Henry "Hen" Pearce (7 May 1777, in Bristol – 30 April 1809, at St. Martin's Lane, London) was an English bare-knuckle prizefighter who fought under the

London Prize Ring rules The London Prize Ring Rules were a list of boxing rules published in 1838 and revised in 1853. These rules were based on those drafted by England's Jack Broughton in 1743 (known as the Broughton Rules) and governed the conduct of prizefighting ...

and was the recognised English Champion from 1804 until his retirement due to ill health in 1807. Pearce was known as "The Game Chicken", a nickname probably derived from his habit of signing his name "Hen" instead of Henry. He was reckoned a fast, skillful

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

who hit hard with both fists. On 6 December 1805, Pearce defeated Jem Belcher in a Championship decider (a fight reported in Pierce Egan's first volume of ''Boxiana'').David Snowdon, 'Writing the Prizefight: Pierce Egan's Boxiana World' (2013) He was inducted into the Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1987 and the

International Boxing Hall of Fame The International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF), located in Canastota, New York, right next to exit 34 of the New York State Thruway, honors boxers, trainers and other contributors to the sport worldwide. Inductees are selected on ballots cre ...

in 1993.

External Sources

Chapter on Pearce in ''Boxiana, or Sketches of Ancient and Modern Pugilism'' volume 1, 1830, Pierce EganChapter on Pearce in ''Pugilistica, the History of British Boxing'' volume 1, 1906, Henry Downes Miles

References

1777 births 1809 deaths English male boxers English bare-knuckle boxers Martial artists from Bristol Tuberculosis deaths in England 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis {{England-boxing-bio-stub

External Sources

See also

References