxing was relative to sword and shield combat. Literally based on standard Spartan war time techniques.

When Figg came around boxing was still very much intertwined with swordplay.

Contrary to what may seem obvious due to the name having shield in it, sword and shield is not a defensive form in the least. Rocky Marciano would be your closest analog in the modern era to an ancient boxer.

Figg himself was known as a slaughterer, brute force and constant pressure were his tools. He trained the next seven champions depending on what you consider champion, the term back then had a different meaning.

It isn't until Figg's death that Figg's style of boxing would see any outside challenge since Figg ascension.

Figg two star pupils fight for supremacy, Broughton wins and before he loses control of the sport entirely he pens rules of conduct.

Slack defeats Broughton at the end of Broughton's career and we enter an age of strongmen and local legend champions. Multiple men during this time were walk on or hardly had any experience. They were not traveling fighters they were stay-home sorts who could lick the champ and so when he came to town that's when they did. Guys like Dugan Fearns and such.

Boxing was at a low point when The *** Mendoza turned the heads of The Fancy.

Born in the late middle of the 18th century Daniel was the son of sephardic ***s who had left the iberian peninsula to escape persecution by the Spanish Inquisition. They made England there home and in Whitechapel the man not simply known as ***ish or a *** but rather The *** was born.

According to Danny growing up in England as a *** in the 18th century was rough. Constant harassment lead to constant fighting. Mendoza as a grown man was about 5'7" and roughly 160-170lbs. He wasn't the largest of men but size enough to present a real challenge.


Mendoza would make a name for himself by defeating no less than twenty opponents on his way to the Lightweight champion Tom Tyne. 20 victories alone in the bare knuckle era is very impressive. The Fancy would be paying good watch to him now.

It was 1783 when The *** met the LW Champion and suffered his very first loss after a hour plus long contest.

The *** took his loss and moved on swiftly toppling two more opponents before gaining his rematch with Tom the early the following year.

1784 Danny gets his rematch, this time the fight is for the Welterweight title. Mendoza does away with his foe and becomes a champion. A ***ish champion.

Between 1785 and 1788 Mendoza didn't do much in the ring because he had out of ring troubles. He was seconded and managed by a veteran of the ring, Richard Humphries, for his a lot of his career up to this point. A dispute between the two parties over purse left Humphries feeling cheated by his former friend and protege. Mendoza landed in debtor's prison because he told Humphries no lie when he claimed to not have the money to pay him. Humphries felt Mendoza was being cunning while Mendoza felt Richard was being cruel.

Their difference would have to be settled in the ring.

1788 The *** falls to the man he once called master. After 30 minutes of fighting Humphries was champion.

Mendoza was done, finished, kaput. It was easy for Richard to turn the public against The *** prior to them meeting. Humphries complained of Daniel being a con artist and greedy, two charges the public would gladly accept given their sentiment toward ***ish people.

Mendoza was at a point when all hope seemed lost, he seemed destined for the sort of post fame career so many pugilists before him were forced to accept. No, this would not due for our hero. The *** Mendoza did what hated men do. He became the stuff of nightmare, well 18th century European ********* nightmares.

His first act was to use the newfangled advent of newspapers to his advantage. He called Humphries out in public for a rematch. He questioned the validity of Humphries claim against him and most importantly he let all of England know he was proud to be ***ish.

The ********* audience and their hero reacted with the utmost self righteous indignation. How dare this *** who has already been put into his place by the good and honorable Englishman Humphries who posses true English quality be so bold as to even consider a public challenge to Mister Humphries honor?

Angry, Humphries fired back. To Richard defense he doesn't seem extremely anti-semitic. It's rather similar to the colorline era. Difficult to tell what the ********* champion was thinking given his backing was so vehement all he ever really did was point them out and follow what they told him. Richard would see Daniel for the Middleweight title again.

Mendoza's plan to return to greatness to working just fine. The audience wants to see him hurt, the opponent wants to be the man to hurt him, there was just one new element to add. Daniel The *** Mendoza then invented the act of charging audience members for the right to watch the fight. That's right, The *** invented the ticket!

The ********* audience was fuming. Who does this *** think he is? When Humphries gets ahold of him this time he'll do that *** ten time worse than last and leave him a broken man.

Mendoza didn't just secure his retirement he got into the heads of the audience and his adversary to better his position financially and in the ring.

