As Joe Gans slumped on to the canvas, his leg stretched behind him, right shoulder leaning into the tension of the middle rope, he felt the hands of his trusted trainers Jerry and Jack beneath his arms. A storm of pain thrashed through his midriff. Referee, George Stiler, stood over him engulfed by his own hesitation in the shadow of his wide brimmed hat and the significance of the moment.

Gans’ foe, Oscar ‘Battling’ Nelson, was pointed toward a corner, his reputation for fouling snarling beside him.