ITHACA
"Mendoza (pugilist)," (U17.723)
Daniel 'Dan' Mendoza (1764 - 1836) was an English-Jewish prizefighter, and boxing Champion of England 1792 - 95. Rather than battering opponents into submission, Mendoza's 'scientific style' included a lot of movement, hence his ability to overcome much heavier adversaries. Mendoza was so popular than the London press reported on one of his bouts ahead of the storming of the Bastille that started the French Revolution. He transformed the English stereotype of a Jew from a weakling into someone deserving of respect. He is said to have been the first Jew to talk to the King, George III. He published 'The Art of Boxing' in 1789.
