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

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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