Depicting: “Humphreys and Mendoza Fighting at Odiham in Hampshire on Wednesday Jan’y 9th, 1788.”
Staffordshire creamware mug depicting Jewish boxer Daniel Mendoza (1764-1836) and his former mentor Richard Humphreys, also spelled Humphries, in their third and final bareknuckle boxing match, September 29, 1790, in Doncaster, England. Mendoza held back for several rounds, but still won quickly. Humphreys won the first bout in 1788, and Mendoza the second in 1789.
Mendoza, who did much to elevate the status of Jews in London during a period of significant antisemitism, is considered the first ‘modern’ boxer. Billed as Mendoza the Jew, he was Champion of England from 1792 to 1795. Mendoza was the first prominent Jewish prizefighter in England. He was smaller than his opponents, and won with superior technique, speed, and agility. His style, known as the Mendoza or Jewish school, is credited with inspiring a generation of boxers and establishing many elements of modern boxing.
Mendoza was hugely popular and introduced a new ‘scientific’ style of boxing. He set up a school of boxing in 1787, and the many Jewish boys he trained helped to encourage a lasting connection in England of Jews and boxing.
For precisely the same jug,
see the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
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Lot #316