He's riled the audience through the media for the first time in boxing history, he's invented the idea that athletes have worth beyond betting and set purses, but The *** has one more trick for his ********* friends.

They said he didn't know his place in the world so he showed them a brash man unafraid of consequences. They said he was clever and greedy so he came up with a clever way to seperate them from their coin. They said he was a coward. He would show them how cowardly he could be.

The fight begins, Mendoza unveils what he'd been working toward the entirety of this fight's build up. Daniel Mendoza had quietly invented defensive boxing that centered around movement rather than just guarding. Humphries would punch and rather than receiving the blow on his guard Mendoza would simply move from the scratch and make his way back before time was called on him.

Richard and his audience were furious, but, it worked. It worked completely and totally and Mendoza, clever, greedy, and cowardly as he is, regained his Middleweight title after an hour long contest.

What no one knew was going on is Mendoza knew if a classically trained boxer kept coming for him he could deal with that man in a similar fashion to a fencer who was being charged by a shield toting warrior. Mendoza studied how fencers take down larger, more armoured, and heavily armed warriors with nothing but speed, reflexes, cunning, and accuracy.

That is what The *** debuted in 1789. Defensive posture, defensive positioning, defensive body movement, and counterpunching. Hit and don't be hit back boxing was born!

That next year the Heavyweight Champion would retire.

in 1790 Daniel Mendoza announces he is the finest fighting man known to England and would meet any who would seek to challenge his science. Yeah, that is Danny's too. He didn't just invent boxing defense and the basis for the industry, he called it science.

It was his old friend and new antagonist Richard Humphries who answered. There isn't much point in explaining in any detail what happened, Daniel defended his title and the fallout to the was what you'd expect. Twice beaten, Richard softened his heart toward Daniel. He would bother The *** no more. Once defended there could be little argument, Mendoza was the heavyweight and middleweight champion. The only way to change that would be beating him in front of God and Sundry.

This didn't sit well with the audience who, though they payed quite a lot of their money to watch him, had grown to hate Mendoza to the point where they were considering more vigilante justice to deal with The ***.

Mendoza would travel to Ireland during this period for a keep busy fight while the English audience elected a new challenger to rid them of this terrible ***. Bill Warr enters the scene.

Warr was a real good fighter but more classically trained and at this point in time Mendoza was more or less the exclusive bearer of defensive knowledge. No one knew he was borrowing from fencing and observing him only gave you glimpses of his 'science'. Mendoza and Warr met for the MW title in 1792 with The *** coming out on top.

Two years later Warr would try again, this time for the Heavyweight crown. Mendoza made short work of him, ending the bare-knuckle contest in 15 minutes.

The English had had enough of this ***. He had to go, and go he would. Mendoza's next challenge was not one he could win. A member of The Fancy chose to be the man to rid England of The *** champion. John Jackson was said to have been a star amatuer. As a pro, prior to Mendoza, he only had two unimportant fights. One he won and the other he lost. Coming off that loss Jackson retired from the sport until 1795.

John had held witness to the deeds of The ***. He saw Mendoza make fools of Humphries, Warr, and most importantly the English public. He had a plan to get rid of The *** that was absolutely foolproof. He would simply cheat.

Being of the aristocracy John had plenty of pull around the sport and given the audience had had enough of Mendoza he knew they would not stop him but rather cheer at the dismantling of The *** regardless of how that came to be.

The match was set. There was little boxing in this fight. Gentleman John Jackson seized Daniel The *** Mendoza about the ponytail so that he couple not implement his defensive science. Mendoza was forced to receive blows to the head and face until he was floored. John Jackson was now the Heavyweight champion.

A disgrace for flagrant cheating? A man who lacked true Englishness for not giving fair play?

Nope, Jackson was exalted.

John Jackson did not defend his title. He retired and to his defense and credit swiftly formed boxing's first authority since the Amphitheater(Figg-Broughton) era, The Pugilistic Club is born to make sure Stuff like what Jackson did to Mendoza does not happen again.

Mendoza felt no ill-will toward Jackson. He seemed to have known eventually something of the sort would happen. He couldn't simply get away with injuring a nation's pride and was surprised he was allowed to continue on for as long as he had.


