Bob Brettle
Encyclopedia
Robert "Bob" Brettle, born at Portobello
, near Edinburgh, in January 1832, was a successful bare-knuckle boxer
active in Birmingham
, England, during the 1850s. He was known as "The Birmingham Pet".
A silver
belt, given to him by his patrons to honour his achievements, and made in Birmingham, was featured on the television programme Antiques Roadshow
, while in the possession of one of his descendants. It was subsequently donated to the British Boxing Board of Control
and is now displayed at their headquarters.
Brettle died aged 38 and is buried in the churchyard of St. Peter's Church, Harborne
in Birmingham.
, British champion. Brettle retired with a dislocated shoulder
. }}
Portobello, Edinburgh
Portobello is a beach resort located three miles to the east of the city centre of Edinburgh, along the coast of the Firth of Forth, in Scotland. It is now a suburb of Edinburgh, with a promenade fronting on to the wide sand beach....
, near Edinburgh, in January 1832, was a successful bare-knuckle boxer
Bare-knuckle boxing
Bare-knuckle boxing is the original form of boxing, closely related to ancient combat sports...
active in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England, during the 1850s. He was known as "The Birmingham Pet".
A silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
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
Antiques Roadshow is a British television show in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom to appraise antiques brought in by local people. It has been running since 1979...
, while in the possession of one of his descendants. It was subsequently donated to the British Boxing Board of Control
British Boxing Board of Control
The British Boxing Board of Control is the governing body of professional boxing in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1929 from the old National Sporting Club and is headquartered in Cardiff.- Councils :...
and is now displayed at their headquarters.
Brettle died aged 38 and is buried in the churchyard of St. Peter's Church, Harborne
St. Peter's Church, Harborne
-Background:There has been a church on the site since Saxon times and St Chad is even thought to have preached there. The base of an early preaching cross was found in the mid-1980s during work at the back of the church...
in Birmingham.
Fights
| event=James Malpas, for a purse of £50 in February 1854. }} | event=Jack Jones of Portsmouth, for £100. }} | event= Defeated Roger Coyne, for £200, plus side bets.}} | event= Defeated Sam Simmonds, for £200, plus side bets.}} | event=Job Cobley, The Elastic Pot-Boy (47 rounds, 1 hour 37 minutes. £100 a side). }} | event=Tom SayersThomas Sayers
Tom Sayers was an English bare-knuckle prize fighter. There were no formal weight divisions at the time, and although Sayers was only five feet eight inches tall and never weighed much more than 150 pounds, he frequently fought much bigger men...
, British champion. Brettle retired with a dislocated shoulder
Dislocated shoulder
A dislocated shoulder occurs when the humerus separates from the scapula at the glenohumeral joint. The shoulder joint has the greatest range of motion of any joint in the body and as a result is particularly susceptible to dislocation and subluxation. Approximately half of major joint...
. }}