Charles Freeman (American Giant) Contents Early life Meeting with Ben Caunt Boxing career Final years and death References External links Navigation menu"An American Giant""A Giant""The greatest man living""The Champion in America""City Intelligence"PugilisticaFamous Fights, Past and Present"On the Respiratory Functions""THE RING. ENGLAND VERSUS AMERICA; OR THE YANKEE CHAMPION AGAINST THE TIPTON SLASHER"Fights for the championship : the men and their times"Winchester. Saturday, October 25""Winchester"Newspaper cuttings about Freeman

1821 births1845 deathsBare-knuckle boxersAmerican male boxers


Ben CauntWilliam PerryJohnny BroomeSawbridgeworthconsumptionWinchesterJohn C. Heenan




Charles Freeman (1821-1845) known as the "American Giant" or "Michigan Giant" was a tall and powerfully built man who featured as an "exhibit" in America before meeting the English heavyweight boxer Ben Caunt. They provided an entertainment by sparring on stage. Freeman accompanied Caunt to England where he continued his boxing exhibitions. He achieved fame when he was matched in two prizefights with William Perry (the Tipton Slasher). Despite not being trained as a bareknuckle boxer he drew one fight and won the second bout. He remained in England as an entertainer until his early death of consumption in 1845.




Contents





  • 1 Early life


  • 2 Meeting with Ben Caunt


  • 3 Boxing career


  • 4 Final years and death


  • 5 References


  • 6 External links




Early life


Charles Freeman was born on 16 July 1821 in New York City.[1] His family moved to Illinois when he was aged 3 but then moved to St Joseph, in the State of Michigan. He grew up on a farm where he reached a remarkable size. He moved to the East Coast of America at the age of 19, firstly to New York and then Boston, where he featured as an "exhibit" in Mr Harrington's Museum.[1] In January 1841 he was described as "a Hercules, and an Apollo Belvidere combined in one person".[2] He was also described as being 7 feet 4 inches tall and capable of lifting a dead weight of 1500 pounds.[2] In March 1841 in was reported: "the greatest man living is said to be a modern Goliah named Charles Freeman, now at Boston. He is a native of New York State, but 19 years old, measures 7 feet 3 inches in height, and weighs 300 pounds. He is double jointed, a very Sampson in strength, is well proportioned, and formed with the most perfect symmetry."[3]



Meeting with Ben Caunt


Ben Caunt was a famous bareknuckle boxer from England who went on tour in the US in the early 1840s. Meeting Freeman, they sparred together on stage in the US[4] before crossing the Atlantic together, leaving for England on 19 February 1842, when it was a reported that the two had departed: "Caunt to meet Bendigo in combat, and Freeman to astonish the English fancy with his nerve, strength and stature".[5] On arrival they toured various theatres in England. [6]



Boxing career


In 1842, the recently retired boxer Johnny Broome set up a bareknuckle prizefight between Freeman and William Perry (known as the "Tipton Slasher") despite the American having no experience of prizefighting.[7] During training for the fight in November of that year, he was given a medical examination that stated his characteristics as: "Vital capacity, 434 cubic inches; height, 6 ft. 11¼in.; weight, 19 st. 5 lb.; circumference of his chest, 47 inches ; inspiratory power, 5.0 inches; expiratory
power, 6.5 inches."[8] The first fight between Perry and Freeman took place on 6 December 1842 at Sawbridgeworth and was declared a draw as darkness descended on the boxers after 70 rounds of boxing.[9] In a subsequent bout, on 20 December of the same year, held at Cliffe Marshes, Gravesend, Freeman was declared the winner after 38 rounds as Perry dropped to the floor without being struck by his opponent.[10]



Final years and death


These two bouts with the Tipton Slasher were the only recorded prize-fights undertaken by Freeman. He returned to being a circus and theatrical entertainer until his early death of consumption on 18 October 1845 at Winchester Hospital.[6] Ben Caunt attended his funeral at a cemetery in Winchester on 23 October 1845.[11] In June 1860, Freeman's grave was marked by a stone obelisk, about ten feet high. The stone was provided by John C. Heenan, the American bare-knuckle fighter and his fellow countryman, John Macdonald.[12]



References




  1. ^ ab "An American Giant". Boston Medical and Surgical Journal. 23-24: 358. 1841. Retrieved 6 July 2018..mw-parser-output cite.citationfont-style:inherit.mw-parser-output .citation qquotes:"""""""'""'".mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registrationcolor:#555.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration spanborder-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output code.cs1-codecolor:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-errordisplay:none;font-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-errorfont-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-maintdisplay:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-formatfont-size:95%.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-leftpadding-left:0.2em.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-rightpadding-right:0.2em


  2. ^ ab "A Giant". The North-Carolinian. 16 January 1841. Retrieved 16 July 2018.


  3. ^ "The greatest man living". The North-Carolina standard. 3 March 1841. Retrieved 13 July 2018.


  4. ^ "The Champion in America". Bell's Life in London and Sporting Chronicle. 16 January 1842. p. 4. Retrieved 2 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. (Subscription required (help)).


  5. ^ "City Intelligence". New York Herald. 20 February 1842. Retrieved 12 July 2018.


  6. ^ ab Miles, Henry Downes (1906). Pugilistica. 3. Edinburgh: J. Grant. pp. 157–205.


  7. ^ Famous Fights, Past and Present. London. 1901. pp. 202–204. Retrieved 11 July 2018.


  8. ^ "On the Respiratory Functions". Medico-Chirurgical Transactions. 29. 1846. Retrieved 10 July 2018.


  9. ^ "THE RING. ENGLAND VERSUS AMERICA; OR THE YANKEE CHAMPION AGAINST THE TIPTON SLASHER". Freeman's Journal. 12 December 1842. p. 4. Retrieved 11 March 2019 – via The British Newspaper Archive. (Subscription required (help)).


  10. ^ Henning, Fred (1902). Fights for the championship : the men and their times. 2. London: Licensed victuallers' gazette. pp. 329–395.


  11. ^ "Winchester. Saturday, October 25". Salisbury and Winchester Journal. 25 October 1845. p. 4. Retrieved 22 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. (Subscription required (help)).


  12. ^ "Winchester". Salisbury and Winchester Journal. British Newspaper Archive. 30 June 1860. p. 8. Retrieved 22 August 2018. (Subscription required (help)).




External links


  • Newspaper cuttings about Freeman

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