Upon his defeat Daniel would open a school and pen books. As a retired former champion he was more respected then he was when he was the champion, still, the best of them would not go to Daniel for training. The sort of folks who trained with Mendoza were likewise outcast by 18th and 19th century English society. No star pupil would be more so than Bill Richmond and Tom Molyneaux.

Bill, like Mendoza, displayed excellent form and science, but was black and often cheated of his victories. He would make the counterpunch more famous but more importantly Mendoza was old by the time Tom came. Bill was Tom's main mentor and teacher, Mendoza was his sometimes second.

Tom Molyneaux shook up the entire boxing world and inspired a whole culture. Mendoza The *** and his defense first approach is why black america to this day tends to lean toward defense in larger proportions then any other demographic. Black American boxing using gloves and sparring tactics predate white American boxing by about a generation and if you ever wondered why you need only look to their names. You will read Molyneaux several times for several men. It's like Johnson after Jack Johnson, just a flood of Jack Johnsons. Mendoza is the source of this culture and the man who spread it among the black boxing community.



Who invented selling a match through the media? Who invented surprising the audience with above average costs? Who invented hit and don't be hit back boxing? Race relations in boxing? Seems like Money read him a Mendoza book doesn't it?

Daniel The *** Mendoza invented boxing!

No singular character is as important to what boxing is now as Daniel. Not even Mace.



-----------------------------------------------------------------

In regard to fandom and race:

I am not ***ish, I am not black, and I am not italian.

I wrote a long as **** post on Mendoza because Mendoza is a hero. Nothing more.

I keep Marciano in my avatar because Marciano is the throwback. You want to see Sparta box? Watch the Rock.

Wilder stays in the sig because Wilder is the return. Marciano shows us what old way might do in a modern world. Wilder shows us what old ways might do in a modern world with a modern sized HW.

I am puerto rican....maybe it's because I have no greats to brag on, but I honestly feel absolutely nothing toward race or nation. It's about conduct both in and out of the ring.

Exalt and praise Mendoza, more should know his name and why he matters. He is to boxing what Caesar is to Rome.

[Joe Beamish]

This reminds me of a Groucho Marx story, regarding an exclusive country club that didn’t allow ***s to swim in their pool. Groucho said, “my kids are only half ***ish, can they go in up to their waist?”

[billeau2]

I read this thing though, apparently it's a myth that he was ***ish. I just posted this story in another thread read it though, not sure if anyone'll get it though:

Contrary to popular opinion, one of the more popular heavyweights, Max Baer, was not ***ish, boxing historians say. Lawrence S. Ritter, author of "East Side, West Side," a chronicle of forgotten sporting clubs in New York, tells in the book of a time when Baer was in a gym hitting a heavy bag on Yom Kippur.

"What are you doing?" a reporter asked Baer, confused.

"Getting ready to fight Primo Carnera," he said.

"What about Yom Kippur?"

"I'll fight him next!" Baer replied

Ive told people this for years! I heard this from a reliable source.

[billeau2]

This thread has been pretty interesting.

That information provided by Mike DeLisa is very, very interesting.

Whether Baer practiced his religion or not is a moot point. I am Catholic and if I fail to practice that religion I can't erase the fact that I am still a Catholic.

Not that it matters, but I still say Max Baer is ***ish and the Star of David on his trunks tells me so. (It also tells the rest of the world.)

It has to do with the maternal line which carries the indicator. Im in a similar situation, My father was the ***! Technically it means I am not a *** to a ***.

[billeau2]

Perhaps this is not the ideal thread for this question but I thought somebody might know the answer: what is up with the star of david that Judah is always rocking on his trunks and robe?

Ok you asked for it: This comes courtesy of Sports Illustrated. Judah grew up as a Black Hebrew, one of the groups that believed Blacks are a lost tribe of Israel so he grew up as a ***. He then converted to *********ity.

[billeau2]

In regards to The *** I feel simply mentioning his name is a disservice.

Damn near everything understood as "boxing" comes from Daniel. Prior to him boxing was relative to sword and shield combat. Literally based on standard Spartan war time techniques.

When Figg came around boxing was still very much intertwined with swordplay.

Contrary to what may seem obvious due to the name having shield in it, sword and shield is not a defensive form in the least. Rocky Marciano would be your closest analog in the modern era to an ancient boxer.

Figg himself was known as a slaughterer, brute force and constant pressure were his tools. He trained the next seven champions depending on what you consider champion, the term back then had a different meaning.

