Boxing flourished as a workingman's sport in England in the 18th century. One of the stars of that era was James Figg, who was recognized as heavyweight champ from 1719 through 1730.
A subsequent British heavyweight champ, Jack Broughton, codified his own set of rules (recognized in 1943) which were an important step towards cleaning up the sport. For example, low blows and hitting a fighter while he was down were banned. These rules continued to evolve and governed what is now known as the "bareknuckle era".
