Jack Broughton

John Broughton ( – 8 January 1789) was an English bare-knuckle boxer. He was the first person to codify a set of boxing rules; prior to this the "rules" that existed were very loosely defined and tended to vary from contest to contest. His seven rules were widely used in boxing for nearly a century, until they were replaced by the London Prize Ring rules in 1838. Pierce Egan characterised Broughton as the "Father of the English School of Boxing". Apprentice records show that Broughton was apprenticed to a Thames waterman in May 1723. On 1 August 1730, Broughton won the annual Doggett's Coat and Badge rowing race among watermen who had completed their apprenticeship within the previous year. At the time, he was noted as working on the shore near Hungerford Market in London. His first fights may have been against other watermen in London, with one story claiming that he beat another man following a dispute. A promotion for one of Broughton's fights in 1750 claimed that he had gone undefeated for 24 years, placing his first fights .

Broughton opened an amphitheatre in Oxford Road and began staging fights on 13 March 1743, when, for an entrance fee of a shilling or less, patrons were able to watch a display of boxing between several competitors. Broughton envisaged a venue in which boxing matches as well as fights with weapons such as short swords, quarterstaffs, and cudgels would only take place between skilled combatants, although he also hosted bouts of animal blood sport, including bear-baiting. The rules were applied widely in boxing until they were replaced by the London Prize Ring rules in 1838.

Broughton was a King's Body Guard of the Yeoman of the Guard and probably accompanied George II to Hanover in 1743 during the War of the Austrian Succession. Some historians credit Broughton as the inventor of boxing gloves because of his use of mufflers, though their use in professional bouts would not become widespread until the late 19th century.

The Bruiser Bruisd; Or, the Knowing Ones Taken-in. A boxing match between John Broughton and Jack Slack

On 11 April 1750, Broughton fought Jack Slack, a Norfolk butcher, following a personal dispute between the men. Two minutes into the fight, Slack threw a blinding punch, and after 14 minutes Broughton retired from the bout because he was unable to see. Broughton permanently retired from boxing following his defeat, though he continued to operate his amphitheatre until 1753 or 1754, after which he ran an antiques business. and also served as a model for John Michael Rysbrack's statue of Hercules. Henry Fielding also alluded to Broughton's boxing academy and lampooned the invention of "muffler" boxing gloves in several of his writings, including the 1749 novel The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling.

Broughton was one of the original inductees of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, inducted as a pioneer of the sport.