It isn't until Figg's death that Figg's style of boxing would see any outside challenge since Figg ascension.

Figg two star pupils fight for supremacy, Broughton wins and before he loses control of the sport entirely he pens rules of conduct.

Slack defeats Broughton at the end of Broughton's career and we enter an age of strongmen and local legend champions. Multiple men during this time were walk on or hardly had any experience. They were not traveling fighters they were stay-home sorts who could lick the champ and so when he came to town that's when they did. Guys like Dugan Fearns and such.

Boxing was at a low point when The *** Mendoza turned the heads of The Fancy.

Born in the late middle of the 18th century Daniel was the son of sephardic ***s who had left the iberian peninsula to escape persecution by the Spanish Inquisition. They made England there home and in Whitechapel the man not simply known as ***ish or a *** but rather The *** was born.

According to Danny growing up in England as a *** in the 18th century was rough. Constant harassment lead to constant fighting. Mendoza as a grown man was about 5'7" and roughly 160-170lbs. He wasn't the largest of men but size enough to present a real challenge.


Mendoza would make a name for himself by defeating no less than twenty opponents on his way to the Lightweight champion Tom Tyne. 20 victories alone in the bare knuckle era is very impressive. The Fancy would be paying good watch to him now.

It was 1783 when The *** met the LW Champion and suffered his very first loss after a hour plus long contest.

The *** took his loss and moved on swiftly toppling two more opponents before gaining his rematch with Tom the early the following year.

1784 Danny gets his rematch, this time the fight is for the Welterweight title. Mendoza does away with his foe and becomes a champion. A ***ish champion.

Between 1785 and 1788 Mendoza didn't do much in the ring because he had out of ring troubles. He was seconded and managed by a veteran of the ring, Richard Humphries, for his a lot of his career up to this point. A dispute between the two parties over purse left Humphries feeling cheated by his former friend and protege. Mendoza landed in debtor's prison because he told Humphries no lie when he claimed to not have the money to pay him. Humphries felt Mendoza was being cunning while Mendoza felt Richard was being cruel.

Their difference would have to be settled in the ring.

1788 The *** falls to the man he once called master. After 30 minutes of fighting Humphries was champion.

Mendoza was done, finished, kaput. It was easy for Richard to turn the public against The *** prior to them meeting. Humphries complained of Daniel being a con artist and greedy, two charges the public would gladly accept given their sentiment toward ***ish people.

Mendoza was at a point when all hope seemed lost, he seemed destined for the sort of post fame career so many pugilists before him were forced to accept. No, this would not due for our hero. The *** Mendoza did what hated men do. He became the stuff of nightmare, well 18th century European ********* nightmares.

His first act was to use the newfangled advent of newspapers to his advantage. He called Humphries out in public for a rematch. He questioned the validity of Humphries claim against him and most importantly he let all of England know he was proud to be ***ish.

The ********* audience and their hero reacted with the utmost self righteous indignation. How dare this *** who has already been put into his place by the good and honorable Englishman Humphries who posses true English quality be so bold as to even consider a public challenge to Mister Humphries honor?

Angry, Humphries fired back. To Richard defense he doesn't seem extremely anti-semitic. It's rather similar to the colorline era. Difficult to tell what the ********* champion was thinking given his backing was so vehement all he ever really did was point them out and follow what they told him. Richard would see Daniel for the Middleweight title again.

Mendoza's plan to return to greatness to working just fine. The audience wants to see him hurt, the opponent wants to be the man to hurt him, there was just one new element to add. Daniel The *** Mendoza then invented the act of charging audience members for the right to watch the fight. That's right, The *** invented the ticket!

The ********* audience was fuming. Who does this *** think he is? When Humphries gets ahold of him this time he'll do that *** ten time worse than last and leave him a broken man.

Mendoza didn't just secure his retirement he got into the heads of the audience and his adversary to better his position financially and in the ring.

He's riled the audience through the media for the first time in boxing history, he's invented the idea that athletes have worth beyond betting and set purses, but The *** has one more trick for his ********* friends.

They said he didn't know his place in the world so he showed them a brash man unafraid of consequences. They said he was clever and greedy so he came up with a clever way to seperate them from their coin. They said he was a coward. He would show them how cowardly he could be.

