Boxing from jail to parliament

The case of John Gully was one of the most spectacular examples of meteoric social rise thanks to his skill with his fists. He had been born in 1783 and was the son of a butcher from a small town near Bristol, in England. On the death of his father, he had to take over the family business, which was not working particularly well. Shortly after, the debts he had contracted landed him in King's Bench, a prison for debtors. At 21 years old, in prison and with a debt he could never pay, the future did not look very promising for him.

In May 1805, Gully was visited by noted boxer Hen Pearce, who would soon become champion of England by dethroning Jem Belcher. They agreed to hold a boxing exhibition in the prison yard, in which the young Gully fought bravely and skillfully against one of the greatest fighters of his time. Among the spectators who had come to see the exhibition was promoter Fletcher Reid. Impressed by the performance of the inmate Reid, he understood that a real fight between Gully and Pearce could generate interest and generate big profits. He himself paid the £300 out of his own pocket to secure Gully's freedom, and paid training and living expenses to prepare him for the fight. The trainings were in charge of the former English champion, Gentleman Jack Johnson.

Boxing has always been the sport of opportunity, but no one imagined that a simple exhibition in the prison yard would change Gully's life forever, who seemed destined to rot in prison for not being able to afford debts. The fight aroused great interest and drew a large crowd. Among the spectators was the Duke of Clarence, future King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, William IV. The fight was very close and both contenders were badly damaged. As Pearce's experience began to take hold, Gully's corner tried to talk his fighter out, but he refused.

Finally, after 64 rounds, which stretched over one hour and seventeen minutes, victory went to the veteran Pearce, who publicly praised the strength and courage of the rookie Gully. Months later Pearce was crowned champion of England, but he retired without defending his title and Reid knew that this was the opportunity to throw his young prospect into a title match, which would be against Bob Gregson, known as the Lancashire Giant. . Gully emerged victorious in a memorable match, and months later he defeated the giant again in the rematch. At the conclusion of this second bout, Gully thanked the crowd and formally announced his retirement.

He was twenty-five years old. With the money earned he opened a pub in London, called The Plow, which attracted a large clientele who wanted to meet the young champion personally. Little by little he turned to a new passion, horse racing and from his pub he became one of the main bookmakers in London, both in boxing and turf. His economic growth seemed to have no ceiling and he even bought his own horse stable. Three times his horses won the Derby, the most popular and lucrative race in the kingdom. He bought properties, invested in coal mines in the middle of the industrial revolution.

In 1832 John Gully was elected to the British Parliament, and he served in the House of Commons until 1837. The young butcher from the provinces, financially ruined and imprisoned for debt on King's Bench, thanks to the sport of his fists, he became in the owner of one of the main fortunes of the United Kingdom and in the first boxer in history to venture into politics, coming to occupy a seat in Parliament. Gully died rich, in London, at the age of 76.