Mendoza, Daniel
MENDOZA, DANIEL
MENDOZA, DANIEL (1764–1836), English boxing champion. Born in Aldgate, London, Mendoza learned at a young age to defend himself with his fists. In 1780 he won his first professional fight. A natural middleweight, Mendoza became the father of scientific boxing by devising defensive moves that enabled him to fight against much heavier opponents. His ring success brought him to the attention of the Prince of Wales and he became the first boxer to receive royal patronage. Mendoza's ascendancy to boxing heights, and his acceptance by royalty, helped ease the position of the Jew in the English community. He proudly billed himself as "Mendoza the Jew." He opened his own boxing academy and became a teacher. He went on tour and gave boxing exhibitions in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. Mendoza lost the title of English Champion to John Jackson on a ninth-round knockout on April 15, 1795. He wrote The Art of Boxing (London, 1789) and The Memoirs of the Life of Daniel Mendoza (London, 1816). In 1954 Mendoza was one of the inaugural group chosen for the Boxing Hall of Fame in the United States.
bibliography:
H.D. Miles, Pugilistica, 1 (1880); H.U. Ribalow, Fighter from Whitechapel (1962).
[Jesse Harold Silver]