Daniel Abraham Aaron Mendoza

DANIEL MENDOZA (5 July 1764[1] - 3 September 1836) (often known as Dan Mendoza) was an English prizefighter, who was boxing champion of England 1792-95.

He was a Sephardic Jew, and is sometimes called the father of scientific boxing. Before Mendoza, boxers generally stood still and merely swapped punches. Mendoza's style consisted of more than simply battering opponents into submission, his "scientific style" included much defensive movement. He developed an entirely new style of boxing, incorporating defensive strategies, such as what he called “side-stepping”, moving around, and ducking, blocking, and, all in all, avoiding punches. At the time, this was revolutionary, and Mendoza was able to overcome much heavier opponents as a result of this new style.

Though he stood only 5'7" and weighed only 160 pounds, Mendoza was England’s sixteenth Heavyweight Champion from 1792 to 1795, and is the only middleweight to ever win the Heavyweight Championship of the World.

In 1789 he opened his own boxing academy and published The Art of Boxing the book on modern "scientific" style boxing which every subsequent boxer learned from. Mendoza was so popular that the London press reported news of one of his bouts ahead of the storming of the Bastille which marked the start of the French Revolution.

He transformed the English stereotype of a Jew from a weak, defenseless person into someone deserving of respect. He is said to have been the first Jew to talk to the King, George III.

His early boxing career was defined by three bouts with his former mentor Richard Humphries between 1788 and 1790. The first of these was lost due to Humphries’s second (the former Champion, Tom Johnson) blocking a blow. The second two bouts were won by Mendoza. The third bout set history in another way . It was the first time spectators were charged an entry payment to a sporting event. The fights were hyped by a series of combative letters in the press between Humphries and Mendoza. Mendoza's "memoirs" report that he got involved in three fights whilst on his way to watch a boxing match. The reasons were: (a) someone's cart cut in; (b) he felt a shopkeeper was trying to cheat him; (c) he didn't like how a man was looking at him.

In 1795 Mendoza fought "Gentleman" John Jackson for the Championship at Hornchurch in Essex. Jackson was five years younger, 4 inches taller, and 42 lbs. heavier. The bigger man won in nine rounds, paving the way to victory by seizing Mendoza by his long hair and holding him with one hand while he pounded his head with the other. Mendoza was pummelled into submission in around ten minutes. Since this date boxers (with the notable exception of Paulie Malignaggi) have worn their hair short.

After 1795 Mendoza began to seek other sources of income, becoming the landlord of the "Admiral Nelson" pub in Whitechapel. He turned down a number of offers for re-matches and in 1807 wrote a letter to The Times in which he said he was devoting himself chiefly to teaching the art.

In 1809 he and some associates were hired by the theatre manager Kemble in an attempt to suppress the OP Riots; the resulting poor publicity probably cost Mendoza much of his popular support, as he was seen to be fighting on the side of the privileged.

Mendoza made and spent a fortune. His Memoirs (written in 1808 but not published until 1816) report that he tried a number of ventures, including touring the British Isles giving boxing demonstrations; appeared in a pantomime entitled Robinson Crusoe or Friday Turned Boxer; opening a boxing academy at the Lyceum in the Strand; working as a recruiting sergeant for the army; printing his own paper money; and being a pub landlord.

Mendoza made his last public appearance as a boxer in 1820 at Banstead Downs in a grudge match against Tom Owen; he was defeated after 12 rounds.

Intelligent, charismatic but chaotic, he died leaving his family in poverty. He was 72.

In 1954 Mendoza was elected to the Boxing Hall of Fame.

In 1990 he was inducted into the inaugural class of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Mendoza, who was Jewish, was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1981.[2]

Mendoza was born in Algate in July 1764 to Abraham Mendoza (1731-1805) and Esther Lopez (1731-1813) and was of Jewish descent .

He was the third son of seven children. Benvenida (1752-1784, Aaron (1754-1759), Isaac (1758-), Sarah (1760-), Raphael (1772-) and Miriam (1774-).

