First Legal Bare-Knuckle Fight in Over a Century

[McGoorty]

No doubt about that. Today's boxers haven't as great a need to toughen their fists to the extent the old-timers did. Even the boxers of the early twentieth century had to have tough hands, since the gloves they used had less padding than the ones in use today.

There's a book called "Championship Streetfighting: Boxing As A Martial Art" by Ned Beaumont, where the author describes methods of toughening the hands for bare-knuckle fighting. It's a good read. I would guess that many of the posters on Boxingscene would be interested in this book. As the title implies, it's about the superiority of boxing as a fighting art. Beaumont makes arguments that sound much like the "debates" that take place here about boxing versus MMA.

Yes, Jack Dempsey used to speak about toughening the hands and face and those particular tricks of the trade, Jack credited his brother for that sort of knowledge/ His brother had young Jack stick his face in some kind disgusting smelling stuff to make his skin leathery. I don't remember what was in that bucket !!!!!!!