The fight begins, Mendoza unveils what he'd been working toward the entirety of this fight's build up. Daniel Mendoza had quietly invented defensive boxing that centered around movement rather than just guarding. Humphries would punch and rather than receiving the blow on his guard Mendoza would simply move from the scratch and make his way back before time was called on him.

Richard and his audience were furious, but, it worked. It worked completely and totally and Mendoza, clever, greedy, and cowardly as he is, regained his Middleweight title after an hour long contest.

What no one knew was going on is Mendoza knew if a classically trained boxer kept coming for him he could deal with that man in a similar fashion to a fencer who was being charged by a shield toting warrior. Mendoza studied how fencers take down larger, more armoured, and heavily armed warriors with nothing but speed, reflexes, cunning, and accuracy.

That is what The *** debuted in 1789. Defensive posture, defensive positioning, defensive body movement, and counterpunching. Hit and don't be hit back boxing was born!

That next year the Heavyweight Champion would retire.

in 1790 Daniel Mendoza announces he is the finest fighting man known to England and would meet any who would seek to challenge his science. Yeah, that is Danny's too. He didn't just invent boxing defense and the basis for the industry, he called it science.

It was his old friend and new antagonist Richard Humphries who answered. There isn't much point in explaining in any detail what happened, Daniel defended his title and the fallout to the was what you'd expect. Twice beaten, Richard softened his heart toward Daniel. He would bother The *** no more. Once defended there could be little argument, Mendoza was the heavyweight and middleweight champion. The only way to change that would be beating him in front of God and Sundry.

This didn't sit well with the audience who, though they payed quite a lot of their money to watch him, had grown to hate Mendoza to the point where they were considering more vigilante justice to deal with The ***.

Mendoza would travel to Ireland during this period for a keep busy fight while the English audience elected a new challenger to rid them of this terrible ***. Bill Warr enters the scene.

Warr was a real good fighter but more classically trained and at this point in time Mendoza was more or less the exclusive bearer of defensive knowledge. No one knew he was borrowing from fencing and observing him only gave you glimpses of his 'science'. Mendoza and Warr met for the MW title in 1792 with The *** coming out on top.

Two years later Warr would try again, this time for the Heavyweight crown. Mendoza made short work of him, ending the bare-knuckle contest in 15 minutes.

The English had had enough of this ***. He had to go, and go he would. Mendoza's next challenge was not one he could win. A member of The Fancy chose to be the man to rid England of The *** champion. John Jackson was said to have been a star amatuer. As a pro, prior to Mendoza, he only had two unimportant fights. One he won and the other he lost. Coming off that loss Jackson retired from the sport until 1795.

John had held witness to the deeds of The ***. He saw Mendoza make fools of Humphries, Warr, and most importantly the English public. He had a plan to get rid of The *** that was absolutely foolproof. He would simply cheat.

Being of the aristocracy John had plenty of pull around the sport and given the audience had had enough of Mendoza he knew they would not stop him but rather cheer at the dismantling of The *** regardless of how that came to be.

The match was set. There was little boxing in this fight. Gentleman John Jackson seized Daniel The *** Mendoza about the ponytail so that he couple not implement his defensive science. Mendoza was forced to receive blows to the head and face until he was floored. John Jackson was now the Heavyweight champion.

A disgrace for flagrant cheating? A man who lacked true Englishness for not giving fair play?

Nope, Jackson was exalted.

John Jackson did not defend his title. He retired and to his defense and credit swiftly formed boxing's first authority since the Amphitheater(Figg-Broughton) era, The Pugilistic Club is born to make sure Stuff like what Jackson did to Mendoza does not happen again.

Mendoza felt no ill-will toward Jackson. He seemed to have known eventually something of the sort would happen. He couldn't simply get away with injuring a nation's pride and was surprised he was allowed to continue on for as long as he had.


Upon his defeat Daniel would open a school and pen books. As a retired former champion he was more respected then he was when he was the champion, still, the best of them would not go to Daniel for training. The sort of folks who trained with Mendoza were likewise outcast by 18th and 19th century English society. No star pupil would be more so than Bill Richmond and Tom Molyneaux.

Bill, like Mendoza, displayed excellent form and science, but was black and often cheated of his victories. He would make the counterpunch more famous but more importantly Mendoza was old by the time Tom came. Bill was Tom's main mentor and teacher, Mendoza was his sometimes second.