In May 1787 he married Esther and they had nine children: Abraham, Sophia, Isabella, Daniel, Jesse, Louisa, Aaron, Isaac and Matilda His ancestors had been in Spain and Italy in the centuries prior.

The Mendoza family has a large range of descendents in many countries including England, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, America and Israel. Actor Peter Sellers, Radio Presenter Mike Mendoza and Phillip Mendoza are descendants of Daniel Mendoza.

His memoir states he was born 1764, but synagogue records suggest 1765; he was circumcised on 12 July 1765.

REFERENCES in popular culture:-

A play about Mendoza, “The Punishing Blow,” by Randy Cohen, debuted in 2009.[3]

A Conspiracy of Paper, is a novel by David Liss that is loosely based on Mendoza's life.

Mendoza features as a character in Rodney Stone, a Gothic mystery and boxing novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Mendoza is a minor character in T. Coraghessan Boyle's 1982 novel, "Water Music".

From another Website:-

DANIEL MENDOZA (1764-1836) is considered to be the originator of modern boxing and was the most celebrated Jewish athlete of his time. He became the sixteenth heavyweight boxing champion of England.

Mendoza was born in the east London neighborhood of Whitechapel on July 5, 1764. His parents were artisans and reputedly descended from Spanish nobility. He received a Jewish education and spent much of his life defending that education and religion with his fists. The East End of London was the home of many professional fighters of the time. At least 20 major Jewish fighters grew up there.

Athleticism, particularly violent sports like boxing, were not a strong part of the Jewish tradition. Although some rabbis encouraged ball playing, calisthenics, and moderate exercise to promote health, Jewish people were generally advised to avoid violence, preoccupation with the body, sensuality, and physical force. Instead, they were encouraged to cultivate learning, intellect, and spiritual values. At the time, England was not a particularly comfortable place for Jews, who faced widespread discrimination. Like present-day minorities, young Jews turned to boxing as a way to gain respect and disprove stereotypes. Then, as now, boxing was a way out of the ghetto. As Jeffrey T. Sammons wrote in Beyond the Ring, "Discriminated against at all levels of society and ridiculed for their appearance, language, and manner, some Jews turned to boxing as a way to earn respect, a sense of belonging, and, for a few, money."

Boxing in the mid-1700s:-

Boxing at the time was very different from what it is today. Although Jack Broughton had introduced new rules in the mid-1700s, making the sport less brutal than it had been in the past, boxing was still not well regulated. The new rules banned hitting a man when he was down, grabbing him by the breeches or below the waist, and kicking, but they did not prohibit hair-pulling, ear-pulling, holding-and-hitting, or wrestling. A favorite tactic was to throw the opponent with a hip lock or to trip him, and then "accidentally" fall on him, smashing a knee or elbow into his rib or face.

Men fought bare-knuckled, without gloves, and a round lasted until one punched or threw the other to the ground or to his knees. Between rounds, they had 30 seconds of rest, after which they had to be "at the scratch" and ready to fight. If a man was not standing up and ready, he lost. Fighters had "seconds," or friends who would help them up if need be. Usually, if a second came in, this meant that the boxer could not stand without help and he would then lose. During fights, boxers usually bled, and spectators often bet on who would bleed first and how soon it would happen. Occasionally, boxers were killed in the ring, but authorities usually did not prosecute the killer.

Began His Boxing Career:-

After Mendoza's bar mitzvah, at the age of 13, he wanted to become a glazier or glass cutter. However, he lost his job when he beat the son of the man he was apprenticed to in a fight. After this, he found work in a fruit and vegetable shop and then in a tea shop, where he beat up a customer who was threatening the owner. A crowd gathered to watch this fight. One of the spectators was a famous boxer, Richard Humphreys, known as "The Gentleman Boxer." Humphreys was so impressed with Mendoza's fighting ability that he offered to be his second in the fight.

