Jacob Hyer

Jacob Hyer (died 1838)[1] was an American bare-knuckled boxer. He is generally credited as the first professional American boxer, due to his 1816 match with Tom Beasley, and has even been called "The Father of The American Ring".[2] One source notes that Hyer may have been born in Caernarvon Township in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and that his father Louis was employed as an iron maker at Windsor Forge in Churchtown, Pennsylvania as early as 1780.[3]

Jacob Hyer
Statistics
Weight(s)heavyweight,
Usually 182 lb (83 kg)
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
NationalityAmerican
BornCaernarvon Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
May have been born in New York,
Settled in New York, New York
Died1838
Manhattan, New York
StanceOrthadox
Long reach, right handed
Used Broughton rules
Boxing record
Total fights1
* professional bouts only
Losses1

Hyer v. Beasley
Jacob's son Tom Hyer

In October 1816 in Manhattan, Hyer (a butcher) fought Tom Beasley (an English mariner) in what is traditionally said to be the first professional American bout, in that it was open to the public and English boxing rules, specifically the Broughton rules, were observed.[2][4][5]

The fight has been described as a "grudge match," because the two had previously been involved in a street fight, and decided to settle the matter in a more formal venue.[2][6][1]

Apparently the rules of boxing were at least followed at the outset of the match, but degenerated as the fight progressed. Different reports of the official bout stated that Beasley broke Hyers' arm (and thus Beasley won),[7][8] that the match ended in a draw (due to the broken arm), or that Hyer won the match.[9][10] Some modern sources state that Hyer won the match, though the basis for that conclusion is not stated.[4][11][12] Hyer never fought again after this one fight.[4]

Historian Elliot J. Gorn, writing in the 1980s, states that although Hyer broke his arm, Beasley had been badly beaten, so after mutual friends intervened it was declared a draw. Gorn also states that the match was not actually the first ring fight in America, or the first open to the public, but that its "significance lay in the perception that it was a historic event worth recording, in its being the earliest American fight kept alive as living memory of a heroic past. When men gathered at New York's Empire Club decades later, they recounted this battle time and again.... Hyer and Beasley were important because they were remembered as founding fathers."[13][14]

Legacy

Hyer was 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) and approximately 182 pounds. He was born in New York, or possibly Caernarvon Township in Pennsylvania's Lancaster County, and was of Dutch descent.[4][15] In 1969, Hyer was elected to the Ring Magazine Boxing Hall of Fame.[12]

Hyer's son, Tom Hyer, became the first American heavyweight boxing champion.[4] The younger Hyer's famous victory against Yankee Sullivan in 1849 greatly spurred the popularity of the sport and served to preserve the legacy of his father's pioneering fight.

References
  1. Gammie, Peter. Pugilists and Politicians in Antebellum New York: The Life and Times of Tom Hyer, in Proceedings of the New York State Historical Association, Volume 92, p. 265- (1994)
  2. Rodriguez, Robert G. Regulation of Boxing: A History and Comparative Analysis of Policies Among American States, p. 25 (2009)
  3. Born near Churchtown in Caernarvon Township from records of the Lancaster Historical Society in "Land of Champions, America Drew First Ring Hero", Sunday News, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, pg. 13, 23 April 1944
  4. Fleischer, Nat & Andre, Sam. An Illustrated History of Boxing p. 39 (6th ed. 2001) (considered the first match by "traditional consent", states claim that Hyer "defeated" Beasley, and also states that "this was his only bout.")
  5. Fields, Armond. James J. Corbett: A Biography of the Heavyweight Boxing Champion and Popular Theater Headliner p. 2 (2001; ISBN 978-0786409099)
  6. Parker, Dan, "The Customers Always Write", The Gazette, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, pg. 20, 24 March 1950
  7. The American fistiana, p. 29 (1849) (listing the fight as the first public bout in America, and stating that Beasley won by "accident" due to Hyer's broken arm)
  8. Boxers of Other Days Had Plenty of Grit, The Day (New London), February 19, 1914 (quoting from an old copy of the New York Clipper, date not revealed, but probably not contemporaneous as the Clipper was not founded until 1853, stating that after Hyer broke his arm, "the fight was given to Beasley")
  9. Vaughn, Stephen L. (ed.) Encyclopedia of American journalism, p. 61 (2008) (stating that a Boston Post reporter stated the "vicious" match ended when Hyer's arm broke, but noting that other papers said Hyer won after "an hour of fighting", that it was a draw, and one claimed they "parted as friends")
  10. Ripley, George & Dana, Charles Anderson (eds.) The American cyclopaedia: a popular dictionary of general knowledge, Volume 14, p.74 (1875) (reporting that the result was a draw after friends of the men intervened after Hyer's arm broke, source of report not stated)
  11. Zimmerman, Linda. Rockland County Scrapbook, p. 70 (2004) (ISBN 978-0971232648)
  12. Associated Press (January 3, 1969) Ring Hall Elects Fighter-Playboy, The Register-Guard (reporting on induction to Hall of Fame, and stating that Hyer was a claimant for the heavyweight title in 1816).
  13. Gorn, Elliot, J. The Manly Art: Bare-Knuckle Prize Fighting in America (1986)(updated 2010, ISBN 978-0-8014-7608-2)
  14. Mee, Bob. Bare fists: the history of bare-knuckle prize-fighting, p.129-30 (2001) (ISBN 978-1585671410) (stating that it is "stretching the truth" to call it the first American championship fight)
  15. Born near Churchtown in Caernarvon Township from records of the Lancaster Historical Society in "Land of Champions, America Drew First Ring Hero", Sunday News, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, pg. 13, 23 April 1944
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