Tom Molyneaux shook up the entire boxing world and inspired a whole culture. Mendoza The *** and his defense first approach is why black america to this day tends to lean toward defense in larger proportions then any other demographic. Black American boxing using gloves and sparring tactics predate white American boxing by about a generation and if you ever wondered why you need only look to their names. You will read Molyneaux several times for several men. It's like Johnson after Jack Johnson, just a flood of Jack Johnsons. Mendoza is the source of this culture and the man who spread it among the black boxing community.



Who invented selling a match through the media? Who invented surprising the audience with above average costs? Who invented hit and don't be hit back boxing? Race relations in boxing? Seems like Money read him a Mendoza book doesn't it?

Daniel The *** Mendoza invented boxing!

No singular character is as important to what boxing is now as Daniel. Not even Mace.



-----------------------------------------------------------------

In regard to fandom and race:

I am not ***ish, I am not black, and I am not italian.

I wrote a long as **** post on Mendoza because Mendoza is a hero. Nothing more.

I keep Marciano in my avatar because Marciano is the throwback. You want to see Sparta box? Watch the Rock.

Wilder stays in the sig because Wilder is the return. Marciano shows us what old way might do in a modern world. Wilder shows us what old ways might do in a modern world with a modern sized HW.

I am puerto rican....maybe it's because I have no greats to brag on, but I honestly feel absolutely nothing toward race or nation. It's about conduct both in and out of the ring.

Exalt and praise Mendoza, more should know his name and why he matters. He is to boxing what Caesar is to Rome.

Great information! The fencing connection to boxing cannot be talked about enough. And yes Mendoza was an Eagle!

When medieval times were closing and the renaisance was coming to Europe. You had heathens everywhere with a sword that was the worse imaginable for elegant, ritual combat, but great at killing people. Like the original Kodachi, the sword that was pulled on the battle fields of ancient Japan during the age of the sword, to take the head of the fallen one... Short and functional, great for the grapple. These Bastard Swords were killing Italianate Dueling men because the rapier used, was long, precise and fragile. The heathern would close to grips and slice the duelist up.

Think of Gracie Ju Jitsu but with blades! Well swords were made shorter, creating the Foil and Epee... Also, while some of the more dysfunctional fencing was turned into a straight line exerscize, and a sport form, other forms of fencing were recognized as more for functionality. Among those would be the Iberian forms of the sword, where Mendoza's family was from. Iberian fencing had been cross polinated with Japanese sword work, and in all the other places where the conquistadores had been. Like Mendoza's natural style of fighting, the Spanish/Portugese duelist would walk with the sword, always moving, light on the feet, ready to attack an opening at will.

[HOUDINI563]

Benny Leonard was the greatest ***ish fighter of all time. Great boxer, great puncher, incredible record:

Total fights
96
Wins
89
Wins by KO
70
Losses
6

[Bundana]

Benny Leonard was the greatest ***ish fighter of all time. Great boxer, great puncher, incredible record:

Total fights
96
Wins
89
Wins by KO
70
Losses
6

Lol, that's hilarious… Benny Leonard only had 96 pro fights?? Jesus...

[Marchegiano]

Great information! The fencing connection to boxing cannot be talked about enough. And yes Mendoza was an Eagle!

When medieval times were closing and the renaisance was coming to Europe. You had heathens everywhere with a sword that was the worse imaginable for elegant, ritual combat, but great at killing people. Like the original Kodachi, the sword that was pulled on the battle fields of ancient Japan during the age of the sword, to take the head of the fallen one... Short and functional, great for the grapple. These Bastard Swords were killing Italianate Dueling men because the rapier used, was long, precise and fragile. The heathern would close to grips and slice the duelist up.

Think of Gracie Ju Jitsu but with blades! Well swords were made shorter, creating the Foil and Epee... Also, while some of the more dysfunctional fencing was turned into a straight line exerscize, and a sport form, other forms of fencing were recognized as more for functionality. Among those would be the Iberian forms of the sword, where Mendoza's family was from. Iberian fencing had been cross polinated with Japanese sword work, and in all the other places where the conquistadores had been. Like Mendoza's natural style of fighting, the Spanish/Portugese duelist would walk with the sword, always moving, light on the feet, ready to attack an opening at will.

Brilliant!

So when you're watching Hollywood films and folks are going on about Spanish or Japanese steel they ain't just whistling dixie for the plot's sake.