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Simon Finighty
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Simon Finighty
Simon Finighty (also known as Simon Finnerty or Finnity; Irish: Síomón Ó Fionnachta; 1833–1890) was a bare-knuckle prize fighter. London-born, of Irish descent, Finighty was a "popular feather-weight pugilist". He was a long-standing member of the Pugilistic Benevolent Association (P.B.A.) and the London Prize Ring (L.P.R.).
Finighty was born in Saffron Hill on 19 August 1833, to Irish immigrant parents, Daniel, a furrier and skin draper from County Cork), and Catherine (née Mahony). He was baptised on 29 September, 1833, at St Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Moorfields. In his youth, Simon Finighty worked as a paper folder.
In his time, Finighty was regarded as "one of the civilest, as well as one of the most scientific boxers." According to The Sporting Life, at his best, Finighty weighed 7st 10lb.
The same newspaper listed the key points of Finighty's career as follows:
Finighty's greatest acclaim derived from his bouts against Charley 'The American' Lynch. Finighty first met Lynch in the ring in October 1857, and the fight was billed as "the first light-weight international championship." Such was the consequence of this match to the boxing world, that it was still being referenced in sporting publications as late as 1923.
Finighty and Lynch agreed to a rematch on 2 August 1859. An Era report of the time described the well-anticipated event:
In 1863, Finighty was wrongly implicated in the murder of John Meers at Teignbridge on 14 August that year. After Meers' body had been found in a large pond on 20 August, it was deduced, by the injuries to his face and neck, that he had met his death by foul play. Subsequent criminal investigation uncovered that, on the second day of the Newton races that year, Meers was seen sparring with a boxer named James Stephens. During the course of the match, the competitors fell out. Stephens, in the company of another prize fighter, John Burke, then set off in the direction of Teignbridge with Meers. A scuffle broke out between Stephens and Meers, with the former dealing Meers "a most severe blow behind the year, knocking him down apparently lifeless" before swinging a brass ball at Meers' head. Meers was then thrown "over the bridge into the pit of water in which [he] was afterwards discovered." It transpired, however, that on arrest, Burke gave his name as Simon Finighty, which was the name widely reported in the initial accounts of the trial. As such, Finighty was compelled to write to the press to clear his name:
Finighty's aforementioned match against William Mills was of special interest to the public, as "the combatants were for a long time inseparable friends, but one day a quarrel came between them, and Mills threw down the gauntlet, offering to settle their dispute by an appeal to Nature's weapons." In the lead up to the fight, The Sportsman reported that:
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Simon Finighty
Simon Finighty (also known as Simon Finnerty or Finnity; Irish: Síomón Ó Fionnachta; 1833–1890) was a bare-knuckle prize fighter. London-born, of Irish descent, Finighty was a "popular feather-weight pugilist". He was a long-standing member of the Pugilistic Benevolent Association (P.B.A.) and the London Prize Ring (L.P.R.).
Finighty was born in Saffron Hill on 19 August 1833, to Irish immigrant parents, Daniel, a furrier and skin draper from County Cork), and Catherine (née Mahony). He was baptised on 29 September, 1833, at St Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Moorfields. In his youth, Simon Finighty worked as a paper folder.
In his time, Finighty was regarded as "one of the civilest, as well as one of the most scientific boxers." According to The Sporting Life, at his best, Finighty weighed 7st 10lb.
The same newspaper listed the key points of Finighty's career as follows:
Finighty's greatest acclaim derived from his bouts against Charley 'The American' Lynch. Finighty first met Lynch in the ring in October 1857, and the fight was billed as "the first light-weight international championship." Such was the consequence of this match to the boxing world, that it was still being referenced in sporting publications as late as 1923.
Finighty and Lynch agreed to a rematch on 2 August 1859. An Era report of the time described the well-anticipated event:
In 1863, Finighty was wrongly implicated in the murder of John Meers at Teignbridge on 14 August that year. After Meers' body had been found in a large pond on 20 August, it was deduced, by the injuries to his face and neck, that he had met his death by foul play. Subsequent criminal investigation uncovered that, on the second day of the Newton races that year, Meers was seen sparring with a boxer named James Stephens. During the course of the match, the competitors fell out. Stephens, in the company of another prize fighter, John Burke, then set off in the direction of Teignbridge with Meers. A scuffle broke out between Stephens and Meers, with the former dealing Meers "a most severe blow behind the year, knocking him down apparently lifeless" before swinging a brass ball at Meers' head. Meers was then thrown "over the bridge into the pit of water in which [he] was afterwards discovered." It transpired, however, that on arrest, Burke gave his name as Simon Finighty, which was the name widely reported in the initial accounts of the trial. As such, Finighty was compelled to write to the press to clear his name:
Finighty's aforementioned match against William Mills was of special interest to the public, as "the combatants were for a long time inseparable friends, but one day a quarrel came between them, and Mills threw down the gauntlet, offering to settle their dispute by an appeal to Nature's weapons." In the lead up to the fight, The Sportsman reported that:
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