Benjamin, Bill

William Bainge

A heavyweight, Benjamin fought for the English championship in the middle of the 19th Century, in the bare-knucked era of the Puglistic Society's "London Prize Ring Rules." Established in 1838, the Rules were modified in 1853 to state that the ring was to be 24-feet square and surrounded by two ropes. Any knockdown marked the end of a round and the downed fighter had to "come to scratch" in middle of the ring unaided within eight seconds or the fight was over (previous rules allowed seconds to assist the fighter).

Birth and Death Dates:
b. 1826 - d. unknown

Career Highlights:
In 1857, former English champion Harry Broome claimed he had found an "unknown" boxer to take on the current champ, Hall of Famer Tom Sayers. The mysterious gladiator turned out to be Benjamin, the son of a farmer from the town of Northleach. Benjamin turned out to be no match for the great Sayers. On January 5, 1858 at Isle of Grain, Benjamin and Sayers squared off, and the inexperienced challenger was nervous and unsure. Having only been taught some basics of boxing, Benjamin was overwhelmed by his opponent and "...the Novice dropped. He was conveyed to his corner and the look of dismay upon his countenance as he glanced around was perfectly ludricous. It was at once patent to all that he knew nothing of the business he had undertaken, and that the contest was virtually over..."

Despite losing in only three rounds in a bout that lasted just six minutes and thirty seconds, Harry Broome promoted Benjamin to fight Sayers again. Broome claimed many excuses for Benjamin's poor showing in the first bout, including that he had literally been frozen by the cold weather. After Sayers defeated former champion Tom Paddock, Benjamin got a rematch and was trained by legendary boxers Nat Langham and Bendigo (William Thompson). Sayers, on the other hand, did not take Benjamin seriously, and did not bother to train. When he entered the ring for their second bout on April 5, 1859, he was considerably softer and fatter than had previously been the case. The challenger, on the other hand, was in excellent physical shape and had a much better showing, but was still pulled out of the ring by his seconds after 11 rounds and 22 minutes. In July 1861, Benjamin scored a victory when he beat a boxer named Dick James in the second round, in a bout that lasted only three and a half minutes.

Origin:
Gloucestershire, England

Physical description:
5'10-3/4", 12 stone (168 pounds)

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