Word got around that a new fighter had appeared and, a week later, Mendoza was set up to fight a professional boxer. He won the fight, was paid five guineas, and received the nickname "The Star of Israel." Mendoza soon got a job in a tobacco shop, but could not stop getting into fights with customers. More than physical fights, he saw these disputes as battles against injustice, prejudice, and brutality. Mendoza believed he was justified in defending himself.

In 1790, Mendoza won his first professional fight. This attracted the attention of the Prince of Wales, who became his patron. He was the first boxer to have royal patronage and, because of this favorable attention from royalty, helped to change attitudes toward Jewish people in English society. Proudly, he called himself "Mendoza the Jew."

Christina Hale noted in English Sports and Pastimes, "Prize-fighters like Mendoza, Cribb, Belcher, and Gregson were national heroes; when Mendoza defeated Martin in 1787 the enthusiasm of the crowd broke all bounds, and the victor was brought back to London by a vast horde of jubilant supporters who carried lighted torches and sang 'See the Conquering Hero Comes' all the way home."

Mendoza's wife, however, was not happy with his constant fighting. He promised her he would give up the sport, but only if he could first fight his most hated rival. Surprisingly, that rival was Richard Humphreys, the same man who had gotten him involved in the sport.

Introduced "Scientific" Boxing Methods:-

Mendoza was the lightest heavyweight boxer in history: he weighed only 160 pounds and was 5 feet, 7 inches tall. If he were alive today, he would be considered a middleweight, but his chest was enormous and he always fought men much bigger than he was, and won. After getting hurt a few times, Mendoza came up with some new boxing techniques to protect himself from punches, such as sidestepping and hitting with a straight left. These methods, in which a fighter used his speed and foot movement, not just his brute strength, were more "scientific" than earlier boxing methods. When Mendoza introduced them, some spectators claimed that he was not punching away in a manly fashion, but was retreating and running away. Soon, however, Mendoza's techniques were admired and copied by other boxers.

Mendoza tested his new techniques in the fight against Humphreys on January 9, 1788 at Odiham in Hampshire. Many Jewish people, proud of their own, bet on his success. They lost when Humphreys beat Mendoza in 15 minutes. A rematch was held on May 6, 1789, at Stilton. Almost 3,000 people showed up for this fight, which Mendoza won. His fame increased. His name was mentioned in popular plays and songs were written about his win.

Boxing was extremely popular in Britain, and was enjoyed by all social classes. The prime minister attended fights regularly, as did the writers Jonathan Swift and Horace Walpole. Many famous artists drew and painted fights. Charles Dickens was also a regular fight spectator. When Mendoza fought Humphreys, a commemorative mug was produced depicting the fight. Because boxing was so fashionable, Mendoza held many public exhibitions to teach boxing to London society men. Eventually, he was making three theater appearances each week to demonstrate boxing, making 50 pounds for each appearance - quite a large sum at the time.

Became Heavyweight Champion:-

Humphreys fought Mendoza on September 29, 1790, and Mendoza won again. In 1794, he defeated the current English and world champion, Bill Warr, at Bexley Common, becoming the sixteenth English and world heavyweight champion. He held this title until April 15, 1795, when John Jackson defeated him by using a tactic that would be considered unfair now: he grabbed a handful of Mendoza's long hair, held him, and beat him senseless in the ninth round. Jackson's own head was shaved, so other boxers could not play this dirty trick on him.

Despite this defeat, Mendoza kept fighting. On March 23, 1796, he fought 53 rounds with Harry Lee at Grimsted-Green in Kent, and won. On July 4, 1820, he fought Tom Owen at Barnstead Downs, but lost in the 12th round. According to Robert Slater in Great Jews in Sports, an anonymous poet of the time lamented, "Is this Mendoza? - this the Jew of whom my fancy cherished so beautiful a waking dream, a vision which has perished?"

Taught and Wrote About His Sport:-

In 1820, according to Slater, Mendoza said, "I think I have a right to call myself the father of the science [of boxing], for it is well known that prize fighting lay dormant for several years. It was myself and Humphreys who revived it in our three contests for supremacy, and the science of pugilism has been patronized ever since."

