Simon Byrne
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Simon Byrne, nicknamed "The Emerald Gem", was an Irish bare-knuckle prize fighter. The heavyweight boxing champion of Ireland, he was drawn to England by the larger sums of prize money on offer and hi
The only known image of Simon Byrne, a poster advertising the match between Alexander McKay (left) and Simon Byrne (right)
A typical 19th-century boxing match, often held in warehouses, courtyards of inns, or in open fields away from the eyes of local authorities. This painting was by Byrne's friend Jem Ward.
Newspaper report of rioting against the Irish population of Dundee following McKay's death
Tom Spring
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Tom Spring was an English bare-knuckle fighter. He was champion of England from 1822 until his retirement in 1824. After his retirement he became landlord of the Castle Inn at Holborn in London, where
Simon Byrne
…fought McKay, the "Champion of Scotland", for the right to challenge Jem Ward, the heavyweight champion of England. The match had been organized at Tom Spring's "Castle Tavern", in Holborn. The former champion boxer Tom Spring, as treasurer of the "Fair Play Club" – the organization which oversaw boxing – was…
Spring's mentor Tom Cribb circa 1810
The Irish boxer Jack Langan who fought Spring twice, losing on both occasions
Memorial to Thomas Winter in Fownhope