1860 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

John C Heenan
John C Heenan
  • 9 clubs, led by St Kilda, organize a meeting to develop a unified set of rules. Eventually the representatives agree to use all but one of the Melbourne Football Club's rules. Geelong, who could not attend the meeting, sent their own set for approval.

National championship

Events

Events

  • 17 April — one of the most famous fights of the bareknuckle era takes place at Farnborough, Hampshire, when English Champion Tom Sayers meets American Champion John C. Heenan in what is effectively a World Championship bout. After 42 rounds, the crowd breaks into the ring and the fight is stopped, both boxers having taken heavy punishment, although Heenan seemingly had the advantage. The result is a draw.[1]
  • 20 May — Sayers is awarded a special Silver Championship Belt to commemorate the fight and he now announces his retirement from boxing. Heenan is awarded a duplicate belt.[2]
  • But the brutality of the fight is widely publicised and gives rise to condemnation of the sport by a public that is increasingly influenced by Victorian ethics and morality. The legacy of the Heenan–Sayers fight is that it will bring about the demise of bareknuckle fighting in England.
  • 5 November — Tom Paddock fights Sam Hurst for the vacant Heavyweight Championship of England at a venue in Berkshire. Hurst wins in only five rounds and is awarded the championship belt by Tom Sayers. This is Paddock's final fight.[3]

Events

England

Events

Major tournaments

Events

  • Inaugural running of the Queen's Plate in Canada is won by Don Juan

England

Canada

The Boat Race

Other events

References

edit
  1. ^ Cyber Boxing Zone – John C. Heenan. Retrieved on 8 November 2009.
  2. ^ Cyber Boxing Zone – Tom Sayers. Retrieved on 8 November 2009.
  3. ^ Cyber Boxing Zone – Sam Hurst. Retrieved on 8 November 2009.
  4. ^ "Epsom Derby | History, Winners, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 28 December 2021.