ABSTRACT
Dutch Sam, a Jewish fighter, was trained by Daniel Mendoza, the reputed epitome of the scientific method of boxing. Mendoza recognized that by establishing a scientifically inflected discourse of the sport, its practitioners could control how the audience perceived the action and could develop methods of dissemination through a popular press and by training amateurs. In constituting himself as the theorist of boxing, Mendoza theatrically negotiated his public personality to construct an image of Jewish masculinity. Mendoza negotiated his public image by producing his own representations, often reconstructing boxing matches as affairs of public honor and making his own physical presence in public locations a noteworthy event. The prints that commemorated the series of fights between Mendoza and Richard Humphries highlight Mendoza's character as both Jewish and working-class. After a series of fights, Mendoza coincidentally encounters Humphries, whose 'behavior was rude', who 'seemed very desirous of provoking me to strike him', and whom Mendoza suspects of having staged the meeting.
