Jacob Hyer (died 1838)Gammie, Peter. ''Pugilists and Politicians in Antebellum New York: The Life and Times of Tom Hyer'', ''in''
Proceedings of the New York State Historical Association, Volume 92
p. 265- (1994) was an American bare-knuckled boxer. He is generally credited as the first professional American boxer, due to his 1816 match with Tom Beasley, and has even been called "The Father of The American Ring". Jacob was born 3 Mar 1796, New York City, New York, and died 29 Sep 1838 as proven, along with his ancestors, in 'Hyer and Allied Families' by Claudia E. Thomas, published 2022 Tom died 26 June 1864 in New York City, New York. The book also addresses the error of the 1944 article stating he was born in Pennsylvania.

''Hyer v. Beasley''

In October 1816 in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, Hyer (a butcher) fought Tom Beasley (an English mariner) in what is traditionally said to be the first professional American bout, in that it was open to the public and English boxing rules, specifically the

Broughton rules The Broughton Rules (also known as Broughton's rules) were the first set of rules that was adapted in the sport of boxing. The rules were written and codified by the English champion Jack Broughton in 1743. Many of the rules and limitations includ ...

, were observed.Rodriguez, Robert G
Regulation of Boxing: A History and Comparative Analysis of Policies Among American States
p. 25 (2009) Fleischer, Nat & Andre, Sam
An Illustrated History of Boxing
p. 39 (6th ed. 2001) (considered the first match by "traditional consent", states claim that Hyer "defeated" Beasley, and also states that "this was his only bout.")Fields, Armond
James J. Corbett: A Biography of the Heavyweight Boxing Champion and Popular Theater Headliner
p. 2 (2001; ) The fight has been described as a "grudge match," because the two had previously been involved in a street fight, and decided to settle the matter in a more formal venue. Apparently the rules of boxing were at least followed at the outset of the match, but degenerated as the fight progressed. Different reports of the official bout stated that Beasley broke Hyers' arm (and thus Beasley won),The American fistiana
p. 29 (1849) (listing the fight as the first public bout in America, and stating that Beasley won by "accident" due to Hyer's broken arm)Boxers of Other Days Had Plenty of Grit
''

The Day (New London) ''The Day'' newspaper, formerly known as ''The New London Day'', is a local newspaper based in New London, Connecticut, published by The Day Publishing Company. The newspaper has won Newspaper of the Year and the Best Daily Newspaper Award from t ...

'', February 19, 1914 (quoting from an old copy of the

New York Clipper The ''New York Clipper'', also known as ''The Clipper'', was a weekly entertainment newspaper published in New York City from 1853 to 1924. It covered many topics, including circuses, dance, music, the outdoors, sports, and theatre. It had a ...

, date not revealed, but probably not contemporaneous as the Clipper was not founded until 1853, stating that after Hyer broke his arm, "the fight was given to Beasley") that the match ended in a draw (due to the broken arm), or that Hyer won the match.Vaughn, Stephen L. (ed.
Encyclopedia of American journalism
p. 61 (2008) (stating that a ''Boston Post'' reporter stated the "vicious" match ended when Hyer's arm broke, but noting that other papers said Hyer won after "an hour of fighting", that it was a draw, and one claimed they "parted as friends")Ripley, George & Dana, Charles Anderson (eds.
The American cyclopaedia: a popular dictionary of general knowledge, Volume 14
p.74 (1875) (reporting that the result was a draw after friends of the men intervened after Hyer's arm broke, source of report not stated) Some modern sources state that Hyer won the match, though the basis for that conclusion is not stated.Zimmerman, Linda
Rockland County Scrapbook
p. 70 (2004) () Hyer never fought again after this one fight. Historian Elliot J. Gorn, writing in the 1980s, states that although Hyer broke his arm, Beasley had been badly beaten, so after mutual friends intervened it was declared a draw. Gorn also states that the match was not actually the first ring fight in America, or the first open to the public, but that its ''"significance lay in the ''perception'' that it was a historic event worth recording, in its being the earliest American fight kept alive as living memory of a heroic past. When men gathered at New York's Empire Club decades later, they recounted this battle time and again.... Hyer and Beasley were important because they were remembered as founding fathers."''Gorn, Elliot, J. ''The Manly Art: Bare-Knuckle Prize Fighting in America'' (1986)(updated 2010, )Mee, Bob. ''Bare fists: the history of bare-knuckle prize-fighting'', p.129-30 (2001) () (stating that it is "stretching the truth" to call it the first American championship fight)

Legacy

Hyer was and approximately 182 pounds. He was born in New York, of

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

descent.This is an error: Both Jacob and son Tom, were born in New York City. They were NOT born near Churchtown in Caernarvon Township from records of the Lancaster Historical Society in "Land of Champions, America Drew First Ring Hero", ''Sunday News'', Lancaster, Pennsylvania, pg. 13, 23 April 1944 In 1969, Hyer was elected to the Ring Magazine Boxing Hall of Fame.

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

(January 3, 1969
Ring Hall Elects Fighter-Playboy
''

The Register-Guard ''The Register-Guard'' is a daily newspaper in the northwestern United States, published in Eugene, Oregon. It was formed in a 1930 merger of two Eugene papers, the ''Eugene Daily Guard'' and the ''Morning Register''. The paper serves the Eugene- ...

'' (reporting on induction to Hall of Fame, and stating that Hyer was a claimant for the heavyweight title in 1816). Hyer's son,

Tom Hyer Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

, became the first American heavyweight boxing champion. The younger Hyer's famous victory against

Yankee Sullivan Yankee Sullivan (born James Ambrose; – 31 May 1856), also known as Frank Murray and James Sullivan, was a bare-knuckle fighter and boxer. He claimed the American bare knuckle heavyweight champion from 1851 to 12 October 1853. When Tom ...

in 1849 greatly spurred the popularity of the sport and served to preserve the legacy of his father's pioneering fight.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hyer, Jacob Boxers from New York City Bare-knuckle boxers American people of Dutch descent 1838 deaths Year of birth unknown American male boxers Heavyweight boxers