GWENT men abound in a new book about Welsh bare-knuckle prize fighters in the 19th century, written by former South Wales Argus sportswriter John Francis.

Among those featured are the farmer whose first fight in the ring was for the world heavyweight title.

Welsh boxing memories go back only to the beginning of the 20th century when Jimmy Wilde, Percy Jones, Freddy Welsh and ‘Peerless’ Jim Driscoll ruled the world.

Their 19th century predecessors, however, were just as feted in their own era, several being regarded as the best in Britain.

They had long ago vanished into the mists of time, but re-emerge in Feasts of Blood: The Forgotten History of Welsh Prize-Fighting.

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There are no official records to examine, and no inclusive statistics to be accumulated, but research among sources from Britain and abroad has unearthed complete or partial career records of more than 800 Welsh fighters.

This is the first in-depth study of a major part of Wales’ recreational culture.

Prize fighting attracted crowds in their thousands who would have walked many miles just to watch their heroes.

Prize fights were brutal and dangerous - an area not far from Newport city centre was known as ‘the Bloody Fields’ because of the savage bouts that took place there - and could go on for hours, leaving losers, and winners, massively disfigured - and in many instances dead.

The lives of these men outside the ring were just as colourful. Several were lucky to escape the hangman.

One Welsh fighter became a successful Shakespearean actor in the USA, and another fought with the Confederate army in the American Civil War.

The study examines the sport’s legal status, which governed most aspects of the prize ring, the action taken to try to curtail it and the subterfuge engaged in by the participants to evade the law.

Also included are chapters on female prize fighters, fairground boxing booths and the Welsh phenomena of mountain fighters.

The final chapter assesses the state of the sport since the end of the nineteenth century and its prospects for survival.

Feasts of Blood: The Forgotten History of Welsh Prize-Fighting, is published by Cappa Press, and is available in paperback on Amazon.