Events • Publication of the
Marquess of Queensberry rules which had been written in 1865. These rules prescribe the use of gloves, the ten second count, the three minute round and the one minute's rest between rounds. • 10 May —
Jimmy Elliott defeats
Bill Davis in the 9th round at Point Pelee Island in Canada. Davis has now lost to both Elliott and
Mike McCoole who continue to claim the American Championship, but these two will never meet in the ring. • 31 August — McCoole defeats
Aaron Jones in the 34th round at Busenbord's Station, Ohio. • 15 October —
Jem Mace is due to defend the English Championship against Ned O'Baldwin in London but the bout is prevented by the authorities. There is by this time considerable opposition to bareknuckle boxing in England and fights are becoming impossible to stage at all, let alone profitably. Mace reacts to the latest ban by taking his trade to America, leaving the English Championship as a dead title. Competitive boxing in Great Britain is effectively terminated until after the foundation of the
National Sporting Club in 1891. • The demise of bareknuckle boxing in England is consistent with the spread of Victorian ethics and morality. The influential newspaper industry has fuelled distaste for prizefighting by widely publicising the brutality of the 1860 Heenan–Sayers fight. The Queensberry Rules with their demand for gloves and timings are an establishment reaction to the furore and are designed to "clean up" a sport that is out of touch with Victorian values. ==
Cricket==