Robert "Bob" Brettle (1832–1872)
[ was a successful ]bare-knuckle boxer
Bare-knuckle boxing (or simply bare-knuckle) is a combat sport which involves two individuals throwing punches at each other for a predetermined amount of time without any boxing gloves or other form of padding on their hands. It is a regulated ...
active in Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
, England, during the 1850s. He was known as "The Birmingham Pet".
A silver
Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
belt, given to him by his patrons to honour his achievements, and made in Birmingham, was featured on the television programme Antiques Roadshow
''Antiques Roadshow'' is a British television programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom (and occasionally in other countries) to appraise antiques brought in by local people (g ...
, while in the possession of one of his descendants. It was subsequently donated to the British Boxing Board of Control
The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) is the governing body of professional boxing in the United Kingdom.
History
The British Boxing Board of Control was formed in 1929 from the old National Sporting Club and is headquartered in Cardiff. ...
and is now displayed at their headquarters.[''Antiques Roadshow's Greatest Finds'' (episode unknown)]
Brettle died aged 40 and is buried in the churchyard of St. Peter's Church, Harborne
Saint Peter's is the ancient parish church of Harborne, Birmingham, England.
Background
There has been a church on the site since Anglo-Saxons, Saxon times and St Chad is even thought to have preached there. The base of an early preaching cross ...
in Birmingham.
Fights
*
*
*
*
*
*
References
External links
*
1832 births
1872 deaths
Bare-knuckle boxers
People from Portobello, Edinburgh
Boxers from Edinburgh
English male boxers
Scottish male boxers
{{Scotland-boxing-bio-stub