Paddington Tom Jones

Tom Jones
Born	Tom Jones 1766[1] Paddington, London[1]
Died	(1833-08-22)22 August 1833 (aged 67) Paddington, London, England
Nationality	British
Other names	Paddington Jones
Statistics
Weight(s)	139–146 lb (63–66 kg); Considered in his day to be a lightweight (although he would be a welterweight based on modern weight classification)
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Boxing record
Wins	16
Losses	3
Draws	3

Paddington Jones (1766 – 22 August 1833) was a British bare-knuckle boxer from 1785 to 1805 who also worked extensively as a second (i.e cornerman).^[2][3]

Jones was born in Paddington, London 'about the year 1766',^[4][5] from whence came his ringname, Tom «Paddington» Jones.^[1]

In his early boxing career he came under the eye of boxer Tom Johnson, who recognized his early talent and helped develop his boxing skills.^[6]

Throughout his boxing career, Jones acted as Master of Ceremonies at London's Fives and Tennis Courts, frequent boxing exhibition venues, where he hosted and helped plan the bills.

In a period before the introduction of formal weight-based categories Jones was informally considered a lightweight (although in modern parlance would be considered a welterweight, a designation which did not exist at the time Jones fought). He was tall for his weight, with a hard, slim appearance, and had a narrow face with a long aquiline nose. He is credited with having fought more bouts^[7] and seconded more pugilists than any boxer of his day. He fought several notable bare-knuckle boxers of his day, including Caleb Baldwin, and Jem Belcher.

The noted early boxing Pierce Egan notes that the early 'trifling skirmishes of [Tom Jones] are too numerous to be noted'. Jones' first significant fight (i.e fought for stakes) was against Ned Holmes in 1785, at Paddington Fields, for a mere half a crown, which Jones lost. Jones was but an inexperienced youth, and Holmes a full grown man, and Jones could not pull out a victory.^[8]

He fought three battles against the one-eyed Sailor in February 1786 for 10, 5, and 7 guineas at London's Hyde Park.

Jones fought Ned Holmes for a second time on 19 December 1786 for stakes of a guinea and a half. This time Jones Jones vanquished the older man in an easy victory.^[9]

Sometime in 1786 or 1787, Jones fought a boxer named Aldridge, for a stakes of 2 guineas on one side against a watch on the other. Aldridge was a Life-guardsman, a member of the British army who traditionally guarded the Monarch. Showing greater stamina than his opponent, Jones won the 60 round match at Marylebone, on 19 December 1787. Aldridge had bragged of his skills at Tom Johnson's house, and had the boxer Joe Ward match him with Paddington. Ward acted as second, and some of the best boxing talent in London witnessed the intrepid Jones pull off a victory that brought him considerable attention in boxing circles.^[10]

On 14 May 1792 he fought Caleb Baldwin for a purse of £20 at Smitham Bottom (a remote location about 13 miles south of London in the area now known as Coulsdon on the outskirts of Greater London). The battle was fought on the same constructed stage on which the great Daniel Mendoza had earlier fought Bill Warr for the English Championship. After the Jones-Baldwin fight ended after 30 minutes a dispute arose as Baldwin believed he had won the match, but the onlookers believed it was correctly to be considered a draw.^[11]

Jones fought the Jewish boxer Keely Lyons on 10 May 1794 at Blackheath, for 20 guineas. Former champion Tom Johnson served as Jones' second. The contemporary report states that 'it was a well-contested battle, in which much science and bottom were displayed on both sides; but in the event Jones proved the conqueror'.^[12] The two boxers fought again on 22 June 1795 at Hounslow. On this occasion Jones won again, in 9 rounds, 16 minutes.^[13][14]

In August 1795 Jones fought Harris the Spaniard in a match at Lansdowne, Bristol on 12 August 1795. After 20 minutes, Harris bolted with the purse, ending the fight and 'leaving Jones and Co, lamenting'.^[15]

On 12 April 1799, Jones lost to the future English champion Jem Belcher in seventeen rounds (lasting thirty-three minutes). The fight was for a purse of £50 and was held at Old Oak Common Wormwood Scrubbs, then some distance west of London. Jones had as his seconds Joe Ward and Dick Hall. It was Belcher's first fight in a London ring. Belcher was only 19 and Jones was a more experienced 30. However, Belcher outweighed Jones by about 2 stone (174lb vs 145lb).^[16][17] The contemporary report of the fight in Boxiana reads as follows:

