Da Costa, Abraham

Da Costa was an English bare-knuckle fighter in the 18th Century and fought in the era of "Broughton's Rules." Established in 1743 by Jack Broughton -- considered the father of English boxing -- the Rules stated that wrestling moves above the waist were allowed, but that a fighter could not hit an opponent once he was down. In fact, knockdowns marked the division of rounds, and the downed fighter had 30 seconds to return to the center of the ring or he would lose. If the fighter, with the help of his handlers, made it to the center, the fights resumed in what was considered a new round. In this way, fights were recorded according to the number of rounds and amount of time. "Broughton's Rules" were replaced in 1838 by the Pugilistic Society's "London Prize Ring Rules."

Birth and Death Dates:
unknown

Career Highlights:
Not much is known about Da Costa, but he and Isaac Mousha are mentioned in Pierce Egan's Boxiana (1812) as Jewish boxers who fought the great Jack Lamb. Da Costa fought Lamb in 1768 at Moorsfields and was defeated; Mousha lost to Lamb the following year.

Origin:
England

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