Mendoza's most famous move, besides his general agility, courage, and skill, was his straight left. He traveled throughout England demonstrating this move and his other "scientific" methods of boxing. Mendoza wrote two books on boxing, The Art of Boxing (1789) and The Memoirs of the Life of Daniel Mendoza (1816). According to Mangan, he wrote in The Art of Boxing that fighters should hit opponents "on the eye brows, on the bridge of the nose, on the temple arteries, beneath the left ear, under the short ribs, or in the kidneys." Hitting the kidneys "deprives the person struck of his breath, occasions an instant discharge of urine, puts him in the greatest torture and renders him for some time a cripple."

Despite these books and his success in boxing, Mendoza ended up in debtors' prison. He then held a series of odd jobs. Mendoza worked as a boxing teacher and did some theatrical touring. He was also a recruiting sergeant, process server, and pub-keeper. When he died in London on September 3, 1836, Mendoza left his wife and 11 children penniless.

In 1965, when the Boxing Hall of Fame was begun in the United States, Mendoza was chosen to be a member. He was also elected to the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in Israel. To this day, Mendoza is considered a great hero in the Jewish community because he countered the stereotypes, and demonstrated that Jewish people could be manly and courageous. Since his time, other Jewish fighters have considered him their role model, including "Dutch" Sam Elias, who invented the uppercut, Barney Aaron, Izzy Lazarus, and the four Belasco brothers, as well as Max Baer.

•MENDOZA, DANIEL

By : Joseph Jacobs & Frank H. Vizetelly

English pugilist; born 1763 in White-chapel, London; died Sept. 3, 1836. Champion of England from 1792 to 1795, he was the founder of a distinct school of boxing which marks a period in the history of pugilism. In Miles's "History of British Boxing," London, n.d., the first period (1719-91) is described as "From the Championship of Fig to the Appearance of Daniel Mendoza" (i. 1-70). Mendoza entered the prize-ring April 17, 1787, at Barnet, where he defeated, in less than thirty minutes, Samuel Martin, a butcher of Bath. This victory led to his being matched against Richard Humphries, by whom he was defeated Jan. 9, 1788, at Odiham, Hampshire, after a contest that lasted twenty-nine minutes, and during which more skill and science were displayed than had been shown in any match hitherto in England. In another match, at Stilton, Huntingdonshire, May 6, 1789, Humphries in the twenty-second round dropped to the ground without being hit, and on a repetition of these tactics Mendoza was declared the conqueror. He fought a third battle with Humphries at Doncaster Sept. 29, 1790, and again defeated him. A popular ballad was composed on these encounters.

In 1791 Mendoza went on a sparring tour and, crossing over to Ireland, thrashed "Squire Fitzgerald," an amateur, who had expressed a desire to test his skill with the champion (Aug. 2, 1791). On his return to England Mendoza was matched against William Warr (sometimes called "Ward") of Bristol, whom he defeated in two encounters, at Smitham Bottom, near Croydon, May 14, 1792, and at Bexley Heath Nov. 12, 1794, respectively.

Mendoza was appointed sheriff's officer for the county of Middlesex in 1806, and later went on exhibition tours, the most successful being that made in the summer of 1819. After an absence of fourteen years from the ring, Mendoza was matched against Tom Owen, a Hampshire innkeeper, and met him July 20, 1820, at Banstead Downs. At this time Mendoza was in his fifty-seventh year, his opponent being six years younger. Owen, who had terribly "punished" his adversary, was declared the winner after twelve rounds. Advancing age and chagrin at his defeat led Mendoza to retire from the prize-ring, and to become the landlord of the "Admiral Nelson" in Whitechapel. It is clear that Mendoza introduced a more skilful method of defense than had been current before his time, and tended to make boxing more "scientific," a contest of skill rather than a struggle of brute force. The Jewish Encyclopedia

•In 1981 Daniel was inducted into The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.