[In] the first round considerable science was displayed on both sides - the experience and skill of Jones were well portrayed: and the dexterity and new mode of fighting, so exclusively Belcher's own, was soon exhibited, but on the termination of the round Belcher was knocked down. The advantages in the second and third round were perfectly reciprocal; but in the fourth and fifth Jones was levelled. In the sixth and seventh rounds Jones showed off in most excellent style - and the amateurs [i.e. spectators] experienced some of the finest displays of the art. [...] It was a clean fight throughout [...] and it might be deemed a model for pugilists in general to follow. [...] The eight and ninth were spiritedly contested, but in the tenth round Belcher put in some tremendous hits, with the rapidity of lightning. This immediately altered the appearance of things [...] Yet Jones nobly contested for victory for the space of thirty-three minutes before he gave in.^[18]

On 31 July 1801, Jones fought Isaac Bitton, a Jewish boxer, at Wimbledon Common for 20 guineas a side. The contemporary source Pancratia (which described Bitton as 'Elias', a reference to his Jewish heritage) records that 'For the first 20 minutes Tom evidently had the advantage, and during this time great sport had been afforded to the amateurs [i.e spectators] by the excellent science that was displayed; Elias, however, put in a hit so forcibly behind Tom's ear that he immediately fell, and gave up the contest'.^[19] Bitton was apparently a much larger man than Jones.^[20][21] Jem Belcher, by this time English champion, served as Jones' second in this bout.

In March 1802 Jones fought George Nicholls for stakes of 20 guineas a side at Norwood (currently in South London, but at the time a rather remote rural location). Nicholls had previously refused to fight Jones in 1798, stating that Jones was too tall.^[22] Boxiana records the 1802 encounter as follows:

Three rounds were well contested, and considerable science was displayed, but in the fourth Nicholls ran furiously in, and getting his head between Jones's legs, and catching fast hold of both his ankles, threw Tom with considerable violence - this was deemed an infringement upon the articles and completely deviated from the rules of pugilism^[23]

This resulted in a protracted argument between the fighters' backers and seconds on who had won the fight and entitled to claim the stakes. As no agreement could be reached, the result would seem to have been a draw. In 1805 Nicholls would go on to be the only man to defeat Tom Cribb (English Champion from 1808-1821).^[24]

Jones fought Simpson for 10 guineas a side, in a well-fought fight lasting 10 rounds, at Edgware Road, near London in June 1804. Simpson had been a pupil of Jones's mentor Tom Johnson.^[25]

The last reported fight of Tom Jones took at Blackheath on August 6, 1805, against 'Lyons the Yokel Jew' (not the same as the Keely Lyons that Jones had fought earlier in his career). Pugilistica reports that 'This was one of the most terrible conflicts in which Tom had been engaged. Yokel was a desperate punisher, and Jones suffered severely in the fight, nevertheless Yokel gave in'.^[26]

Puglistica noted that 'No man appeared oftener in the character of a second than Tom Jones, and few understood that duty better than himself'.^[27] Among a few of the important matches in which he acted as second he attended the black boxer Tom Molineaux in his second battle with Tom Cribb, Burke in his 1804 fight against Hen Pearce, and Peter Crawley in his 1819 encounter with Tom Hickman. He also acted regularly as second for the foremost lightweight boxer of the early 19th century Jack Randall.

On 16 April 1818, a benefit was held for Jones at London's Fifth-Street, Soho. Boxers who sparred at Paddington's well attended benefit included Tom Oliver, Tom Spring, Big Ben Burns, and Jack Scroggins.^[28]

The contemporary source Boxiana described Jones as follows:

As a pugilist [he] is entitled to the most honourable mention, in being perfectly master of the science, and with bottom [i.e. courage] of the first quality. He has turned out several good pupils. His guard is formidable and commanding, and his left arm firm and extended to protect his body from assault, while his right is on the alert to give the return instantly. Tom is a very hard hitter, can use his hands with equal facility, stands well upon his legs, and meets his man with fortitude; his positions are not only elegant, but calculated to do much execution in putting in his blows.^[29]

Jones died at his birthplace, Paddington, August 22, 1833, at the age of 67.^[30]

We do not have full details for Jones career. The following table has been drawn up primarily from information on the list included in Fistiana (1841) page 193, the most complete source available,^[31] supplemented by additional data from Boxiana (1830) and Pugilisitica (1906). Sources are sometimes contradictory, so some details show two different possibilities.

Jones was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2010.

• Media related to Paddington Tom Jones at Wikimedia Commons
• Paddington Jones' career record, as given in the 1841 source Fistiana, or The Oracle of the Ring, page 193.
• Chapter on Paddington Jones in Boxiana, or Sketches of Ancient and Modern Pugilism volume 1, 1830, Pierce Egan
• Chapter on Paddington Jones in Pugilistica, the History of British Boxing volume 1, 1906, Henry Downes Miles
• Downes Miles, Henry (1906). Pugilistica: the history of British boxing. J. Grant. p. 114. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
• The Sportsman's magazine of life in London and the country, Volume 1. London. 1845. p. 173. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
• Famous Fights Past and Present Online Archive (Search for Paddington Jones)